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Selfairy

Piercings

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Just thought that we should have a thread to educate everyone about piercings, because I used to think that all piercings were done with a piercing gun and there were no risks included! Was I wrong? Oh yes, I was very wrong. Good thing I did my research before getting my piercings though;) So hope that everyone passes this information on so that no one would be as ignorant and oblivious as I was=D

So, here we have all the topics y'all are to lazy to google and then some:

1. Healing time

2. Does it hurt?

3. Aftercare

4. How piercings are done.

5. Why needles are superior

6. Is this infected??

7. Pricing

8. Should I get...?

9. Mommy won't let me!

10. Are safety pins really safe?? And other reasons not to self-pierce!

Let us begin!

1. Healing time

"When can I change the jewellery??"

"How long will this take to heal?"

"Can I take it out after xx weeks?"

Usually, your piercer will tell you. However, teenagers being teenagers, we're all too busy admiring our new flashy piercing to actually take in any of that boring crap about keeping it clean and whatever, so to recap, here is a rough guide to healing times, but it also depends on how well you clean it and how well your body adapts to the piercing, it could be faster or slower. And I repeat, this is a ROUGH GUIDE, so don't PM me saying "Well, I had my X done and it healed in X weeks..."

Ear lobe : 6-8 weeks

Ear cartilage : 4 months to a year

Eyebrow : 6 to 8 weeks

Nostril : 2 to 4 months

Septum : 6 to 8 months

Lip : 2-3 months

Tongue : 4 weeks

Nipple : 3 to six months

Belly button : 6-9 months

2. Does it hurt?

Yes. Of course it hurts, it's a darn needle going through your skin!

The amount it hurts all depends on you; if you're like my grandpa and can take dental work without novocaine, then woohoo for you! It'll be a breeze. If you've got low pain tolerance then it'll probably hurt, yeah. If you want it enough it shouldn't matter anyway... It's all part of the experience. Same applies to tattoos; what may hurt you might not hurt someone else at all.

If you're still worried ask your piercer. Chances are they'll have done it before you finish asking the question =)

3. Aftercare

Your piercer should have told you this too. You may have been picking your nose while they did so. Let's recap!

You get, if it's a good place you went to, a special solution for cleaning your piercing. Use as instructed.

Salt soaks are also good. Mix up ½ a pint of boiled water with a ¼ teaspoon of sea salt (NOT table salt) and pour into a cup that fits around your piercing. Soak it for a while; some people say 30 seconds, some say a few minutes. I generally do mine for a few minutes with Saline - yes, the one people use for contact lenses.

If they tell you to use rubbing alcohol or peroxide THEY'RE A darn MORON! Kick them in the nuts and don't pay. Harsh chemicals on a fresh wound is not a good idea, even though they do kill nasty germs, they also kill the good stuff that helps you heal quickly.

If your piercing gets infected, don't take it out; it needs to be open to drain. If you take it out it'll just close up with all that nasty shit in there and then whatever body part it is will not be happy. Keep cleaning it rigorously, don't poke it and salt soak it until it's better. If it's a little oozy the first few weeks that's ok; it's just white blood cells and lymph tissue trying to heal it up. Try not to get cosmetics in facial piercings, it can (and probably will) irritate them. And don't touch or play with it will dirty unwashed hands.

Personally, I found Bactine really good for cartilage piercings but a lot of people will tell you you don't need it. Just a tip=)

4. How piercings are done.

You go to your (clean, hygienic, professional) parlour. They'll sit you down, talk to you about what you want done. They'll probably ask you for a deposit too.

Then they take you up to the room. The area is cleaned, then marked up (if you're not happy with placement just say) and the equipment is taken from sterile packaging/autoclaved.

The area will then be clamped (or not, some do it freehand) and the needle will go through the skin.

The jewellery is then inserted and the marker is cleaned off, and if you think they did a good job you give

'em a tip=D

5. Why needles are superior

This is probably THE most important section ever. If you get anything except your ear lobes pierced with a gun you're playing a dangerous game and are probably very dumb. Do your darn research!

Main reason one: Sterilisation.

Stud guns cannot be sterilised properly with an autoclave, since they're plastic and will be melted. The only real sterile part of a stud gun is the stud itself.. not a nice thought, eh? Guns are sanitised, not sterilised, and that will not kill hep-b, hep-c or any of those nasty buggies that cause infection, and will not get rid of the blood/plasma spray from the previous customer. Eeuuw. Increased risk of blood borne diseases with this one.

In a needle pierce, every item is autoclaved and rubber gloves are used.

The gun can only hold a butterfly-back stud, which is easy for trapping nasty bacteria and grody crusties. Needle pierces are usually done with rings, which are easier to clean and it also means that discharge/dirt has nowhere to get trapped.

Main reason two: Traumaaa!

The gun can only hold a butterfly-back stud; these are freakin tiny and are generally inappropriate for any area of cartilage for two reasons: it's tougher to heal a small hole than a large one, and cartilage *should* be pierced a step larger than the jewellery so it has room to grow in around the piercing.

When the gun does it, the end of the stud makes the hole. Much more traumatic for the body part than a quick push with a super-sharp needle, as the stud is too blunt to avoid compacting the tissue. This means a longer healing period. The needle is either hollow or crescent shape, so a tiny bit of tissue actually comes away with the needle: no compacting, easier healing. A good piercer will be able to do your piercing just as quick as a stud gun.

The length of the stud is too short to allow for swelling. Generic studs don't suit everyone. A licensed piercer will make sure the jewellery suits your ear.

Main reason three: Pain

Blunt stud forcing its way through your ear, versus needle going through cleanly. You decide. That and the ear is much less sensitive when it has proper room to swell. Needle piercing generally means less pain tomorrow.

Most body parts can't fit into a gun, and I've covered why cartilage shouldn't be. Onwards and upwards!

6. Is this infected?

Because we're doctors and can tell. How the hell do we know?? Maybe if you provide a good description and possibly a picture we'll be able to, but if you're super worried, GO SEE YOUR PIERCER! And, more importantly, DON'T TAKE OUT THE JEWELLERY! Let it drain and keep cleaning it.

7. Pricing

You get what you pay for; if it's expensive, it's more likely to be done better. Deals on piercings are not smart. If you want it badly and are willing to take good care of it then money shouldn't be a problem. If you don't have enough, don't sacrifice quality. You can wait a little longer.

8. Should I get...?

Your body, your decision. If you're asking people who don't know you what to get, then maybe you should question whether you're ready to handle it? If you know what you want and are asking which one should be next then fine. Just don't let people you don't know make decisions for you. It's dumb and you'll probably end up hating it.

9. Mommy won't let me!!

"Mommy won't let me pierce my tongue and now I hate her she's such a bitch!!!"

Just remember that you're probably living in your PARENTS house, eating your PARENTS food, on your PARENTS couch watching your PARENTS TV. Your parents are probably gonna pay for that pretty new tongue stud too. If you can't wait another few months/years or have a reasonable discussion about it, then; you are just not mature enough for it. Really.

You're not done developing until you're 18 anyway, so if you go out and get that cute angel tattoo on your stomach at 13 and then get pregnant at 15, people are gonna be like "... darn that is some twisted tattoo!" Ugly.

When you're 18 you can do whatever the love you want with your body. Just wait.

10. Are safety pins really safe??

No. Self piercing is dumb. You may think doing your lobes are fine, but if you do it crooked and then want to stretch them, you're gonna have problems.

Passing around a safety pin in the girls bathroom at school is not sterile or safe, and really not smart.

If you want to put a safety pin in your piercing cuz it looks cool! I would advise against it. The metal isn't high grade enough to be safe, it's not sterile, and in a while the covering will chip off and irritate your skin. MM... lumpy.

Fire does NOT sterilise. At all. It actually leaves a layer of carbon on whatever you've just 'sterilised' and that is not good for piercing with. Complete contamination.

So I hope I've covered everything that people have questions about; if not, then just post it.

Edited by Selfairy

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Thanks for contributing this. I shall pin this thread. :)

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wah!! i forgot how felt the pain is . .cause my mom bring me to pierce when i was young . . maybe 5 or 6 years old . .

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i wanna get a belly button ring. but my parents say they'll pull it out if i do, so im waiting till im independent. :D heh. this way, if i decide later on that its a stupid teen phase then i wont have anything to regret either lol.

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i had my eyebrow pierced last yr, it was great and i loved it, everybody said it looked good on me.

But i took it off when i came back home coz my parents would definitely kill me if they see it LOL

but yea..am considering having it done again, maybe after i finish my teaching years LOL not really a suitable image for a msian primary school teacher, isnt it :P

But yes, it got swollen for a bit n i had to stop touching it, coz that can cause infection and swelling too.

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cool eyebrown pierce.. i've to remove mine after few years. cause my body reject d piercing..

after years, the skin gettingn thinner n thinner. lol

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My bellybutton piercing was rejected for a while, but I kept it in, and it suddenly stopped rejecting. o.o Hahah.. So now I still get to keep my prettyful piercing. ^^

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i guess for belly, the piercer will usually pierce more skin for u..cause as usual, it will reject and it takes long to heal than eyebrown.

and eyebrown are harder to get it away from hook onto something especially towel.. u know wat i mean. lol..

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haha.. no la.. actually our human body will reject any foreign object automatically la.especially with some forces pulling it away.. but after sometimes. when it get use to it.. it will be okey

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Thanks Selfairy for the useful information!!!!!!!!!!

I have so many piercing but dont really know how to take care of them, removed my belly piercing cuz of infection, my tongue is doing well, and nostrill and ears are all fine. Thanks once again.

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Heya, thanks for all of the information you have provided! I have did tongue piercing and recently i had my lips pierced. Thank goodness it didn't swell bad.

PS. for those who want to get oral piercings, especially tongue and the upper middle part of the lips make sure you go to a certified piercer. I did mine in dragonfly curve, you can ask for a girl named Mafal. She's really nice and she has years of experiences. The aftercare for oral piercing are really important! REMEMBER whenever you want to get a replacement stud for any lips or tongue piercings, make sure you go back to the piercing parlor. It's expensive alright, but it's for you ow good. Cheap ones are always good for your pocket, and the infection will cause more.

Hope i have helped!

Good luck all!

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QUOTE (Selfairy @ Oct 24 2006, 07:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just thought that we should have a thread to educate everyone about piercings, because I used to think that all piercings were done with a piercing gun and there were no risks included! Was I wrong? Oh yes, I was very wrong. Good thing I did my research before getting my piercings though;) So hope that everyone passes this information on so that no one would be as ignorant and oblivious as I was=D

So, here we have all the topics y'all are to lazy to google and then some:


So I hope I've covered everything that people have questions about; if not, then just post it.

im looking a place to pierce my lip,any piercing studios located in subang or near subang jaya?and how much is it?does it hurt? Do i need to bring my mother along?

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i want to ger=t my belly piercings... but im afraid it hurt... & what if not nice?

do u know where to get it?

how much?

does is hurt?

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am new so sorry to ask if this has been asked before

after reading the articles I am now wanting to do a ear piercing (but not gun la---want needle). I already have one ear piercing (normal lobe one) when i was 8 but that was gun...

then when i was 17 i went to a lady in old town n she used gun also---wah... this time pain shocking.gif like hell, i took it off n went back to her n she said actually i dun have enough flesh to do a piercing next to my old wan (the one i had when i was eight)...so this new one hit be bone/nerve d---wth right? ranting.gif

....so scared dat I dare not pierce again for a long long time blink.gif ...den after few years hehe my next piercing was needle but on the nose--in an indian shop in masjid jamek. darn good la wei--hardly any pain. gave me aftercare advice n all. darn satisfied. but unfortunately they didn't do any needle ear piercing la sad.gif sad sad

so now i want to find a place where the ear piercing is good la --just a simple piercing next to my normal one le....plssssssssss helpppp notworthy.gif

by the way can recommend around kl/selangor area---living in pj ;p Edited by garfieldpm

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like me i have two pierce for both of my ears... that time when i was in my secondary school... it is a trend la that time. some more i follow my cousin. now i am 24 i never wear earing even for i pierce... dont know y. leceh la.... have allergy cannot wear nickle one....

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hye people...
i love my belly button...thou im married now..my hubby doesn't mind keeping it.. both of us are planning to have a baby next yr..this question pop up in my mind...should i keep it or remove it when im preggy later?..i love my belly button.. its worth thou it hurts for few weeks..hope to hear from others soon...huhuhu

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