Piercing

Some Piercing Instructions:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with Anti-Bacterial soap.
• 1-2 times per day, wash the area around the jewelry, and then wash the jewelry. Rinse any body fluids that may have collected. Once again, lather-up the jewelry, and rotate it through the piercing. Rinse thoroughly, and continue to rotate the jewelry (this is uncomfortable for the first few days but it is necessary for proper healing.)
• This washing may be done in the shower, but do it last to avoid re-contamination with shampoo and conditioner.
• DO NOT have contact with saliva or any other body fluids until the piercing is totally healed.
• DO NOT soak in water until the piercing is healed.
• DO NOT take out the jewelry if it looks or feels infected. Please contact your piercer for advice. Removing the jewelry can trap an infection inside and complicate the situation immensely.
• DO NOT let anyone else touch your piercing.

Some Oral Piercings Instructions:

• Rinse your mouth with Listerine 3 times a day and after you eat or drink anything. The only exception is bottled water.
• Take Ibuprofin (Advil) to help decrease the initial swelling.
• Regularly check the ball on the jewelry for tightness.
• Rest is key to quick healing. The less you play with it, stick it out, chew on it, etc., the faster it will heal.
• DO NOT have contact with foreign body fluids for at least one month.
• It is recommended that you downsize to a shorter barbell for tongues after one month.
• Use common sense when eating. Eat what's comfortable and take time to get used to jewelry in your mouth.
• DO NOT smoke, or at least cut way down. Smoking lengthens healing time considerably.
• DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL!! Alcohol will prolong healing, increase swelling, and may cause serious health risks.

A little bit of History... The popular practice of facial and body piercing is not a recent one. Ancient Egyptian (Consider piercing as mark of royalty and signs of wealth), Greek (consider piercing as a badge of macho courage) and Asian art include statues and sculptures of men and women with multiple ear and facial piercings. Indian women have been piercing their noses to indicate marriage for centuries, as a fashionable jewelry, and 18th century Unangan Alaskans pierced their chins and lips in order to represent hunting and spiritual practices.

A study done by Rutgers University found that Gauntlet, an international chain of body piercing shops, reported 30,000 or more piercings per year. According to the study, 63% of college-aged students (18-22) obtain some sort of body piercing. However, this is one of very few statistical research reports on piercings; they are hard to administer because piercings aren't permanent and people often take theirs out, without a scar or mark left behind.

There are several different names for various piercings and they usually don't relate to the body part that is being pierced. Here are some of the more popular terms: 

• conch: a piercing through the main shell of the ear.
• tragus: a piercing that goes through the small tab of tissue that is connected to the side of the face and slightly covers part of the ear canal. 
• daith: a piercing through the inner ear cartilage. 
• helix: a piercing through the outer ear cartilage ridge. 
• rook: a piercing through the cartilage fold above the conch. 
• labret: a piercing centered below the lip and above the chin. 
• madonna/monroe: an off center top lip piercing. 
• fourchette: a piecing through the rear of vaginal opening. 
• hood: a piercing through the clitoral hood.

For many, an ear piercing is the gateway to other piercings. The ear piercing also happens to be one of the most common forms of body modification in the United States. While some many not take it as far, there are those who have actually pioneered new styles of ear piercings. Today, there are 10 common types of ear piercings.

Ear Lobe Piercings
The most common form of ear piercing is the lobe piercing. The lobe is the bottom-most tissue on the ear. Generally, these piercings heal within 4 to 6 weeks and are considered to be the least painful of all ear piercings.

Helix Piercings
The helix piercing is the second most common type of ear piercing. It is located on the upper cartilage of the ear. This type of piercing can be done with either a stud, a hoop or a cuff style of piercing. The healing time for this piercing is lengthy at 6 to 8 months and any early removal can lead to premature closure of the piercing.
Industrial Ear Piercings
The industrial ear piercing is quickly growing in popularity. It features a bar that goes through two holes in the upper cartilage of the ear. Unfortunately, this piercing takes an extremely long time to heal: up to twelve months. Any removal, poking or prodding can lead to serious infections.

Conch Piercings
There are two types of conch piercings for the ear: the inner and outer conch. The inner conch piercing is located toward the center of the ear cartilage and uses a hoop piercing sized to fit the ear. The outer conch piercing sits farther out on the ear, on the same center cartilage. These piercings heal within 8 to 10 weeks.

Daith Piercings
The daith (pronounced day-th,) piercing is located on the cartilage on the innermost part of the ear, closest to the head by the ear canal. The word daith is a variation of the hebrew word, daath, which translates to ‘knowledge.’ These piercings take approximately 6 to 8 weeks to fully heal and jewelry can be switched out at this time.

Tragus Piercings
The tragus piercing is located on the cartilage flap directly in front of ear canal. There is also a piercing known as the anti-tragus piercing which is located on the flap of cartilage above the ear lobe, but below the tragus piercing. These piercings are similar in care and can both be extremely painful. Most tragus and anti-tragus piercings heal within eighteen weeks.

Rook Piercings
Rook piercings are known to be troublesome piercings and their position can vary from ear to ear due to high migration rates. They also have a frequently high rejection rate and most piercers will not pierce someone who does not have enough space for the piercing. These piercings are located on the area of the ear known as the anti-helix and are often referred to as anti-helix piercings. Their rate of healing varies by individual as well as spacing of the piercing.

Dermal Punches
The dermal punch is generally more popular with men than with women. This piercing actually punches out a piece of the ear from the piercing. They can be located on either the lobe or the cartilage in the flat area of the ear. They can be stretched to fit larger gauge piercings, but cartilage is more difficult to ‘stretch’ than a lobe dermal punch. Healing time varies based on the location of the piercing itself.

There are several risks to getting pierced. The use of unsanitary piercing instruments can cause infection, including the disease Hepatitis B. Experts advise those looking to get pierced to ask friends or family who have piercings to recommend piercers who were courteous, who sanitized their piercing instruments and provided thorough aftercare instructions. They also encourage potential piercing candidates to go to the parlor and take a look around before the actual piercing.

Piercers either use a piercing gun or a needle. Although both are standard, experts say parlors that use needles may be more sanitary. This is because needles are sterilized in autoclaves (a machine that cleans via very hot steam under high pressure) while piercing guns are made of plastic and cannot be placed in an autoclave. Piercing guns use antiseptic wipes instead, which do not completely remove infected blood. Also, piercing guns are mostly used by mall piercers, who are usually only trained for two weeks, while parlor piercers receive as long as three years of training in sterilization, human anatomy, the circulatory system and ways to make the piecing less painful.

According to experts, if you decide to get pierced, here's a general outline of what to expect when getting pierced.  

• Pick your jewelry first.
• Ask to watch your piercer set up. S/he should wash his hands, put on latex gloves and place the piercing equipment on a metal tray. The needle should be in a sealed in an individual sterile package--don't allow yourself to be pierced if it isn't! 
• The piercer will mark the piercing area with a pen. 
• The piercer will take a small cotton swab and dab around the piercing in case you bleed a little, which is normal.

After you've been pierced:
•  Your piercer will go over how to care for your piercing. They should have a sheet outlining the instructions. Read this before you leave the piercing parlor to make sure you understand everything thoroughly (ointments, harsh soaps, and hydrogen peroxide are NOT proper cleaning agents).
•  Be committed to cleaning your piercing every day during the healing process. It's normal for it to swell, secrete a whitish-yellowish fluid, bruise and/or itch.
•  Be careful. Try not to engage in rough physical activity that could injure your piercing.

Common Piercing Spots

1. Ears: The most basic site. The lobes are easier to pierce, soft and less painful. The tops of the ears, where there is more cartilage, are more difficult and thus more painful... expect a crunch when the needle goes through and don't be grossed out! Healing times vary, of course; ear lobes usually take about 6-8 weeks to heal, but cartilage piercings can take anywhere from 4 months to 1 year to heal. My cartilage piercings took about a year. 
2. Nose: The bacteria in your nose can cause infections, but I rarely hear of an infected nose piercing because these are usually left alone for the most part. Nose piercings can take 2-4 months to heal. These are really annoying to change out. 
3. Eyebrow: These get tricky because they can be disturbed easily when you sleep. Makeup can also irritate the piercing. There is the risk of migration, in which the piercing shifts and moves over time. This can take 6-8 weeks to heal. Barbells, curved barbells and captive bead rings are worn in the eyebrow. 
4. Belly button: Navel piercings are more likely to become infected because of irritation from tight clothing. A pierced area needs air to heal. These usually take 4-12 months to heal. My friend says it's annoying to clean and sterilize these piercings when they're healing; she would have to take a cup of cleaning fluid and hold it to the piercing to cleanse it. Most kinds of ring or bar jewelry can be worn in a navel piercing, although they are most often pierced with a barbell, which is worn until the piercing has fully healed. A wide variety of decorative jewelry is available for navel - simple navel barbells, navel barbells with dangling pendants and navel barbells with attached belly chains. 
5. Lip/cheek: Infections are more possible, but my lip didn't get infected and I played with the piercing a lot. It's supposed to take 2-3 months to heal, but I remember mine healing fairly soon. I had to use mouthwash throughout the healing process. Gum damage is possible. Basically, the ADA (American Dental Association) is against any oral piercing. Rings and studs are generally worn in the lip while cheeks usually have studs. 
6. Tongue: Tongue piercings swell a lot at first but heal fairly quickly (around 4 weeks) if the right type of jewelry is used. Infections can occur because of the bacteria from your mouth. Mouthwashes are recommended during the healing process. Your teeth can get damaged from the piercing rubbing and hitting them so much, wearing down the enamel. Gum damage is also possible. Again, the ADA advises against getting an oral piercing. Tongue piercings are most often pierced with straight barbell style jewelry. 
7. Nipple: Nipple piercings can damage some of the milk-producing glands in a young woman's breasts. This can cause infections or problems later if the woman decides to breast-feed her baby. These take 3-6 months to heal and take longer when tighter clothing slows the healing process. 
8. Genitalia: Ouch! Nerve damage is an issue with these piercings. People are advised to abstain from sexual intercourse during the healing process. Blood loss is actually a risk with these piercings. Female genitalia take about 4-10 weeks to heal while a male genitalia takes about 4 weeks to 6 months.

It has been noted that half of all piercings will require medical attention due to the various dangers of body piercing.  This means that when you get pierced, you should be aware of the fact that there is a fifty percent chance that you will need to visit a doctor for some reason, whether it is to treat an infection, an allergic reaction, or a disease contracted from the new body piercing.  Many of these dangers can be avoided by following simple rules of safety precaution.

There are many dangers of body piercing that most people who get pierced do not even realize.  Some of these body piercing dangers include infection, scarring, allergic reactions, injury, and disease.

It is most important to do your research before you get a new piercing.  Before deciding on a piercing parlor, make sure you ask questions and be certain that they follow necessary safety precautions and sterilization procedures.  If the instruments being used are not sterilized, there is definite risk of contracting diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, liver cancer, HIV, and tetanus.  Some of these diseases that are contracted from body piercing may not even be detected until up to ten years later.