An ear has numerous areas to pierce and ‘Daith’ is one among them. In 1992 Erik Dakota one Jewish lady who pioneered this piercing. There are many risks involved in this type of piercing like: Bell’s Palsy, Ear Collapse, Loss of Hearing and Rejection.
Shown above is a daith piercing with 16ga 9/16″ and 5/16″ rings. The piercing is a work by Benjamin at Spirit Garden Tattoo and Body Piercing in Northfield, MN.
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Body piercing is popular, especially among teens. However, body piercing and tattoos were once considered taboo but now they are more accepted. Vendetta, a 21-year-old senior in LAS, recently decided to pierce his lower lip, following a trend common among college students. (...)
Today, people get their any part pierced whether it is their ear, nose, tongue, eyebrows, lips, genitals, belly buttons or even other places. People are ready to poke holes in any part of their body. According to a dermatology study, three out of four Americans who are pierced are women, twice as many Democrats are pierced than Republicans, and about one out of three young adults sport tattoos. Besides the ear lobe, with women outnumbering men by 49-19 per cent, piercing is done on the nose, eyebrow, navel and the tongue. If you walk on a mall, you will see many piercing jewelries, which are not tacky or ugly, but are very regular pieces. So, what makes body piercing so bad, then?
Every different piercing has its own other face and I am here talking about the other side of ‘Navel Piercing.‘ Though navel is among the commonly pierced organ among teens, it is also one which takes as long as nine months to heal and often keloids (scar tissue) form. Infection is very common and most of the times students just take out the navel ring and let it heal.
On Feb, 16, Janaee Smith, a sophomore at Southside High, Greenville of South Carolina, got her navel pierced. Unfortunately, she died and her friend suspects her pierced navel to be the cause of her death, as she did it at home.
Amanda Crocker, a licensed professional for four years said following about piercing done at home:
It’s not uncommon to have a teenager come in that has had her naval pierced at home. A friend does it at a party maybe and it never turns out well... There are not just infections, but disease transmission is a big issue today. You have to be very careful’
She added that it’s never safe to get a piercing from someone unlicensed or at home as their instruments are not that sanitized. Three steps to achieve germ free instruments:
1. Instruments are sprayed and left for ten minutes
2. Set under UV light
3. Put through a steam process to kill any left over germs.
Thus, a proper sterilized instrument is available at licensed piercing parlor or shop. If you say that, you can arrange all these activities to sterilize your instrument then also I will say that you are not perfect to pierce your navel because you do not know the exact point where to pierce. In addition, if you pierce on some wrong point of your navel then you will end up with swelling or other problem.
Aftercare for your New Navel Piercing:
• Do not go out in sunlight or allow water to get into your a fresh piercing as it slows down healing or cause infection.
• Wear a one piece bathing suit if you are going to be out on a beach or cover your navel with bandage
• Keep your navel jewelry clean from dirt and debris (like lotions and sunscreen)
• Use best cleaning solution and method to clean your navel jewelry.
Hope you’ll keep in mind all above mentioned points while you go in for navel piercing.
Have a Happy Navel Piercing!
There is no fixed date when or who first pierced their body. People all over the world from ancient time practice it. Even the oldest mummified man till date, Ötzi the Iceman, which was found in a Valentina Trujillon glacier also had an ear piercing 7-11 mm (1 to 000 gauge in AWG) diameter.
Every country has it’s own story behind each piercing. Egyptians pierced body to reflect status and love of beauty.
Nose piercing and ear piercing are mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 24:22, Abraham’s servant gave a nose ring and bracelets to Rebekah, wife of his son Isaac. In Exodus 32, Aaron makes the golden calf from melted earrings. Deuteronomy 15:12-17 dictates ear piercing as a mark of slavery. Nose piercing has been common in India since the 16th century. Tongue piercing was popular with the elite of Aztec and Maya civilization, though it was carried out as part of a blood ritual and such piercings were not intended to be permanent. Ancient Mesoamericans wore jewelry in their ears, noses, and lower lips, and such decorations continue to be popular amongst indigenous peoples in these.
Modern attitude towards piercing varies from individual to individual. For some it is primitive or spiritual and for some it is hip. Today it is impossible to count the piercing areas on ones body. I have tried to discuss most of them in this article, from head to toe.
Eyebrow Piercing
It is a non-traditional body piercing which is correlated to new phenomenon. Members of the seventies punk movement are some of the earliest known people to carry out this unique form of piercing. A piercing is done through the eyebrow usually in a vertical position. The most common pieces of jewelry used in eyebrow piercing are curved barbells, barbells, and captive bead rings. It takes around 6 to 8 weeks for the piercing to heal up.
Limitation: There is a risk of irritation, migration over time, scarring and infection.
Nostril Piercing
Nose piercing was performed as far back as 4,000 years ago in the Middle East. Nose piercing is very attractive, and can draw attention to the face, because the nose is face’s most prominent limb; Leonardo DaVinci thought that the nose set the character of the person. Many celebrities like Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Sinead O’Connor, and Slash from Guns and Roses have all poked a hole in their nose. I am not counting any from India as it a tradition here to pierce nose. The most common pieces of jewelry in nostril are studs, nose rings, etc. To heal it takes around 2 to 4 months.
Limitation: Nose piercing can lead to infection and should be cared more because of its susceptibility to germs and the nose’s proximity to the brain. If the hole begins to close and the bacteria are trapped, the infection can spread through your system. Apart from infection, there is a risk of aspiration and localized swelling filled with blood.
Bridge Piercing
It is a modern phenomenon and was performed in 1989 by body piercer Dan Kopka of the Gauntlet body-piercing studio in Los Angeles on Erl van Aken. Curved barbells and straight barbells are the commonly used jewelry in this piercing. It takes 8 to 10 weeks to heal-up.
Limitation: Bridge piercing has lesser degree of risk then nostril piercing. Yep! It does not affect your eyes unless it is performed properly.
Septum Piercing
Your septum is the small strip of skin that is between your nostrils, just before the cartilage of the nose. This is an unusual type of piercing. Though it prevailed since longtime back but it is a new idea in the fashion world of piercing. Mostly people wear jewelry like tusk, captive bead rings, circular barbells or pinchers in this piercing. Famous people from history like the Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa wore this piercing. It takes 6 to 8 weeks to heal.
Limitation: The greatest risk involved in this piercing is tissue death. It cam have the same infection symptoms like nostril piercing so should be care properly.
Lip/Labret Piercing
Lip/Labret piercing is most common in certain African tribes, who wear large decorative plates or discs, usually in the lower lip. Today, lip/labret piercing is becoming popular day by day among teens and adults. This piercing is also called Monroe or Madonna after actresses Marilyn Monroe and Madonna respectively. Recently hot sexy Mya pierced her lips. Lip & Labret piercing usually take between 6 to10 weeks to fully heal, it is very rare to develop an infection because the mouth contains an enzyme ‘Ptyalin’ which inhibits bacteria. Commonly worn jewelry are rings, studs, barbells, spikes, plates, etc.
Limitations: It can cause gum damage and cracking of your teeth. Allergic reactions often occur (watch for tongue swelling). Rinsing with an alcohol-free mouth rinse 4-5 times daily (especially after meals).
Tongue Piercing
Tongue piercing is one like other contemporary piercing. There are some traces of tongue piercing in the history of ritual in Aztec and Maya cultures. However, permanent tongue piercing is a recent trend and you can adorn it with barbell or ring. Preferably, wear that jewelry which is less problematic. A smaller ball can be worn on the underside of the tongue to reduce contact with the sublingual portion of the oral cavity. It takes around a month to heal.
Limitation: Like lip piercing even tongue piercing has similar drawbacks like those that gum damage and can lead to speech hindrance, injury to salivary glands, tooth fracture, nerve damage or swelling that could compromise airway.
Ear Cartilage Piercing
Here in India I have seen many old women with multiple piercings in their ear cartilage. So for me it’s historical existence is very old. My friend Pooja Kashyap got her cartilaged pierced last month and said, ‘Everybody assume it to be the most painful experience but for me it was quite insignificant with respect to my passion for studding. It’s not fully recovered yet but on the verge of recuperating. However, I m planning for another stud very soon!’
Scientifically for recuperation, it takes 4 months to one year. It’s jewelry can be earrings and studs. A variety of specialized cartilage piercings have become popular. These include the tragus piercing, antitragus piercing, rook piercing, industrial piercing, helix piercing, orbital piercing, daith piercing, and conch piercing.
Limitation: Its sluggish healing is it’s biggest limitation and if it is not cared properly, can cause serious bacterial infection. If this area becomes infected, seek medical attention immediately as there is no direct blood supply to the area and antibiotics often do not work. Infection can lead to cartilage damage and ear deformity.
Earlobe Piercing
Ear piercing is one of the oldest known forms of body modification, with artistic and written references from cultures around the world dating back to early history. There was also a long-held belief that puncturing the earlobe was beneficial to increasing the acuity of eyesight or of hearing.
These days in addition with earlobe piercing even earlobe stretching was common in primitive cultures for thousands of years and started to appear in Western civilization in the 1990s, and is now a common sight. Even I have got my earlobes pierced and you know I did it when I was a small kid. Now I am planning forward to a nostril piercing. For healing, it takes 6 to 8 weeks.
Limitation: Earlobe piercing is prone to occurrence of an abscess, allergies and infection.
Nipple Piercing
Roman Centurions used to wear armored breastplates that had rings inserted near the nipple area, and capes were often hung from these rings. In the middle of the 14th century, Queen Isabella of Bavaria introduced a dress style that was open all the way to the nipple. Women took advantage of this opportunity by adorning their exposed nipples with diamond-studded rings. Nipples are usually pierced in 14 gauge or larger in men, and 12ga or larger for women. They are commonly considered one of the more painful locations to pierce. There is difference of few months in female and male recuperating; it takes 4 to 12 months and 2 to 4 months respectively. Jewelry for nipple piercing are barbells and rings. Do consider the jewelry you wear.
Limitation: If the ring is small, that can induce rejection or migration. There can be problem for the child during lactation as the jewelry can injure his palette. In very rare cases, a nipple piercing may block a milk duct, trapping an infection inside the breast (mastitis).
Navel Piercing
Navel piercing is not historical and is contemporary. It is popularized by Aerosmith and then many celebrities like Britney Spears, Beyonce Knowles, Paris Hilton, Linsday Lohan, Janet Jackson, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba etc. are traced in it. This piercing is gaining popularity and the reason behind this is ’sex appeal.’ Many individuals think a belly button ring is ’sexy.’ I remember last year my friend had got her navel pierced and she faced lot of problems for few weeks and she yell in pain when her clothing was entangled with her jewelry. Anyways it can take 4 months to 1 year to convalesce. The best navel jewelry is CBR (captive ball ring) or a barbell but a ring is easier to clean and will heal faster. When the piercing heals fully you can change into any new fashionable jewelry.
Limitation: There are many risks involved in this piercing like irritation from clothing, infection, allergic reaction, excessive bleeding, cross contamination, keloids and moreover, you cannot donate blood for one year after getting a body piercing.
Genitalia Piercing
There is no purpose of genital piercing except for sex pleasure. The wearers say that they can feel the penis every time it enters the vagina and hence give them more pleasure. It is the most sensitive area to pierce and is prone to high risk.
Female genitalia piercing is not one place rather it covers wide range like Clitoral hood, which comprise vertical hood and horizontal hood and takes 2 to 6 weeks to recuperate. Other piercings are Clitoris (2 - 4 weeks), Fourchette (4- 6 weeks), Labia Minora (2 - 4 weeks), Labia Majora (2 - 6 months), Triangle (8 - 10 weeks) and Pubic or Princess Albertina piercing (10 - 12 weeks). Jewelry worn in genital piercing should be extremely sexy as main motive behind this piercing is more sexual pleasure.
Earlier male penis was pierced to pull it with ‘dressing ring’ into a tight fitting fashion or I think dress like today’s pants. Historic figure Prince Albert himself had it and is believed that he wore it to keep his foreskin retracted and “fresh smelling” so as not to offend his Queen. Even Benito Mussolini is said to had it. Alike female genitalia piercing even male genitalia piercing has wide range: Ampallang (4 - 8 months), Apadravya (4 - 8 months), Dydoe (8 - 12 weeks), Frenum piercing (6 - 8 weeks), Guiche (8 - 10 weeks), Prince Albert (4 - 9 weeks), Reverse Prince Albert (4 - 6 months), Scrotum (6 - 10 weeks), Foreskin (6 - 8 weeks), Pubic (10 - 12 weeks) and Lorum (10 - 12 weeks). In brackets, I have written the period in which these particular piercing will alleviate.
Jewelry worn is barbell and even rings.
Limitation: Piercing the clitoris horizontally may result in a loss of all feeling. A vertical piercing through the hood is not as risky. Genitalia piercing are prone to infection so keep the area clean. In female, this piercing can compromise of condoms or diaphragms. There can be urination problem. In male, there is risk of penile engorgement and jewelry can cause frictional irritation. Genitalia piercing might be pleasurable for some but for other the jewelry can be irritating.
I know that any part of our body can be poked into a hole and we can wear jewelry in it. I have discussed the major piercing parts on our body and which are familiar. I have shown differently the limitations of every piercing but there are some common risks involved in all types of piercing like Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, transmission of HIV, and many other blood-borne infections from unhygienic piercing tools and jewelry. My last word to you is that poke holes in any part of your body but keep it clean, hygienic and safe it from infection.
Thanks to Bmezine Encyclopedia and Wikipedia for prime information.
After tattoos and body piercing there is one more kind of piercing or you can say implant... that is tiny pieces of jewelry called ‘JewelEye’ in the mucous membrane of the eyes. However, it can be highly risky but I found it to be very cute.
The JewelEye device is 3.5 mm in diameter and offered in the following shapes: ring, heart, star. ring. The devices are packaged in a box with 10 sterile devices and the guidelines for use.
The cost of this implant in eye is expensive and will cost you some hundreds or thousands.
Apart from my likeness towards this implant I would personally feel like to suggest you not to do that to your eye it can cause loss of eyesight.
The world of piercing caught fire few decades back and today flames of corset piercing are spreading rapidly among young adults who are unaware of the risks involved in it.
Piercers find it easy to perform and normally would charge around $105 for three piercing on each sides (this is not fixed price). Due to the involvement of risks of rejection, scarring, etc. many piercer keep themselves away from the flames.
In fact, it is a sister piercing of surface in which piercing is placed in two columns vertically along the back, imitating the position of the eyelets on a corset and to intensify this illusion a lace or string can be threaded through the jewelry.
However, I think this fire cannot overtake other piercings for their permanence, what do you think?
Image credit 1 and 2
Suggestive Reading
I do not know whether this tongue is truly pierced or not. For this seems to be a product of Photoshop.
If this piercing really exists in this world then I would like to say that it can be the most infectious and uncomfortable type in the world of piercing. This can also ruin the taste buds. I wish this is not true!
Josh Burgh at BlueHorseShoeTattoo at has done these multiple surface piercings on the side-stomach. There are four surface bars pierced into the side. Take care when you pierce yourself, as there can be a risk of rejection.
Body piercing has been around since the beginning of time, but it has gained popularity in the recent years. Today, it’s an influential trend, which is seen on most people. For some it might be a form of expression and for others a part of tradition. What reason do you think this guy has for his multiple facial piercings?
G.C. submitted these pictures on iam.bmezine.com and I brought it here for you as a treat and helpful idea for your next piercing. Okay! Come let’s count these piercings separately: three ear piercings i.e. orbital, anti-tragus and earlobe; two bridge piercings; two nostril piercings, a septum piercing and wears a plate in his labret piercing.
Recently it was reported that many young people are getting themselves pierced because of the reality TV shows, which are out these days regarding body piercing shops. It also said that youngsters look at piercing as a way to define themselves. Therefore, this body art has become a matter of thought for parents.
I thought eyelids could be a place where no one would poke a hole but sorry to say, even that delicate part is not left untouched by trendsetters.
The process is not much complicated. It requires good and cautious piercer, but for the wearer it is painful with a feeling of uncomfort and loss on a night sleep. This is not the end, when you wake up in the morning, your eye will be red with swelling, pus and may be some blood clots too. But don’t dishearten yourself, after the healing-period has surpassed, you’ll feel better.
Remember, aftercare is very important as a little bit of carelessness can damage your eye. There are many creams and lotions available in the market for better healing. Then comes the choice of jewelry - you cannot wear any playful jewelry, so wear simple and smooth eyelid jewelry to save your eye from scratching.
Within few weeks, you will become quite used to the jewelry and your piercing will heal-up by that time.
Image Credit: jbthepiercer
Meet Sara an intelligent lady and a successful body piercer, these days serving Silver Line Tattoo, Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Her husband is a tattoo artist in the same studio. She herself has few piercings. She finds her husband and she being in similar professions, ‘push our passion for the art.’ She says that they can share so much with each other & both have an appreciation for what the other does. Guys do you know her husband Buzz says that he is ‘a loving husband... and when you enter a profession with your partner, you want to empress your partner with your moves.’ Apart from piercing her clients, she has pierced her husband too.
Check out below full e-mail interview of Sara...
Disha: When did the journey of body art start and how?
Sara: I guess it all started at age 17 (I’m 31 now, going on 32 soon) when I first moved to Ottawa, Ontario Canada. I am originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. I used to hang out at a piercing studio in Ottawa that has since closed. I was a guinea pig for one of the in-training piercers & I paid very close attention to what she did.
Well, maybe my fascination really started from childhood - my Mom’s a Registered Nurse & I grew up in the doctor’s office where she worked. I was always fascinated by all the tools & in trying to figure out how things worked in relation to the human body. I excelled in Biology & science related courses in High School & in College, I had a 92% average in Botany - not exactly human related - but still figuring out the basis of life....
Anyhow, back to the piercing- after playing with my own piercings for years - re-opening, stretching, re-piercing...It was something I had lived with for 8 years & had done research on my own - at age 25 I met my husband - Buzz. He was a body piercer at that time & showed me a few pointers & trained me - my training lasted for about 2 or 3 weeks. I think piercing came so naturally to me because of the years that I had been around it & due to my brain working a certain way.
Disha: What are your principal inspirations?
Sara: I strive to better myself in the way of my knowledge in relation to body piercing. Now to me that covers healing of piercings, ways to aid in healing irritation/infections that can happen over the course of a healing piercing, new piercing techniques, new materials used in initial piercings, figuring out how different anatomy affects placement of piercings, expanding my expierence of scarification, branding, implants. Basically, never to stop learning & never to forget that these people are putting trust in me & my experience & to not let them down makes sure that I am on top of the newest procedures & information.
Disha: Which are the most popular body parts, you are asked to pierce?
Sara: It really changes from year to year and this year it seems to be tongue, navel, eyebrow & surface piercings.
Disha:For what all studios you have worked.
Sara: Started at a place called Agit Prop, then moved to Unique Body Piercing & now myself & Buzz manage Silverline Tattoo & Body Piercing Studio. All these shops are in Ottawa just moved up the street to better & better studios.
Disha:Which is the strangest request you have ever had regarding body piercing?
Sara: I do all types of piercings & am quite hard to shock at this point. It might be when one of my clients that I have been piercing for years now asked if I was comfortable doing play piercings right into his testicles, at this point we had done about 2 or 3 play piercing sessions. After much research on both our parts, I felt comfortable in doing this for him (play piercing means to pierce areas of the body & then to let them sit in for a while & then they are all removed - the point it not to keep the piercing, it is for the sensation of being pierced). There were no negative side effects & the pain was not what you would expect. There are no nerves in the testicles; he said it was more an extreme pressure. There are risks to piercing the testicles, if you poke the wrong area you can do permanent damage, also if the scrotal sack is torn much damage can be done. I would not do this piercing for any other clients I have, as I do not think that they would understand the risks involved.
He wears a suit & tie, runs a company & is a very normal man with a family. He is what he refers to as a ‘type A’ personality, who hurt his back skydiving. After his accident, he was unable to experience that rush he sought after. His marriage suffered because of his depression & they almost got divorced. Then he found body piercing- he found his new release, not in a sexual way. His wife is a part of this area of his life they both enjoy the piercings. He has many more than she does, but she does enjoy the extra stimulation they provide her sexually.
Disha: How much do you charge, approximately, for a piece of art?
Sara: Depending on the piercing & jewelry used, the price can range from $35 to $120. Most of the common piercings cost between $35 & $65.
Disha: Tell me honestly, what is there in body piercing, despite all the pain, that drive people and of course you, crazy?
Sara: I really don’t think it is the pain that people like most are afraid of that part of the process, with a piercing the pain only last for a few seconds, if that long. I find people are beautifying themselves, trying to enhance what they have naturally. For some, it is about taking control of their bodies. For some it is fashion, for other it is spiritual. There are many reasons, some I’m sure don’t know about. For me, it is about enhancing my natural beauty in a subtle way, I do not like to shock.
Disha: Which is your ink dream and why? Have you ever been able to achieve it?
Sara: Body Art for me is a continual growth experience. As life changes, so does my art- it is an expression of where I have been, where I am in the present & where I dream of going in the future. Will I ever achieve it- it is a process, with the end being when I leave this body!
Thanks Sara for allowing us to know you better and giving your precious time to us.
