GUIDELINES - BODY PIERCING

Body piercing is hot and happening now a days with more and more youth piercing the various parts of their body. The various body parts that are normally pierced are nose, ears, navel, eyebrow, lips, nipple, tongue and other genital parts. Often, it's a statement of individuality and style but some portray it as a sign of rebellion too. Sometimes, it's nothing more than a desire to adorn various body parts with jewellery. With piercing becoming more and more popular it is always advisable to be more aware of its method, precautions, consequences and other small questions, which will cross your mind before taking the plunge. In this article we have tried to answer mostly all your questions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does body piercing hurt?
This is probably the first question that crosses anybody's mind. Well sorry to say but body piercing does hurt. A hollow needle is passed through the body part followed by the insertion of the body jewellery in the hole. A small amount of bleeding may occur as a result of the piercing. But isn't the pain a part of the fun. After all to gain something you have to bear the pain.


Does a piercing cause health risk?
Well piercing shouldn't cause any kind of health risk but for that you have to take care of the piercing properly while they're healing. A competent piercer will give you an aftercare guide. Follow it religiously, but know your own body: if a particular disinfectant irritates you, don't use it. If you have any problems call your piercer and take his advice or consult your doctor.


Where should I be pierced?
Well this will broadly depend on you. You can visit various sites on the net as well as take advice from your piercer as to where you should pierce. If you're considering a particular piercer, talk to him or her and to their clients; check out their equipment and piercing room. Whatever you do don't pierce at jewellery shops, don't ask your friend's to pierce and don't do it yourself. Remember piercing is your decision so please take it wisely.


How to choose a piercing artist?
Visit several piercers and check out the work area. The work area should be kept in a clean and sanitary condition and it should have proper lighting. If they refuse to discuss cleanliness and infection control, go somewhere else. Check if all the instruments used for piercing are properly sterilised. The piercer parlour should have an autoclave - a heat sterilization machine used to sterilize equipment between customers. Also check if the piercer uses proper gloves and keeps them on all the time.

What jewellery to wear?
The type of jewellery inserted will depend on the body part. For example, a short barbell in the tongue will lead to problems when the tongue starts to swell. The type of jewellery used must accommodate the swelling that follows the piercing procedure. Piercers recommend non-toxic metals such as surgical steel, 14K gold, niobium, or titanium to avoid infections and allergic reactions. Gold-plated jewellery should not be used.


What is the healing time for various body parts piercing?
Well every body part will take different healing period. It also depends on person to person. Following is the chart, which gives the average time for piercing to heal.
Ear lobe: 6 to 8 weeks
Ear cartilage: 4 months to 1 year
Eyebrow: 6 to 8 weeks
Lip: 2 to 3 months
Tongue: 4 weeks
Nostril: 2 to 4 months
Nasal septum: 6 to 8 months
Nasal bridge: 8 to 10 weeks
Nipple: 3 to 6 months
Navel: 4 months to 1 year
Female genitalia: 4 to 10 weeks
Male genitalia: 4 weeks to 6 months

Cleanliness Guidelines

• Clean the piercing area with an antibacterial soap. Gently remove all crusty formations from the piercing and jewellery. Rinse off the soap, making sure that all the soap and crust formations are gone. You can also remove crystal formation by making a salt water liquid (solution of one quarter teaspoon sea salt and eight ounces distilled water).
• Wash your hands with soap before touching or cleaning the pierced part during the healing process. Don't let anyone else touch the pierced part during the healing period.
• Be sure to leave the starter jewellery in during the entire minimum initial healing time. Check tightness of balls on threaded jewellery twice daily with clean hands. For tongue piercing check threaded ends on the jewellery twice daily with clean hands to make sure the ends are tight. Eat slowly and take small bites of food at first, when you are getting used to the new jewellery.
• Always wear clean clothing and change bed-sheets every week during healing. If the piercing is an ear piercing, clean your telephone and sun or eyeglasses.
• For ear and cartilage piercing, avoid make-up and powders around your face and neck during the healing process coz this can cause infection. Cover the pierced part with a tissue when using hair spray.
• For navel piercing don't wear tight clothes coz that will not give you proper air circulation that is very important for healing. Don't sleep on your stomach. · If you swim then be careful where you swim. Avoid public pools and hot tubs until the piercing has healed.
• For tongue or lip piercing, choose an antibacterial mouthwash that does not contain alcohol and rinse your mouth every time you eat. If you notice bad breathe and an off-coloured tongue the mouth wash may have killed the mouth's own bacteria. If this happens switch to salt water rinses instead of mouthwash.
• For tongue piercing avoid all oral sexual contact including French (wet) kissing during the entire healing period, even if you are in a monogamous relationship. Avoid chewing on gum, tobacco, fingernails, pencils and sunglasses while healing. Reduce or quit smoking when healing (smoking increases risks and can prolong the healing process).
• Don't use band aids on a piercing as they can limit air circulation.

Complications arising out of piercing:
If taken proper care then piercing does not really cause any complications but still you should be aware of a few minor complications. If you are going for tongue piercing then initially you will have to bear lot of swelling and pain. It might also affect your taste buds for a few days. Nipple piercing may burrow through some of the milk-producing ducts and cause infection or problems if a woman wishes to breast-feed an infant later in her life. Navel piercing becomes infected easily because tight-fitting clothes do not allow enough air to circulate and allow moisture to collect around the piercing site. Nose piercing should be taken special care from infections since it can be very deadly if it gets infected. If the piercing drains thick pus discharge instead of the normal yellowish liquid secretion, you may want to consult a physician. If there is an infection present, do not remove jewellery. If the jewellery is removed, the holes can close up and an abscess can form. Avoid stress and all forms of recreational drug use. Avoid aspirin, large amounts of caffeine, spicy, salty, acidic or hot temperature foods and alcoholic beverage for the first several days to prevent bleeding, swelling and discomfort. Do not play with the piercing during the entire healing time except for necessary functions (eating and speaking). Stress on the piercing during the healing process can cause scarring, migration and other complications. Even after healing, excessive play with oral jewellery can result in permanent damage to teeth, gums and oral structures.