Body piercing
... purpose. The basic tools used during the piercing procedure are the needle and the pliers. The pliers used are called Pennington forceps and are made to hold the skin in place. The needle is extremely sharp and hollow. It is designed that way so the jewelry can be placed at one extremity and slid through the hole created. For obvious reasons, all the tools used during the procedure must be completely sterile. Any reputable piercing shop will use an autoclave to sterilize their equipment. This machine resembles a pressure cooker and works with the same principle. In addition, a piercing gun used to pierce ears is not the appropriate tool for body piercing because it cannot be completely sterilized. The usual jewelry used for body piercing are the barbell and the captive bead ring. Different variations of these can be found on the market. Special materials are needed to make body jewelry since it is used underneath the skin. The most popular one is surgical stainless steel but other materials such as: niobium, titanium, acrylic, gold, glass, nylon, wood and Teflon can also be used. The diameter or gauge of the metal used is also very important and depends on the body part where it will be placed or the effect desired. As mentioned earlier, the most common area to get pierced is the ear lobe. This piercing, which can be stretched to a desired size isn’t the only place on the ear that can be pierced. Here are a few other ones: - the rook - the daith - the tragus - the anti-tragus - the outer conch - the inner conch Other areas on the face that can be pierced are: - the nostril - the septum - the lip - the eyebrow - the cheeks - the bridge of the nose - the tongue Body parts such as the navel, the nipples and the genitals are also very popular for body piercings. A few precautions must be taken before getting a piercing done. When done badly, a piercing can lead to infection, hepatitis and even AIDS. All this can be avoided by going to a professional and reputable shop and paying close attention to what is going on. The studio should be a clean environment where you feel comfortable. The needle used must be new and the package should be opened right in front of you. A new piercing should be soaked daily in a mixture of water and sea salt. Most im...