~ Shakin' my nipple ring at you all ~ (Body Piercing)

Name: spankygoodtime

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Product:	Body Piercing
Date:	20/07/01 (1634 review reads)
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Advantages: My boyfriends love my pierced nipple

Disadvantages: Can be dangerous

When I was 14 and staying with a friend, I had my ears pierced for the first time. This was done at the back of a jeweller shop. The man used an ice cube and a needle that he sterilised in boiling water. After piercing my ear with the needle, he then threaded a gold sleeper through my ear. I walked along Llandudno high street with my friend back to the hotel that her parents ran, with blood pouring down my neck. This was nearly 30 years ago, now things are very different in the world of body piercing. No body-piercing professional today would conduct a piercing in this way.

Body piercing has become common and it is not just ears that I am talking about. Personally I think some people go too far with this and I have never understood what motivates them to mutilate their bodies in this way. Because of my job I can’t have any facial piercing whatsoever, and I have never wanted to do this. But I do have a deep, dark secret that only a few select people know about until now. Even fewer get to see it. I have a ring through my left nipple.

When I had my nipple pierced, I was a bit older and wiser and I took every precaution to make sure this was done safely. So if you are thinking of having a piercing then the following guidelines hopefully will be of help. This is followed by my personal account of my piercing experience.


~~ Body piercing guidelines ~~

The studio should be registered with the local health authority. Some local health authorities also give guidelines on piercing.

At present body piercing is unregulated, although The Scottish Parliament plans to pass legislation on piercing, there are no such plans for the rest of Great Britain. At present there is no such thing as a “licensed” piercer in this country so don’t be told otherwise. There is no formal training or recognised qualification.

However I would recommend that the piercer and the premises they work in should be reg
istered with The Association of Professional Piercers. This organisation provides information and guidelines that its members must adhere to. Members are few and far between so you may have to travel. It is not worth the risk of being pierced by someone who does not know what he or she is doing. You will have to live with the consequences and possible damage to your body for the rest of your life. You might even die.

The premises and staff should be spotlessly clean and hygienic. All implements used should be thoroughly and freshly sterilised. Autoclaves used in this process should be regularly spore tested.

The person doing your piercing should wear disposable latex gloves at all times.

Each piercing should be done with a brand new needle, which the piercer should unwrap in front of you. Once the needle is finished with it should be disposed of in a medical sharps container. Piercing guns should only be used on earlobes. They are not appropriate to pierce other bodily parts.

A piercing should never be fitted with gold or silver jewellery. Other materials such as stainless steel or titanium are more suitable because the piercing will heal more quickly.

The piercer should be friendly and confident, be able to offer appropriate advice and answer the customer’s questions. Not only should this be before, and during the piercing, but on aftercare as well. You should be invited to return to see the piercer, or given ways to communicate with him or her, in the case of problems. When I wanted my piercing done, I found word of mouth was the best way to locate a good person.

The local authority regulating London studios lays down rules on age. Elsewhere a responsible piercer will only be prepared to pierce earlobes (nothing else!) on under 18’s. He or she will ask for written permission from their parent or guardian, and some may refuse to pierce anyone under 16.

~~ Medical Issues ~~

T
o belong to The Association of Professional Piercers, members must complete first aid training.

You should be asked to fill in a medical questionnaire by the piercing studio although many don’t do this. The following conditions will, or may preclude you, from body piercing. The piercer may insist you see your doctor before proceeding.

 Heart problems
 Epilepsy or seizures
 Haemophilia or haemorrhaging
 Immunity compromising conditions.
 Diabetes
 High blood pressure
 Allergic reactions
 Pregnancy or nursing a child
 Incidents of fainting or dizziness in the past
 If you have to go into hospital you will be asked to take body jewellery out. You will not be able to remove the jewellery initially used in a piercing for 3 months or the hole will close up. So don’t have a piercing if you have an operation scheduled.

A responsible piercer will not touch anyone who is, or appears to be, under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

~~ My nipple piercing ~~

To be honest I was petrified. A colleague at the time had hers done and she was of great help and support and recommended a good piercer in my area. As I said previously, word of mouth is all when looking for a good piercer. So one Good Friday I went with fear and trembling to see her.

Once she found out that I had not eaten that day she insisted that I go and eat a light snack and come back later. She said this would lessen the chance of me fainting after the piercing due to low blood sugar.

My nipple was first bathed in warm water to soften it to make the piercing easier, then thoroughly cleaned. Marks were then made on each side of my nipple. The lady then produced a pincer-like tool, with holes in the blades, which she lined up with the guide marks she had previously made on my nipple. I was sweating like a dog with fe
ar by this time, but she talked to and reassured me all the time. She then took the piercing needle out of its wrapper in front of me then quickly and forcefully stuck the needle through the hole on one blade of the pincers, which went through my nipple and out of the hole on the other side. Finally she unwrapped and threaded through a new ball-closure ring and fastened it. I felt a split second of agony when the needle went through my nipple. The ring insertion also hurt but was just as quick. My nipple was bleeding after this rough treatment, so after cleaning this up, the lady applied a dressing. I remember smiling with pride as I walked home through Camden Town. Anyone who saw me must have thought I was completely crazy.

My nipple did take time to heal and for the first month was very painful if I jogged it, so I kept it covered with a sterile dressing. I had to bathe it twice a day and use anti-bacterial soap to remove any crust formation. After-care does vary with the body part that has been pierced and you will be informed on how to do this. In general you will be told no touching or oral contact and it will be advised that you do not go swimming for a month. After that you may be told to wear special patches while swimming, until the piercing is properly healed.

All sorts of factors can affect the healing time of a piercing. These include how well the piercing is cared for, nutrition and general health. You will be told not to remove the jewellery that was initially used in your piercing for at least three months. It will be a year before you can remove the jewellery for any length of time.


~~ Further information ~~

http://www.coldsteel.co.uk
This website contains a lot of information on piercing and has forums that answer any questions interested people might have. The Cold Steel studio is at 238 Camden High St, Camden Town, London NW1 8QS. Tel/Fax 0207 267 7970 Email: piercing@coldsteel.co.uk

http
://www.safepiercing.org
The Association of Professional Piercers. PO Box 16044, London NW1 8ZD

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