So you want a piercing…
There are many, MANY options on placement and type of piercing, and the important thing is to get one what suits you and you enjoy
A great collection of images of every piercing you could possible imagine is at
http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/bme-pirc.html
Jewellery is varying in style and size, and the type of jewellery you get depends on the piercing. A good guide I found on a jewellery store website (it’s a good place to buy jewellery, cheap and easy to use)
http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.co.uk/b...llery_shop.htm - click ‘skip’ then ‘jewellery’ - different styles and shapes
http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.co.uk/b...llery_shop.htm - click ‘skip’ then ‘body’ - click on the relevant body part for jewellery ideas
The thickness (or gauge) or jewellery depends on the placement and preference of the piercer and client. Ask your piercer what gauge he/she is piercing you, so you can buy jewellery easily.
Browse through galleries, decide what you like then talk about it with your local piercer…
This brings me on to…
But where do I go…?
The most important things to remember when choosing a piercing studio are: Hygiene and Skill
Hygiene: think about it, you are getting a hole poked through your main line of defence against all the nasty germs and dirt in the world around you…keeping it as clean as possible is obviously the way to go! A good, professional piercers should have a separate room for the piercing to be done away from the sight (and dirt) of other customers. Inside this room there should be a doctor’s style bed (or chair), a wipe-clean surface with the piercer’s equipment set out on a clean sheet, and an autoclave. Don’t be scared to ask your piercer about their sterilisation procedures…a professional with nothing to hide will be more than happy to put your mind at ease.
All items used in the procedure should be sterile to the highest extent possible. Needles should come from their original packets (the piercer should show you) and jewellery should come out of autoclave packets (however, if the jewellery has never been worn or touched before, it’s not unusual for the piercer to just soak it in antibacterial solution)
One final point about hygiene is that the piercer should wear gloves at all times when handling the area to be pierced or any of his/her equipment, and change them regularly throughout the procedure (whenever he/she touches anything new (eg. going from you to the drawer, or from the needle packet to you))
Skill: there’s no point in having a wonderfully clean piercer who can’t actually do the procedure properly. His/her skill will affect how long you are able to keep the piercing without it migrating or growing out through excess pressure, and the final look and attractiveness of the piercing. The best outcome of bad skill is a long and painful healing time.
The best way to find out about both hygiene and skill is by word of mouth (and of course, looking at my handy directory at the bottom of the post
)
You talk about needles….what about guns?
Guns are a horrible invention, and there are so many worlds of wrong with them.
http://www.bmeworld.com/heidi/guns.html. - this is a wonderful article about the perils of piercing guns, courtesy of BME (
www.bmezine.com)
How much is this gonna cost…?
I won’t lie to you; getting pierced with a needle isn’t as cheap as getting mauled by a gun, but it’s worth it. Average prices for ear piercing tend to range from £15 to £25 depending on the position; facial piercings can be from £20 to £40, and body from £30 to £50. The best thing to do is to go into one of the recommended piercers and ask them how much it will cost. Ask if they do any student discounts or anything, too, if that applies to you. Don’t settle for a shoddy piercing if it cuts down the price by a few quid. In the long run, it probably won’t work out, as they will probably not fit the criteria needed for a good piercer.
Is this gonna hurt…?
Yes, yes it will. However, it will not be comparable with childbirth, and (hopefully) quite unlike losing a limb. In my personal experience, it sometimes doesn’t hurt at all, but rather just feels a bit weird. But everyone’s different, and my ‘feeling weird’ might be your ‘oh dear god, I’m going to die’
Only one way to find out…
Today’s the day…
Don’t have any alcohol or blood-thinning drugs (asprin), have a bite to eat before heading in. Leave yourself plenty of time in case you have to wait for a bit, and bring a friend for much needed moral support/stop you chickening out
I did it!...now what do I do?
Ah, aftercare…the oft overlooked aspect of piercing…
A reputable piercer should give you a wee sheet of paper with aftercare instructions on it. Now, this can vary from place to place in fine details, but the main thing is sea salt soaks. Make up a mug of boiled water, add a ¼ of a teaspoon of sea salt (it really should be sea salt, not table salt) let it cool, and then soak your lovely new, crusty piercing for about 3-10 minutes. Rinse it with some cool, clean water and dab dry with a clean paper towel.
Do this twice a day, and remember not to touch with your yukky, dirty fingers. If you have to touch it, clean your hands WELL with antibacterial soap (my personal favourite is Dove)
For oral piercings, it’s recommended that you rinse with a salt solution as normal, but I healed my tongue using alcohol-free medical antibacterial mouthwash. It worked a treat, and it’s not too expensive (from your local chemist)
Oh, no, I think it’s infected…
Now, did you not listen to me and play with it with your grubby hands?
The signs of an infection are prolonged swelling (remember, a cartilage piercing can be swollen for quite a few weeks (even months if you’re a slow healer like me)), localised redness, pain even when not touching it, a yellow/green discharge and localised heat. If these are absent, then it is unlikely that you have an infection.
Common problems with piercings are:
Crusting and swelling – not problems at all, but often confused with an infection. If the discharge is white/yellow and ‘crusty’ around the holes of the piercing, this is just lymph draining to the surface, and is a perfectly normal part of healing. Swelling of the area (especially oral piercings) is common and uncomfortable, but should go down quite quickly.
Hypertrophic scarring – will appear like a little blister or bubble about one (or both) of the holes of the piercing. They will probably be tender and may fluctuate in size. Salt soaks seem to work well in letting these go down, but witch hazel and tea tree oil also seem to work well, just don’t overdo it.
Keloids – this will be a large, hard growth on the piercing, probably not painful or tender, and does not fluctuate in size. These, unfortunately, do not go away without surgery, but they are very uncommon, and piercing is not the ‘cause’ of them, but any irritant can cause a keloid in prone individuals.
If you still think you have an infection, head straight down to your GP where you might be administered with antibiotics. Keep up the salt soaks, but don’t take out the piercing, as this may trap the infection and make it worse. And for goodness sake, STOP PLAYING WITH IT!
How long’s this healing lark gonna take…?
Even if your piercing feels great, it will probably still be healing for a few more weeks. Normal healing times for common piercings are:
Ear cartilage – up to 6 months is not uncommon
Facial – 2 months
Oral (tongue, lip) – 1 or 2 months – change down of jewellery size after 1 or 2 weeks
Body (navel, nipple) – can be up to 6 to 12 months
Genital – 1 or 2 months
Piercers Nirvana Body Piercing
9, Chisholm St
Glasgow Lanarkshire
G1 5HA
Tel: 0141 552 5706
Glasgow Piercing Studio
24, Parnie St
Glasgow Lanarkshire
G1 5LR
Tel: 0141 552 6655
Burning Monkey Piercing Studio
Argyle Centre Market 28-32, Argyle St
Glasgow Lanarkshire
G2 8AD
Tel: 0141 248 6738
Online jewellery shops: www.bodyjewelleryshop.co.uk www.wildcat.co.uk/acatalog www.coldsteel.co.uk www.naveljewellery.co.uk 
