Piercing Safety (Full Version)

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IonMoon -> Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 12:14:44 PM)

Thought I'd start another thread, since the other got me thinking!

So... all you with experience in piercing... If my dd does go back for another piercing, what questions should we be asking? What should we be looking for? What really is good aftercare?

For instance- I had never thought to ask about jewelery and just assumed it would be surgical steel.

Her piercer told her wash with dial for 3 days, turn the jewelery each time, use antibiotic ointment... but then on the internet, I saw various others (who seemed knowledgeable) say betadine is better than soap, oitnments should be avoided as they block the air, never turn it in the first few days...?

She seems to be healing just fine, but I did worry. We have animals and I just kept imagining all the bacteria that must be crawling on our furntiture, etc. (I'm a bit OCD anyhow).

WHat I didn't like, but may have been unreasonable- there was no sink in the room where they did the piering. I did ask them if they had washed their hands (who knows if they were honest, though!) and they wore gloves.

So next time (if there is one) what should I ask, what should I look for? What things should make me run? What are clues that they are really on the ball?

Tara P



spdrgrl.603 -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 12:52:57 PM)

i;m glad my post got you thinking! [:D] i had twelve piercing in both ears but had to take them out when i started teaching. i got my nose pierced two years ago and overall had no problems. i didn;t use dial but h2Ocean. the piercer also gave me another liquid bottle but i cant remember the name. i never used ointment but turned the rings and washed three times a day for as long as the told me. i would never got to any piercing parlor that didn't have a sink. because like you said how do they wash their hands? for stuff like this i now look to see if there are any certificates on their wall (a proud parlor would show these off) approving the shop's cleanliness, check the autoclave to see the inspection notice to make sure its fine...



womaninchrist -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 1:45:23 PM)

Look for the display of any applicable certificates/certifications - those from the health department in particular - along with cerfitication of important equipment like the autoclave and and certifications or awards for the piercer/artists you'll be using. Also, a good tip is often the general cleanliness of the shop - if they're not sweeping or dusting or similar, why believe that they're doing the major stuff? I'd definitely never use a shop where *I* can't see the sink.

Ideally, you want to also look at examples of prior work. A good shop will have albums available. Another good idea is to speak to people whose piercings you like and see which artist at what shop did their piercings - or to ask locals with piercings if there's anyone (or shop) they suggest you avoid. You can find online forums too, but they're often rather, um, adult so I don't recommend them - esp. not for children or teens.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 1:47:20 PM)

Tara P:

For parents who are fairly new to piercing it can be somewhat of a challenge at first but the piercing safety and hygiene issue can be particularly relevant for under 18 teens because the parent may be in a position to sign for it or refuse to sign.

It's the parent's right to refuse to sign, and may indeed be in line with his or her personal inclinations, especially if he or she is personally new to piercing. (Some parents have a number themselves, of course.)

But there is a health and safety issue to refusing to sign for a piercing: can the parent be confident that the teen won't go ahead and do try to do it with an unsterile needle in front of a mirror? Some parents will think that if the teen seems stongly committed to it and maybe, despite his or her maybe half-hearted protestations, end up trying to do it in front of a mirror, then a moderate course of action would be to take the teen to a jeweler parlor and have it done cleanly.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rainbowtvp

Thought I'd start another thread, since the other got me thinking!

So... all you with experience in piercing... If my dd does go back for another piercing, what questions should we be asking? What should we be looking for? What really is good aftercare?

For instance- I had never thought to ask about jewelery and just assumed it would be surgical steel.

Her piercer told her wash with dial for 3 days, turn the jewelery each time, use antibiotic ointment... but then on the internet, I saw various others (who seemed knowledgeable) say betadine is better than soap, oitnments should be avoided as they block the air, never turn it in the first few days...?

She seems to be healing just fine, but I did worry. We have animals and I just kept imagining all the bacteria that must be crawling on our furntiture, etc. (I'm a bit OCD anyhow).

WHat I didn't like, but may have been unreasonable- there was no sink in the room where they did the piering. I did ask them if they had washed their hands (who knows if they were honest, though!) and they wore gloves.

So next time (if there is one) what should I ask, what should I look for? What things should make me run? What are clues that they are really on the ball?

Tara P



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 2:05:42 PM)

womaninchrist:

I think you said you had a less than satisfactory experience at a parlor yourself, right?

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist

Look for the display of any applicable certificates/certifications - those from the health department in particular - along with cerfitication of important equipment like the autoclave and and certifications or awards for the piercer/artists you'll be using. Also, a good tip is often the general cleanliness of the shop - if they're not sweeping or dusting or similar, why believe that they're doing the major stuff? I'd definitely never use a shop where *I* can't see the sink.

Ideally, you want to also look at examples of prior work. A good shop will have albums available. Another good idea is to speak to people whose piercings you like and see which artist at what shop did their piercings - or to ask locals with piercings if there's anyone (or shop) they suggest you avoid. You can find online forums too, but they're often rather, um, adult so I don't recommend them - esp. not for children or teens.



spdrgrl.603 -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 6:13:03 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist

Look for the display of any applicable certificates/certifications - those from the health department in particular - along with cerfitication of important equipment like the autoclave and and certifications or awards for the piercer/artists you'll be using. Also, a good tip is often the general cleanliness of the shop - if they're not sweeping or dusting or similar, why believe that they're doing the major stuff? I'd definitely never use a shop where *I* can't see the sink.

Ideally, you want to also look at examples of prior work. A good shop will have albums available. Another good idea is to speak to people whose piercings you like and see which artist at what shop did their piercings - or to ask locals with piercings if there's anyone (or shop) they suggest you avoid. You can find online forums too, but they're often rather, um, adult so I don't recommend them - esp. not for children or teens.


umm you just said exactly what i just did.....

Qoute: spdrgrl.603

"i would never got to any piercing parlor that didn't have a sink. because like you said how do they wash their hands? for stuff like this i now look to see if there are any certificates on their wall (a proud parlor would show these off) approving the shop's cleanliness, check the autoclave to see the inspection notice to make sure its fine..."



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 6:31:50 PM)

Maybe that reinforces what you were saying, right...?
quote:

ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603

umm you just said exactly what i just did.....





womaninchrist -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 10:46:19 PM)

Yup. I did. And it was the one time I neither looked at the artist's album nor asked about his references. I just knew people that had used the shop for tattoos and since the place met the basic requirements (AAP recognized, piercer in AAP, etc.), I went for it. First and last time I'll do that. Fortunately it was a minor mistake and all that happened was the jewelry eventually fell out because he'd used an iffy sized barbell and definitely too small a closing ball. At least it wasn't like a major infection or anything disfiguring, just seriously disappointing.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 11:16:31 PM)

womaninchrist:

Thnx, I see. Anyway, I guess that it was rather a disappointment, especially if it was your first non-ears piercing.

Did your disappointing tongue stud experience put you off the idea of any further piercings, or even tattoos?

Take care.

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist

Yup. I did. And it was the one time I neither looked at the artist's album nor asked about his references. I just knew people that had used the shop for tattoos and since the place met the basic requirements (AAP recognized, piercer in AAP, etc.), I went for it. First and last time I'll do that. Fortunately it was a minor mistake and all that happened was the jewelry eventually fell out because he'd used an iffy sized barbell and definitely too small a closing ball. At least it wasn't like a major infection or anything disfiguring, just seriously disappointing.



spdrgrl.603 -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/3/2008 11:36:03 PM)

just curious faroukfarouk- because i've seen you a lot on the tattoo thread i had (please keep visiting my threads i love hearing from you) and this piercing thread a lot lately i'm curious if you have any body art or piercings? you do give us all food for thought.[:D]



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/4/2008 4:06:53 PM)

womaninchrist:

There is actually a graduated sizing of barbells produced for piercers so it shouldn't be too hard for a parlor to advise on the sizes.

(I've not worn my earrings for a while now, actually.)



womaninchrist -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/5/2008 1:05:29 AM)

The piercers I've spoken to that explained what went wrong said that the piercing I had was one of the trickier ones to "size" and that the prior piercer had been off "by a size or two" wasn't all that uncommon especially if they weren't REALLY experienced in that particular piercing, but that they'd used the wrong size ball was a good reason to never use that piercer again because they clearly either didn't pay attention at all or they had no real clue how to do things correctly and needed to repeat most of their training (fortunately I've moved since then - but I have told a few friends still in the area not to see that piercer).



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/5/2008 11:45:45 AM)

womaninchrist:

I guess tongue sizes differ, both in length and thickness. But I guess it's something that ppl don't often think about or talk about, even when they do want to get barbells put in. So did you go get it done again more professionally somewhere else?

Take care.

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist

The piercers I've spoken to that explained what went wrong said that the piercing I had was one of the trickier ones to "size" and that the prior piercer had been off "by a size or two" wasn't all that uncommon especially if they weren't REALLY experienced in that particular piercing, but that they'd used the wrong size ball was a good reason to never use that piercer again because they clearly either didn't pay attention at all or they had no real clue how to do things correctly and needed to repeat most of their training (fortunately I've moved since then - but I have told a few friends still in the area not to see that piercer).



womaninchrist -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/5/2008 8:12:27 PM)

I haven't yet, but I still might. If I do, I'll follow all my rules this time.



stellaluna -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/6/2008 12:56:48 AM)

I'll just repeat everything I said in the other thread.

Piercings are actually more risky health-wise than tattoos, although they are more often gotten haphazardly. Tattoos heal more consistently across the board. Piercings, on the other hand, do not. For example, you might never have a problem with jewelry in your earlobes, then you get a navel piercing and it rejects steel. You needed titanium. You get a tongue piercing and your tongue swells more than average and the long barbell in your mouth is too small, even though it was just the right length for dozens of other people. I could go on and on.
(And if your piercer says you shouldn't change your jewelry for six months, guess what? THAT MEANS YOU SHOULDN'T CHANGE THE JEWELRY FOR SIX MONTHS.)

(While I'm thinking about it, NEVER get pierced with acrylic. And never get pierced with a gun.)

There are reputable jewelry makers (like Industrial) and not-so-reputable. There has been a trend the last few years for shops to buy cheap jewelry in bulk because clients balk at paying the price for good jewelry. You even have to be careful with titanium these days because it's not always fully titanium. Titanium is the most expensive body jewelry, if it's pure, and people are cheap.

I've never been pierced with anything but surgical stainless steel and I've never had a single problem, but I have always been pierced in the same shop and I know they buy really high-quality jewelry.

There has also been a trend to let the client do too much picking of jewelry. Back in the day, nearly every piercing was done with a ring. Rings have more smooth surface, better allow for swelling and are easier to clean. But people want fancier stuff, barbells and whatever, so a lot of piercers started giving them what they wanted. It increases problems with healing for sure.



stellaluna -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/6/2008 1:03:31 AM)

Now, regarding aftercare:

There are lots of ideas about that. I suggest doing the most gentle thing that keeps your piercing clean. For example, don't use Listerine if you have a tongue piercing. It will kill all the good bacteria in your mouth and give you a furry tongue that I promise you don't want. Biotene does the same thing without the nasty side effects.

For noses and ears, gentle cleaning and rotating in the shower is usually plenty. (As long as you shower at least once a day, of course.)

Belly buttons are tricky. Showers are good, of course, but so is a shot glass full of salt water.

Sea salt soaks are universally accepted as an appropriate way to clean piercings, but most people are too lazy to do it that way.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/6/2008 12:56:08 PM)

womaninchrist:

I see, so you're not done getting pierced yet, then?

So I guess you'll first be starting your research when you're ready, right?

Take care,

F

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist

I haven't yet, but I still might. If I do, I'll follow all my rules this time.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/6/2008 2:15:46 PM)

stellaluna:

So for the tongue are the extra long barbells a safer alternative, do you think?

What do you think?

Take care.

quote:

ORIGINAL: stellaluna

I'll just repeat everything I said in the other thread.

Piercings are actually more risky health-wise than tattoos, although they are more often gotten haphazardly. Tattoos heal more consistently across the board. Piercings, on the other hand, do not. For example, you might never have a problem with jewelry in your earlobes, then you get a navel piercing and it rejects steel. You needed titanium. You get a tongue piercing and your tongue swells more than average and the long barbell in your mouth is too small, even though it was just the right length for dozens of other people. I could go on and on.
(And if your piercer says you shouldn't change your jewelry for six months, guess what? THAT MEANS YOU SHOULDN'T CHANGE THE JEWELRY FOR SIX MONTHS.)

(While I'm thinking about it, NEVER get pierced with acrylic. And never get pierced with a gun.)

There are reputable jewelry makers (like Industrial) and not-so-reputable. There has been a trend the last few years for shops to buy cheap jewelry in bulk because clients balk at paying the price for good jewelry. You even have to be careful with titanium these days because it's not always fully titanium. Titanium is the most expensive body jewelry, if it's pure, and people are cheap.

I've never been pierced with anything but surgical stainless steel and I've never had a single problem, but I have always been pierced in the same shop and I know they buy really high-quality jewelry.

There has also been a trend to let the client do too much picking of jewelry. Back in the day, nearly every piercing was done with a ring. Rings have more smooth surface, better allow for swelling and are easier to clean. But people want fancier stuff, barbells and whatever, so a lot of piercers started giving them what they wanted. It increases problems with healing for sure.



miasma -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 4:27:36 PM)

Everything Stellaluna said (I do agree with her, honest) and here is some further reading, in the second group of links.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 5:17:12 PM)

miasma:

So do you have your tongue done and were you satisfied about the safety aspect?

Take care.

quote:

ORIGINAL: miasma

Everything Stellaluna said (I do agree with her, honest) and here is some further reading, in the second group of links.



stellaluna -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 5:23:13 PM)

Tongue piercings are generally done with a long barbell, then you go back for a shorter one after the swelling has gone down.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 5:29:12 PM)

stellaluna:

Oh really? I didn't know that.

So how long was it before you removed the long barbell from your tongue and put in the shorter one?

(Did you keep the long one as well? or can't the thing be re-used after sterilization?)

Take care.

quote:

ORIGINAL: stellaluna

Tongue piercings are generally done with a long barbell, then you go back for a shorter one after the swelling has gone down.



stellaluna -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 7:32:34 PM)

The original jewelry is yours to keep. If you want to use it somewhere else, just wash it off.

And tongue piercings are usually healed in less than two weeks.



faroukfarouk -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 7:35:08 PM)

stellaluna:

Hey thnx.

Only two months healing for tongues? hey that's grand. Some anti- piercing ppl make a lot of fuss against tongue studs but it seems in actual fact the healing isn't bad at all, then?

Take care.

quote:

ORIGINAL: stellaluna

The original jewelry is yours to keep. If you want to use it somewhere else, just wash it off.

And tongue piercings are usually healed in less than two weeks.



stellaluna -> RE: Piercing Safety (7/7/2008 10:50:18 PM)

Typically, tongue piercings are the fastest to heal.



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