Are there also flexible piercingjewelry?
Yes there are. A material called Bioplast, or Bioflex and there is also PTFE, which is biocompatible and hypoallergenic. These are made of a sort of flexible plastic material. These exist for almost all bodypiercings: navelpiercings (bellybuttonpiercings, tongue piercings, lippiercings or labretpiercings…
Is there skin growing underneath the scab of my piercing?
A scab is a sort of wall behind which your body is hard at work healing your skin. So yes, behind the scab there is skin regrowing. As soon as this is finished, the scab will slowly dissapear. If you remove the scab before then, chances are healing will take more time and could very well become more difficult.
The ball of my piercing jewelry is 1.2 mm or 16 gauge, what is the thickness of the bar?
1.2mm is also the thickness of the bar. The size of the ball given here, is the size of the threading when the threading is on the post. This is different when threading is internal, on the inside of the post that is.
How do I put a ring through the whole of my piercing?
This can be tricky sometimes. If it is I would recommend getting some help from a professional. I could also explain and show to you how to do this yourself when you come to see me for help. There are more than one type of piercing rings though. the ball closure ring, the captive bead ring, the fixed bead ring, the clicker ring, the segment ring… There are also nose rings with a small opening to put it on and a flat disc on one side that will lie flat on the inside of the nostril. The opening will not be visible as it will be hidden on the inside of the nostril. This way it looks like a seamless ring.
Is an infection of my piercing potentially lethal?
An infection, like any other, has to be treated. If not, it can become very serious and potentially lethal. Luckily, in most cases, when one suspects an infection on their piercing it mostly is just an irritation due to less than ideal care. If it is an infection it can still be a mild local infection, instead of a serious one. Of course there are many options in between the two. Always take a reaction from your piercing very seriously and take the advice of your trusted body-piercing professional. Especially when he or she recommends a visit to your physician. But do keep in mind: if you do have an infection on your piercing leave the jewelry in. Even when your physician compels you to remove it. Or you might risk an abscess from an enclosed infection with no way out for the bacteria.
Is table-salt the same thing as Epsom salts? What is the difference between the two? Can I use Epsom salts when I run out of regular salt?
Read my article about this kind of products. Try the search engine on the upper right of the page.
Is drinking much water good for the healing of my piercings?
Drinking 1, 5 or 2 Liters of water daily is a healthy routine and helps your body cleanse itself so to speak. So yes. For a healthy healing of your body, you need a healthy body. Drinking enough water helps the process.
Can I fit a 1.2 mm or 16 gauge piece of jewelry in a 1.6 mm or 14 gauge piercing?
If you put a smaller piece in a piercing that was placed with a larger piece, chances are the whole will at least shrink a bit. Some piercings shouldn’t be worn with smaller jewelry because of the risk of tearing or rejection. But this depends on the piercing.
Can it be that my piercing has grown stuck to its jewelry? What can I do about it? I can’t get it loosened.
The piercing grown stuck to the jewelry or the other way around is a made-up story by untrained jewelers and shop owners. A piercing doesn’t grow stuck to the jewelry as often as people might think. The only thing that could happen is that the skin around the piercing is tightened the way that the jewelry cannot be moved in it easily. This occurs often on nipple piercings. Before you want to change the jewelry from your piercing, make sure it’s not irritated or inflamed. After you’ve made sure this is not the case, you can best try removing the jewelry with the help of a bit of water based lubricant or jojoba oil or olive oil or under a warm shower. The latter will open your pores and relax your skin, which will make the changing of the jewelry much easier. If the jewelry is still too tight to remove it normally, certainly do not force it. This will do more harm than good. And if you have to switch it for a new piece, try to push the one out while you push the other in. This to prevent the hole to shrink so that inserting a new piece won’t be possible. If you have doubts or difficulties, don’t fiddle on with it but come and see me so I can help you with it or change it for you. I will also give you tips and pointers so you know what to do next time.
Can I use Dettol on my piercing?
In general, no. Systematic usage of antiseptics on a piercing doesn’t only kill the bad bacteria, but also the good. Read more about this on my website. Try using the search engine on the top right of the page.
Can I use Dettol, Sterilon, Alcohol, iodine or the like on my piercing?
You’d rather not. This for the reasons stated in the question right above this one. Your body will miss the essential bacteria needed to close up the wound. When they keep getting washed away by these products (antiseptics) they will never be able to do their job.
Sterilon, alcohol, iodine, hydrogen peroxide and the like are okay to disinfect open wounds right after an accident but not on the long run. In the hospital they treat open wounds with saline. That’s what you need to do here as well.
A mild perfume free soap such as Neutral 0% is a good idea and saline is even better. Use the search engine on the upper right side of the page to find the recipe I set up to prepare saline yourself and to use it correctly on your piercing. Twice daily is the best way.
Can I use jojoba oil on the wound of my piercing?
Find out more about Jojoba oil on my website. During healing, oil is strongly discouraged. It can clog the pores and prevent the breathing of the skin. This way skin particles cannot recover properly, thus, healing is prolonged or made more difficult. The only oil that is allowed on healing piercings and other wounds is pure Emu oil. Read more about this on this website.
Can saline dry out my skin?
If you prepare your saline with the wrong proportions, yes. If you have made sure that you prepare your saline the right way but still have problems of dehydrated skin, you might be forgetting to rinse the saline out from off your piercing after soaking it in there. Hyper-tonic saline can also dry out the skin because of the higher proportions of salt in the water.
Is skin repair oil a good lubricant to insert my jewelry?
No. These contain too many additives. For this use jojoba, olive, emu or vitamin e oil.
My older piercing spot is inflamed, what should I do?
First, make sure it is actually inflamed or infected/ How long has it been since you’ve worn jewelry in it? Was it fully healed when you removed the jewelry? Reach out to your piercer or me.
My body-piercing is bleeding. Is this normal?
It is very common for a newly pierced body-piercing to bleed for a couple days after the procedure. But it can bleed more or off and on for a longer period of time if you touch/fiddle with it too much. In this case it could be that you hurt the fragile new skin of the fistula. Chances are healing will take more time now. Take good care of your piercing by doing the warm saline soaks twice daily and refraining from touching or moving the piece or the piercing to help it heal from the damage. Make sure you always wash your hands prior to treating your piercing though, and afterwards too.
My piercing is stuck, how can I get it un-stuck again?
Is the jewelry stuck in a way you can’t remove it? Or in a way you can’t twist or turn it anymore? If it’s the latter, than you shouldn’t even try. Twisting or turning or moving the jewelry in any way i bad for the fistula of the piercing and for the healing of it. Even when the piercing is years old ad fully healed it can still cause scar tissue when it’s manipulated too much. When it heals or you soak it in warm saline it will release the piece and you will be able to (re)move it again.
Nausea after getting pierced, is this normal?
Getting pierced can be very exciting, stressful even. It is very common and normal and can still be experienced this way even after you’ve had many piercings or tattoos. Sometimes it’s been so stressful that it can make you feel lightheaded, dizzy or even be nauseating. This too is not strange at all, common even. It happens to the best of us, even the big fellows. Be honest to your piercer when you don’t feel well, or see this coming so he or she can help you feel better or more comfortable.
Where can I purchase a nosering or nose piercing?
You can purchase these things everywhere these days. It’s important to know which size you need and what materials you should and shouldn’t put in you nose piercing. In the studio I work from I have a range of nose piercings you can choose from for example.