Top 10 body piercing questions & more
September 30, 2004
By: Lori Wilkerson
Body piercing has grown so much in popularity in recent years
that it has become almost mainstream, with more and more people
sporting navel rings and multiple ear rings. Facial piercings,
surface piercings and lots of others to choose from can make things
confusing.
If you don’t know what to expect when you decide to get a
piercing, it can be even more intimidating. Here are some of the top
questions people have about body piercing (click the linked
questions to view the answer).
1.
I want to get a body piercing. How
much will it cost?
2. Does it hurt?
3. How long does it take a body piercing to heal?
4. How can I tell if a piercing is infected, or it’s just
normal healing stuff?
5. What should I look for in a good body piercing studio?
6. Why can’t I just pierce myself?
7. What should I clean my piercing with?
8. What kind of jewelry should a piercing be done with?
9. What causes migration? Is it the same as rejection?
10. What if I want to become a professional piercer?
Not top ten, but still great questions:
11. Does genital piercing make
sex better?
12. How far can you stretch your earlobes when they are
pierced?
13. What is a Keloid?
14. Why did my friend’s piercing get an infection and mine
didn’t?
15. How long can I leave my jewelry out before my piercing
closes up?
16. Can you get AIDS from a body piercing?
17. Is there body jewelry for people who don’t want to get
pierced?
Don't see your specific question answered here? Don't fret
because we know a place on the Internet where you can get all your
body piercing related questions answered on an individual basis by
an expert.
AllExperts.com is the site, click the link to go there now.
In Conclusion
Body piercing and wearing body jewelry should be an informed
choice, not a snap decision. If you have been thinking about getting
a body piercing, talk to others who have done the same and get their
feedback. Ask them if they are happy with the results and for their
suggestions on good piercing studios. Ask yourself if you’re ready
for the commitment to proper care and the expense of a body
piercing.
Remember that a body piercing is a form of body modification that
will affect how others perceive you. Obviously, this is part of the
appeal for most people. However, the reactions will be mixed, and
you should keep in mind that while some people will love it, others
will not. So think through the consequences of body piercing
thoroughly before you proceed. Then, if you decide its right for you
– follow the tips above for a safe, attractive body piercing you’ll
be proud to wear!
Body Piercing Answers
1. I want to get a body piercing. How much will it cost?
[top]
The cost of a body piercing varies depending on several factors,
including where you’re located, how close to a major city you are,
and what kind of piercing you’re having done. Generally the more
difficult the piercing, the higher the cost. Keep in mind that you
get what you pay for as well, so don’t depend entirely upon cost to
choose your piercer. If a piercer is charging significantly under
the market cost in your area, he may be cutting corners in areas he
shouldn’t, such as sterilization and other safety procedures.
On average, the cost of piercings fall somewhere in these ranges:
| Ears (lobes, cartilage, etc.) |
$25 - $50 |
| Navel |
$45 - $55 |
| Tongue |
$45 - $55 |
| Labret |
$50 - $60 |
| Eyebrow |
$40 - $50 |
| Nipple |
$45 - $55 |
| Nostril |
$45 - $55 |
| Genital |
$75 - $100 |
2. Does it hurt? [top]
In simple terms, yes. Does it hurt much? Most people will tell
you, “No, not really.” It’s usually more like a pinching or popping
sensation than anything. The sensation of pain is relative – some
people feel it more than others. The adrenalin rush of the piercing
usually means the pain in minimal.
After the initial pain when the needle goes through the piercing,
you may feel some dull pain or an aching sensation for a few hours,
which can be relieved with an over the counter pain reliever. One
piercing that does hurt a bit more than others is the tongue
piercing, which will swell and be sensitive for a few days. Ice
chips and popsicles will help soothe the pain of this kind of new
piercing.
3. How long does it take a body piercing to heal?
[top]
The healing time for a body piercing varies depending upon what
you’ve had pierced. Some parts of the body heal more quickly than
others. For instance, if you pierce your earlobes, you can expect
them to heal within two months and be ready for jewelry other than
the original piercing jewelry.
The belly button is in an area that heals slowly, however,
because it’s right where the body twists and turns, which slows the
healing process. It also doesn’t get as much air circulation because
it is covered much of the time. It can take up to six months or even
a year for a belly button piercing to heal completely.
Some general healing times are:
| Earlobe or Eyebrow |
6 – 8 weeks |
| Genitals |
4 weeks – 4 months |
| Labret/Lip |
6 – 8 weeks |
| Navel |
6 – 18 months |
| Nipple |
3 – 6 months |
| Nostril |
3 months – 1 year |
| Septum |
6 – 8 weeks |
| Tongue |
4 – 6 weeks |
| Cartilage |
3 months – 1 year |
The better you care for a body piercing, the more quickly it will
heal, so be sure to discuss the proper care of your piercing with
the piercing professional who does your body piercing to ensure a
quick, clean piercing and you will heal in the least amount of time
possible.
4. How can I tell if a piercing is infected, or it’s
just normal healing stuff? [top]
All body piercings will have some drainage during the first
several days. This is because you have basically given your body a
puncture wound, and your body will bleed for a while, and then have
drainage of some fluids as it heals. These fluids are actually good
for you, as they keep the area moist and clean and will wash away
some of the dirt and germs that might otherwise stay in the area.
Bleeding should stop within a few hours or the first day and be
only small amounts. Often it will look watery. Drainage will be
mostly a clear, watery discharge, although it can sometimes be
somewhat white in color. The drainage will form “crusties” around
the jewelry that can be washed off with warm, soapy water when you
clean your piercing each day.
A piercing is infected when the discharge is either green or
yellow. Also, if the area becomes swollen or inflamed again after
the initial swelling has subsided. Any time you see green or yellow
pus or discharge, you should see a doctor and get appropriate
medical treatment. It won’t necessarily mean you have to remove your
piercing; you may simply have to take a course of antibiotics. If
the area becomes red and inflamed with red streaks radiating out
from the area, see a doctor right away.
5. What should I look for in a good body piercing
studio? [top]
A good body piercing studio must first and foremost be clean,
clean, clean! The most common cause of infection is piercings is
simple exposure to germs, so look for a piercing parlor that is very
strict about its cleanliness and sterilization procedures. They
should have a separate room where nothing else is done but
piercings.
They should always have an operational autoclave, which is a wet
steam sterilization unit that is to be used to clean and sterilize
all tools and equipment used during piercing. They should also
pierce only with single-use, disposable needles that are
pre-wrapped. Ask them if this is what they use, and insist that the
needles not be opened until they are actually ready to do your
piercing so that you can confirm they are sterile-wrapped.
Look for experience and qualifications. Have all the piercers
been through an apprenticeship program? If so, for how long did they
train and where? Also make sure they are licensed to operate a
piercing studio by their state’s department of health. In most
states this is now mandatory. Also check the date to make sure it
isn’t expired. Finally, look for a certificate of membership in a
professional society such as the Association of Professional
Piercers, an organization that supports safe and professional
piercing practices and offers extensive ongoing training.
6. Why can’t I just pierce myself?
[top]
You can pierce yourself, but it’s not really a good idea. It’s
simply too hard to keep the area in your own home (or wherever you
happen to be) clean and sterile enough. You also may have trouble
lining up and placing a piercing squarely where you want it, and if
you lose your nerve half-way through the piercing, you’re stuck with
it half done.
If you do it at home, you’ll probably do it on an impulse, which
will mean you won’t have the right tools. Piercing needles are
incredibly sharp in order to reduce the pain and make a good, clean
cut. No matter how sharp that sewing needle is at home, it’s not as
sharp as a piercing needle, so it will hurt more, bleed more, and
may not heal as cleanly.
7. What should I clean my piercing with?
[top]
Today most professional piercers agree that the best way to clean
a fresh piercing is with a mild antibacterial soap. These should not
contain perfumes or dyes, which can irritate a piercing and lead to
discomfort or an allergic reaction. There are a few on the market
that are specifically designed for body piercings, including
Provon® and
Satin®.
After cleaning, you should follow up with a sea salt water soak.
Sea salt is
available at natural health stores, piercing and tattoo studios and
a variety of other stores. The sea salt solution helps soothe the
area and draw impurities out of the wound to promote faster healing.
H2Ocean® is an
excellent pre-mixed sea salt solution that can be sprayed on for
ease of use. It’s highly recommended by many professional piercers
and is convenient especially if you’re traveling or on the go.
8. What kind of jewelry should a piercing be done with?
[top]
A body piercing is, in the simplest terms, a puncture wound, so
you want to use a high quality metal that won’t react with your body
chemistry to create an allergic reaction or contaminate the open
wound.
Never use cheap or base metals to get a body piercing. The best
metals to use are titanium or surgical steel, both or which are
essentially inert and won’t react with your body. In some cases, you
can use high quality gold, but even this sometimes creates a
reaction because of the nickel content, so do be cautious.
Once a piercing is completely healed, you have more leeway on
what you can use, but if you are at all nickel sensitive, you will
probably always have to stick with surgical steel and titanium for
your body piercings, unless you are using alternatives such as
glass, which is completely non-reactive and safe for nearly
everyone.
9. What causes migration? Is it the same as rejection?
[top]
Rejection is a more severe form of migration. Migration is when a
body piercing begins to move through the flesh because the body is
trying to force it out of the skin and get rid of it. In some cases,
the body only partially succeeds, and the piercing “migrates” so
that it ends up being crooked or misaligned.
When the body completely forces a piercing out of the body, it is
called a “rejection,” because the body has completely rejected the
piece of jewelry, basically “spitting it out.” This is because any
piercing jewelry is a foreign object that the body sees as an
invader to be gotten rid of, especially if the piercing is poorly
done so that the jewelry aggravates the skin tissues.
10. What if I want to become a professional piercer?
[top]
Behave responsibly. Visit a few piercing parlors that you know
are top quality and ask about internship programs and other options.
Order some videos that take you through the introductory steps of
piercing and educate you on the process of proper preparation and
sterilization. Many of the larger piercing websites offer these
video series’ at a reasonable cost.
You should also take courses in first aid in blood borne
pathogens and other illnesses that are commonly transmitted by
needles. Many of these courses are offered through community
colleges or local hospital extensions. The most important thing is
to be fully trained and completely experienced in all manner of
piercing before setting yourself up as a piercer on your own – both
for your own legal protection and the safety and well-being of those
who come to you for body piercing.
The Association of Professional Piercers (www.safepiercing.org)
is an excellent source of information on how to get started as a
professional piercer.
11. Does genital piercing make sex better?
[top]
Some people swear by it! They say the added physical stimulation
is great for them, and the added visual stimulation is great for
their partner.
12. How far can you stretch your earlobes when they are
pierced? [top]
This will vary from person to person, depending upon skin type
and the size of the lobe. Some people have stretched their earlobes
to a 0 gauge and beyond, but this is difficult and can lead to a
tear-out. Extreme stretching (anything beyond, say, a 6 gauge)
should only be attempted with the direction and assistance of a
professional.
13. What is a Keloid? [top]
A Keloid is a tough knob of scar-like tissue that sometimes forms
at the base of a piercing, especially on a navel piercing.
14. Why did my friend’s piercing get an infection and
mine didn’t? [top]
Sometimes no matter what you do, a piercing gets infected. Maybe
dirt gets in the piercing that is missed when cleaning; maybe
someone has extremely sensitive skin. It just depends.
15. How long can I leave my jewelry out before my
piercing closes up? [top]
Not very long. Some piercings, like a labret or tongue piercing,
will close up in only a few hours if you leave the jewelry out.
Others will stay for days or week, but it’s not a chance you want to
take. If you have to take your jewelry out, wear a retainer.
16. Can you get AIDS from a body piercing?
[top]
It is highly unlikely you will get AIDS, hepatitis or any other
blood borne disease from a piercing, but it could happen if the
piercer uses unsterilized instruments or re-uses a piercing needle.
That’s why you should go to a professional who uses an autoclave and
disposable needles – to protect you.
17. Is there body jewelry for people who don’t want to
get pierced? [top]
Yes! Great looking belly chains, fake nostril rings and belly
button rings and even fake tongue rings are available now that look
like the real thing.
About the Author:
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her work
because it gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world
every day. Right now, she knows a little bit about almost
everything, and a lot about body jewelry, belly button rings and
tongue rings. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who
is not.
Also See: [
Historical Information About Body Piercings ]
[
The Body
Piercing Process ]
[
Glossary of Piercing Terms ]
Home Page: [ Body Jewelry You Seek ]
Body Piercing Jewelry
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