Decide to Get Pierced
When getting a piercing, most people have many questions. There are things that you should ask your piercer and things that you should know before you consider piercing any body part.
Contents
Steps
- Know your health. Are you a fast healer? Do you eat junk food and smoke? How you treat your body will make a large difference in how fast and well your piercing heals.
- Know your body. If you have metal allergies, get titanium or other material that's very bio-compatible. If you are prone to keloid scars, you may want to reconsider piercings.
- Look at your anatomy. If you don't have enough area to pierce, your piercing will reject. Good piercers won't try to pierce someone whose anatomy isn't conducive to healing. If you are getting a female genital piercing, get a consultation to see what is appropriate for your anatomy.
- Decide why you want a piercing. Is it because everyone else has one? Are you piercing something to be unique? Or are you doing it for your own reasons? People that get piercings because they are popular, or because they are uncommon often remove the piercing within a year or two.
- Know your pain tolerance. Everyone's different, so you can't just ask a few people how much theirs hurt. Different body parts will give different amounts of pain. In general, most agree that cartilage and deep piercings hurt more, although this may not be true for all people.
- Find a respectable shop. Look through portfolios for new and healed piercings. Ask to see their autoclave and spore test results. Talk to the piercer about what you want.
- Choose what flatters you. What looks good on your friend may look awful on you. You may have the perfect anatomy for the piercing, and it still may not be flattering on your body.
- Try it out. Take captive rings and slip them over the part you want pierced. Take liquid latex and glue on balls to the part you wish to be pierced. Look in the mirror, and take pictures to see what other people will see.
- Plan your aftercare. Make sure you will have time to clean it every day, and protect it. If you play sports, wait until the offseason. If you live in a cold climate, wait for summer.
- Accept the permanence of a piercing. Yes, most can be removed with little effort, but most will leave scars. If you don't plan on keeping your piercing, can you live with the scar?
- Prepare for the worst. Can you afford a doctor visit and medicine in case of infection? Will you need a retainer for work or school? Can you return to your piercer if you have problems or need a jewelry change before it's healed?
- Think it over. When you are certain, think it over some more.
- Get pierced by a trained professional, after eating something healthy, during a period when you are in good health.
Tips
- If a piercing parlor feels "off" to you, no matter what the reason, find some place else to get your piercing done.
- Don't get a piercing because it's popular, or because it's unusual. Get a piercing because you want that particular piercing.
- Think very carefully before getting pierced. Ask your friends, parents, and siblings for suggestions. After a while, it will be a permanent whole.
- Get a consultation before the piercing.
- Don't get pierced while you are drunk (you bleed more) or while stoned (you feel pain more vividly). Good shops won't pierce anyone under the influence of any substance.
Warnings
- You can't know for sure how much it will hurt until you do it.
- Never try to pierce yourself.
- Be wary of piercing guns, your piercer should use a needle as they are a lot more sanitary.
- Go to a professional piercer only. Doctors may disapprove of the piercing you want, and the piercers at chain stores or mall booths are inadequately trained.
- Tell your piercer if you have any immune system problems or problems with blood clotting.
