Body Piercings Facts

There are no licensing requirements for body piercers in Illinois.  When choosing a body piercer, make sure he or she has completed a proper apprenticeship.   Make sure they are experienced.  They should be willing to answer all of your questions without an attitude.

 

Make sure your piercer has the proper knowledge of appropriate body jewelry with regard to ASTM standards and what jewelry is best suited for your piercing.

 

Choosing the right piercer can make the difference between a pleasant experience and a miserable one.

 

NEVER LET ANYONE USE A GUN TO DO YOUR PIERCING. They can cause permanent tissue damage. And may cause other problems such as disease.

 

Soaking your jewelry in solvents such as Alcohol or bleach is not the same as sterilization.

 

Doing research before you get pierced is a good idea but always remember that most of the information out there is just people’s opinion or personal experience and not necessarily fact.

 

Piercing Aftercare.  This is my opinion based on my fifteen years experience and constant contact with other professional piercers in the industry and my first aid training.  I am not a medical professional.

 

CLEANING YOUR  NEW PIERCING

Our bodies are equipped to handle and heal piercings on its own.  The most common mistakes people make is OVER cleaning their piercings or using products that are too harsh that can actually cause an infection.  The gentlest and safest current way to cleanse all piercings (other then tongue) is by giving a new piercing a nice hot NON-IODIZED Sea Salt soak once a day for five minutes.  (Please note:  DO NOT make the water too hot that you burn yourself)  Mix 1/8 teaspoon of the salt in an 8oz. glass of water and soak the piercing for five minutes once a day. Do this until your initial healing period is over. Your piercer will tell you how long that will be.  Why use non-iodized sea salt?  Because the chemical make up of the sea salt is similar to the salt our bodies produce. So it is more natural.

 

 

 

 

For external oral piercings and tongue piercings, in addition to the soaks rinse with alcohol free BIOTENE mouthwash after you eat drink or smoke anything until your initial healing period is over. Listerine is not recommended due to the fact that the alcohol in it can irritate the piercing and make it swell.  If you have to use Listerine make sure you dilute it at least 75% with water.

 

            How our bodies react to a piercing.  A piercing is a puncture wound.  Puncture wounds usually swell and close when the impaling implement is removed. With body piercing we leave that implement in the body (The jewelry).  If a piercing is done properly in most cases the body won’t reject it (push it out).  So after a few days our bodies’ immune system kicks in and starts pumping blood plasma to the piercing site. It is a whitish yellow discharge. Contained in this discharge are white blood cells (leucocytes) that eat harmful bacteria trying to invade the body.  You may have this discharge for several weeks or several months depending on what piercing you have and how long it takes your body to fully heal it.  Other factors come in to play on healing times.  Lifestyle, changing your jewelry too soon or bumping/ irritating your piercing can effect healing times.

 

PIERCING AFTERCARE SUGGESTIONS

 

For all piercings

 Avoid lakes, hot tubs and swimming pools for your initial healing period. Any bodies of water that contain harsh chemicals or bacteria.  Taking showers is fine just make sure you rinse any and all cleaning products out of your piercing.  Baths are usually okay as long as you clean and rinse the tub thoroughly first. If you’re piercing starts to get irritated stop the baths until healed.

 

Avoid letting ANYONE else’s saliva or bodily fluids come in contact with your piercing until healed.  Even if you have been monogamous with someone for several years the bacteria in their bodies is foreign to yours and can cause an infection that goes for siblings and pets as well.

 

Never touch your piercing with dirty hands. That is the number one cause of infection.  Always wash your hands with LIQUID antibacterial soap before touching your piercing.

 

Do your sea salt soak once a day for the initial healing period.

 

Additionally for oral piercings:  Keeping ice on the piercing for the first few days helps keep swelling down especially on tongue piercings.  Try to avoid drinking alcohol, smoking or hot spicy foods for the first week.  Rinse with BIOTENE mouthwash after you eat drink or smoke anything. And no wet kissing or deep oral contact

 for the initial healing period.