A few words about surface piercings from our professional body piercer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surface Piercings and what you need to know.

Surface piercings are not to be confused with dermal anchors, single point piercings or "skin divers". Surface piercings require a commitment to the aftercare and maintenance of these specialized piercings.

They are still piercings in the traditional sense, they have an entry point and an exit point, just like a navel piercing or nostril piercing. The only big difference is the type of jewellery used and the method for getting the jewellery into the piercing. This is where the hands of a real professional body piercer comes into play. Any clown can do piercing. trust me I have seen there work. But to put a surface barbell into the skin and have it stay is another kettle of fish entirely.

First we need to understand that the jewellery used for surface piercings is not your standard fair. This is specially designed jewellery made from only surgically pure materials, even more so in surface piercings. Generally high quality grade 23 titanium which in our case is E.U. certified and ASTM approved for implantation.

The shape of the jewellery (generally a barbell design) is intended to enter the skin at right angle and exit the skin at right angle, just like an upside down staple. Here's the tricky part, not every piercer can get this to happen properly without the correct technique and skill.

The process is labor intensive and requires time and effort to get the finished effect to be a success. That's why they are expensive, you are paying for the time and commitment on my part to get the piercing done right the first time.

Now the technique is quite simple when looking at it's basics, but it's the skill and understanding of the location and the body's range of motion that is the key. Not every location on the body will support a surface piercing contrary to what some less experienced piercers will tell you. Remember they don't care if the piercing works out or not once they are paid they could care less about you or your piercing (trust me when I tell you, I know that last part to be very true locally).

So if you are considering a surface piercing you need to interview your preferred studio and more over the piercer in great detail. Ask them how many piercings have they have done in general (don't worry about the surface piercing yet until you get some more info about your piercer). Ask the hard questions, how many years have they been working in a licensed studio, who trained them, can they give you the person's name and phone number or can the support there claims by showing you written proof of there experiance? You don't want to trust your body to a novice or worse yet a "wanna be" piercer, there are a few in town (every town) and they want your money!

Ask to see the important things first:

1. Current Business License (every studio must have one)
2. Current Health Inspection Report (every studio must have one)
3. Current Spore Test for there Autoclave (every studio is required to test the autoclave)
4. Ask to see the Autoclave (if they give you a story about not having or needing one leave)
5. Ask to see where the service is to be provided. (is it clean and well maintained)
6. Ask to see proof of First Aid training (if something goes wrong do they know what to do)
7. Ask to see a portfolio of work done ( some shops have hundreds of pictures)
8. Ask about continued support for post piercing issues ( good shops look after clients )
9. Ask about aftercare information (this must be in writing, not just verbal)
10. Ask about pre piercing release forms ( this is an outline of informed consent detailing risks and complications that you need to be aware of and must get a copy of once you sign it)

So if you got any hassles about asking all the questions above or they start becoming agitated with your questions, that should be you cue to leave and find another shop and piercer.

A word about release forms, waivers, release and hold harmless agreements.

Just because you signed a release form, doesn’t mean the studio or service provider is in the clear should what they provide cause you bodily harm. It means that under the informed consent law in Canada you have been made aware that what you are asking to have done comes with some level of risk*, you are agreeing that you are aware of the risks (*which should be detailed on the form you sign) and should you have any issues with the service provided the provider should be available to assist you.

They must also exercise every avenue to ensure the service is provided in a safe and professional manner. Should they fail to do so that would be grounds for negligence of which the waiver or release doesn't protect them from. The waiver doesn't protect them from being responsible for making a mistake or from willingly harming you due to lack of knowledge, training or experience. You are required by law to receive a copy of any document you sign, this includes the release, waiver or whatever they may call it. If you sign it you need to be given a copy of it, period. No waiver to sign? RED FLAG time to leave.

On to the surface!

So you're here because you want to know more about surface piercings and our site caught your eye, good. So let's get into the nuts and bolts of surface piercing for beginners. The technique is not classified but there are details better covered when you book your consultation. Yes book a consultation, this way the time is set to answer all your questions and explain in detail the technique used to do the piercing.

Pinch and poke or punch and taper?

One method works, the other doesn't, and why is explained in detail during your consult.

Here's what is expected of you before your booked appointment for the piercing. Be sure you have had a good meal before (at least 1~2 hours before your appointment). We are talking about real food not a bag of chips and a smoothie. The surface piercing is not a quick process and with any time the body is under stress, you burn calories and sugars very quickly. This can make you a bit woozy and you need to be able to hang in there for the whole process, once we start we can't really quit until it's done. The average surface piercing can take up to an hour from start to finish. Hey you have it easy, you just need to lay still and relaxed as possible. We are dealing with the skin and the skin responds to all sorts of things, stress, fatigue, good mood, bad mood it all reflects in how easy the skin is to work with.

Uptight or stressed will cause the skin to contract and become harder to work, thus harder to get the jewellery into. So having the happy tummy and the sun streaming from your face to get your new piercing will benefit you and me. I like smiling faces on happy clients. I work quickly and will make every effort to get the process done as quickly and safely as possible while also ensuring your doing well in the process.

Please don't take any form of medication before your piercing appointment unless it is prescribed by your doctor and then I need to know what it's for so I can account for it's actions in the body. If you are scared or concerned about discomfort talk to me about this during the consult. Aspirin, Tylenol, Anti-inflamitories can cause the body to react in different ways, if I don't know you are on something, this could put you and me in harms way. Not cool, so be up front with me. The process is fairly simple and if everything is good fairly quick as well.

Aftercare and your surface piercing.

Aftercare is like with all our other standard piercings very simple. Bathing daily and rinsing the piercing in the shower with running water is about all that is really needed. You can go swimming in pools and the like, just ensure that once you are done you flush the piercing with clean running water in the shower.

Care needs to be taken in the initial healing stages of the piercing (the first few weeks post piercing being the most critical). The use of Band-Aids on the jewelled ends before bed to prevent snagging the jewellery during the night is very important. We want to keep outside irritants from getting into the new piercing, this would be shampoo, conditioner, body washes, facial scrubs. Leaving the Band-Aids in place during bathing is not a bad idea and removing them being the last thing you do before exiting the shower. This way you can rinse the piercing and flush it with warm water to clean away any discharge the piercing may have generated during the night. Walla fresh shining jewellery, clean and healthy and set to meet the day.

You will be provided with written aftercare instructions and a guide to explain how to care for the new surface piercing, things to avoid and things to watch out for. All intended to extend the life span of your new surface piercing.

Locations for surface piercings

Well there are a few locations that will support a surface piercing.

The Nape is a location some people prefer. The tissue must be supple enough to allow for the placement of the barbell (this would be determined during your consult). Consideration made for collars and clothing is important (avoiding irritation from these makes a difference).

The Sternum or Cleavage is a location that is popular with some ladies, again the tissue needs to be supple enough to allow for the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Clavicles or Collar bones is a location that is also a good choice, the range of motion must be determined and again the tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Hips is a location that is a choice for the swim suit set, very nice location but clothing during less than perfect swim suit weather needs to be considered. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Tail Bone is a location that is kind of fun and looks good. Placement is dependant on clothing type and style. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Diagonal Breast is another location that is not often seen, this offers a "V" formation along the center line of the cleavage. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Horizontal Pubic Mound is another location that is not often seen, this offers two gems place horizontally above the genital area on the mound. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Vertical Pubic Mound is another location that is not often seen, this offers two vertical gems above the genital area on the mound in line with the hood, this is above where a Christina piercing would be placed. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Anti-Eyebrow is a facial option for those who want to have the dual gems on there cheek under and to the right or left of the eye. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

The Vertical Bridge is an option for those who wish to have the gems placed vertically following the bridge of the nose. The tissue must be supple enough to support the barbell placement (this would be determined during your consult).

 

 

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