Body piercing is hot and happening now a days with more and more youth piercing the various parts of their body. The various body parts that are normally pierced are nose, ears, navel, eyebrow, lips, nipple, tongue and other genital parts. Often, it's a statement of individuality and style but some portray it as a sign of rebellion too. Sometimes, it's nothing more than a desire to adorn various body parts with jewellery. With piercing becoming more and more popular it is always advisable to be more aware of its method, precautions, consequences and other small questions, which will cross your mind before taking the plunge. In this article we have tried to answer mostly all your questions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does body piercing hurt?
This is probably the first question that crosses anybody's mind. Well sorry to say but body piercing does hurt. A hollow needle is passed through the body part followed by the insertion of the body jewellery in the hole. A small amount of bleeding may occur as a result of the piercing. But isn't the pain a part of the fun. After all to gain something you have to bear the pain.
Does a piercing cause health risk?
Well piercing shouldn't cause any kind of health risk but for that you have to take care of the piercing properly while they're healing. A competent piercer will give you an aftercare guide. Follow it religiously, but know your own body: if a particular disinfectant irritates you, don't use it. If you have any problems call your piercer and take his advice or consult your doctor.
Where should I be pierced?
Well this will broadly depend on you. You can visit various sites on the net as well as take advice from your piercer as to where you should pierce. If you're considering a particular piercer, talk to him or her and to their clients; check out their equipment and piercing room. Whatever you do don't pierce at jewellery shops, don't ask your friend's to pierce and don't do it yourself. Remember piercing is your decision so please take it wisely.
How to choose a piercing artist
?
Visit several piercers and check out the work area. The work area should be kept in a clean and sanitary condition and it should have proper lighting. If they refuse to discuss cleanliness and infection control, go somewhere else. Check if all the instruments used for piercing are properly sterilised. The piercer parlour should have an autoclave - a heat sterilization machine used to sterilize equipment between customers. Also check if the piercer uses proper gloves and keeps them on all the time.
What jewellery to wear?
The type of jewellery inserted will depend on the body part. For example, a short barbell in the tongue will lead to problems when the tongue starts to swell. The type of jewellery used must accommodate the swelling that follows the piercing procedure. Piercers recommend non-toxic metals such as surgical steel, 14K gold, niobium, or titanium to avoid infections and allergic reactions. Gold-plated jewellery should not be used.
What is the healing time for various body parts piercing?
Well every body part will take different healing period. It also depends on person to person. Following is the chart, which gives the average time for piercing to heal.
Ear lobe: 6 to 8 weeks
Ear cartilage: 4 months to 1 year
Eyebrow: 6 to 8 weeks
Lip: 2 to 3 months
Tongue: 4 weeks
Nostril: 2 to 4 months
Nasal septum: 6 to 8 months
Nasal bridge: 8 to 10 weeks
Nipple: 3 to 6 months
Navel: 4 months to 1 year
Female genitalia: 4 to 10 weeks
Male genitalia: 4 weeks to 6 months
Cleanliness Guidelines
* Clean the piercing area with an antibacterial soap. Gently remove all crusty formations from the piercing and jewellery. Rinse off the soap, making sure that all the soap and crust formations are gone. You can also remove crystal formation by making a salt water liquid (solution of one quarter teaspoon sea salt and eight ounces distilled water).
* Wash your hands with soap before touching or cleaning the pierced part during the healing process. Don't let anyone else touch the pierced part during the healing period.
* Be sure to leave the starter jewellery in during the entire minimum initial healing time. Check tightness of balls on threaded jewellery twice daily with clean hands. For tongue piercing check threaded ends on the jewellery twice daily with clean hands to make sure the ends are tight. Eat slowly and take small bites of food at first, when you are getting used to the new jewellery.
* Always wear clean clothing and change bed-sheets every week during healing. If the piercing is an ear piercing, clean your telephone and sun or eyeglasses.
* For ear and cartilage piercing, avoid make-up and powders around your face and neck during the healing process coz this can cause infection. Cover the pierced part with a tissue when using hair spray.
* For navel piercing don't wear tight clothes coz that will not give you proper air circulation that is very important for healing. Don't sleep on your stomach. · If you swim then be careful where you swim. Avoid public pools and hot tubs until the piercing has healed.
* For tongue or lip piercing, choose an antibacterial mouthwash that does not contain alcohol and rinse your mouth every time you eat. If you notice bad breathe and an off-coloured tongue the mouth wash may have killed the mouth's own bacteria. If this happens switch to salt water rinses instead of mouthwash.
* For tongue piercing avoid all oral sexual contact including French (wet) kissing during the entire healing period, even if you are in a monogamous relationship. Avoid chewing on gum, tobacco, fingernails, pencils and sunglasses while healing. Reduce or quit smoking when healing (smoking increases risks and can prolong the healing process).
* Don't use band aids on a piercing as they can limit air circulation.
Complications arising out of piercing:
If taken proper care then piercing does not really cause any complications but still you should be aware of a few minor complications. If you are going for tongue piercing then initially you will have to bear lot of swelling and pain. It might also affect your taste buds for a few days. Nipple piercing may burrow through some of the milk-producing ducts and cause infection or problems if a woman wishes to breast-feed an infant later in her life. Navel piercing becomes infected easily because tight-fitting clothes do not allow enough air to circulate and allow moisture to collect around the piercing site. Nose piercing should be taken special care from infections since it can be very deadly if it gets infected. If the piercing drains thick pus discharge instead of the normal yellowish liquid secretion, you may want to consult a physician. If there is an infection present, do not remove jewellery. If the jewellery is removed, the holes can close up and an abscess can form. Avoid stress and all forms of recreational drug use. Avoid aspirin, large amounts of caffeine, spicy, salty, acidic or hot temperature foods and alcoholic beverage for the first several days to prevent bleeding, swelling and discomfort. Do not play with the piercing during the entire healing time except for necessary functions (eating and speaking). Stress on the piercing during the healing process can cause scarring, migration and other complications. Even after healing, excessive play with oral jewellery can result in permanent damage to teeth, gums and oral structures.
Tattoos
How Did Tattoos Originate?
Believe it or not, some scientists say that certain marks on the skin of the Iceman, a mummified human body dating from about 3300 B.C., are tattoos. If that's true, these markings represent the earliest known evidence of the practice. More widely recognized are tattoos found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating from about 2000 B.C. Classical authors mention the use of tattoos in connection with Greeks, ancient Germans, Gauls, Thracians and ancient Britons. But with the growth of Christianity, tattooing was forbidden in Europe. The practice continued in the Middle East and other parts of the world. (Interestingly, tattoos seemed to be missing among populations with the darkest skin colour and in most of China until more recent centuries.)
What is a tattoo?
Tattoos are created when colour is injected into small holes made in the dermis, a deep layer of the skin. Today most tattoos are applied with an electric tattoo machine, which has needles that rapidly puncture the skin with an up-and-down motion.
Following things to consider:
* Regard tattoos as permanent. Whatever picture or design you decide on, you'll probably have to live with it for the rest of your life.
* Removing tattoos is painful and expensive. What's more, tattoos don't always come off. Attempts to remove them may result in scarring, skin thickening, discoloration, or other problems.
* Be sure you're not allergic to any tattoo inks or dyes. If you are, your body could react adversely to them.
* You cannot donate blood for a year after getting a tattoo.
Is Tattooing Safe?
Tattooing is safe if proper sterilization and infection control standards are practiced. Basically, this means anything that comes in contact with blood / body fluids must either be disposed of (single - use) or sterilized. However, there are some serious health concerns. Needles and other equipment used for tattoos or body piercing that are not sterilized or disinfected, or are used inappropriately among clients, increase the risk for transmitting infectious diseases such as hepatitis, tetanus, and even HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). Researchers say the infection can be passed through the reuse of needles or dye and poor sterilization practices and techniques, such as when a tattoo artist pricks the back of his hand with a needle to determine if it's sharp enough. Scarring, swelling, infections, discharges, skin thickening, allergic reactions, and other complications may occur if procedures are done incorrectly or the skin is not cared for properly.
Precautions to be taken:
* First of all get yourself immunised against tetanus and hepatitis B.
* Check if the tattoo parlour uses disposable needles?
* Check if the tattoo parlour is clean.
* Check if the tattoo parlour uses disposable inks.
* Never tattoo yourself or allow your friends to do it. Deal only with experienced parlours.
* Ask what procedures are used to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Tattoo artists should wear surgical gloves to help maintain a germ-free environment near your skin.
* Ask how needles and inks are used. Needles and inks used on one person must never be used on another. Reputed and experienced tattoo parlours will always use new needles. But still it is safe to verify.
* Make sure that the artist unwraps the needle in front of you.
* Every ink used in your tattoo should be poured into a small cup specifically for your tattoo. Any leftover ink should be thrown away after your tattoo is finished.
Does it hurt?
Yes it does. Tattooing hurts since the needles in the tattooing machine rapidly pierces your skin. Some people describe the sensation more as a vibration than a deep pain. Some say the pain level depends on the needles used; that the sharp sensation from needles used for outlining a design are more difficult to endure than the needles used to shade the design. You can use the local anaesthetics if you want to.
Caring for tattoos:
Make sure you take good care of your skin afterward. Follow the tattooist's instructions and recommendations. Keep the area clean and moisturized to help your skin heal faster and to reduce the chance of scarring or infection.
If you experience any signs of infection, contact your health care practitioner immediately.
Italian Charms
Nail Art
Nail art is the most happening thing in the world of fashion today. It will allow you to express your creativity and personality and will help express your individual style like never before. Nail experts or 'designers' are cropping up at happening salons all over the country to create art on your nails. There are endless paint effects that you can achieve as well as many decorative gems, foils and tapes to assist you in your creativity. These can turn your nails into a small canvas, on which you can create great pieces of artistic work. This can be achieved by freehand painting or by using an artist's airbrush. Nail piercing is also considered a type of nail art, which works best on artificial nails. This is achieved by attaching rings to tiny holes, drilled into the nail, which are attached to chains that are worn around the wrist. They also come with chain links to a ring that is worn on the same finger.
The accessories you can use in nail art is as follows:
Nail stripes: Nail stripes of various shapes, designs can be bought and used while decorating your nails. Peel off desired stripe carefully. Try using tweezers for clean effect. Starting at the cuticle, gently lay stripe across nail in desired position. Trim off excess. Gently apply pressure with fingertip to secure it in place.
Gold & silver nail charms: Gold and silver charms are also a very good nail art accessory which gives a very good nail design and is easy to use. Choose desired charm and peel off paper backing. Place charm on nail in preferred location. Gently press down with fingertip to secure.
The Cloth Effect: Give your nails two coats of paint and then while they are still slightly wet, press a patterned (lint free) piece of cloth or chamois leather lightly on them. As the cloth is lifted, it leaves a pattern similar to the texture of the cloth on the nails.
Assorted stars & dots: You can either use stars and dots to paint your nail or use nail polish with stars and glitter floating in them. For nail art with assorted stars and dots, pour out a small amount of stars or dots onto a paper plate. Moisten end of manicure stick. Pick up individually by touching moistened end of stick to star or dot. Place on nail in desired location, pressing gently to secure.
NOTE: If the star or dot is not securing to nail, apply a small amount of Nail Art Sealer to nail first.
Nail stickers: Nail stickers also give the desired effect and you can also choose various designs. Remove selected sticker from sheet using tweezers. Place onto nail in desired location. Gently apply pressure with finger to secure.
Your Own Design: Instead of using ready-made designs you can let your imagination go wild and have your own nail art design. Paint a base colour of any shade you like and let your nails dry. Then by freehand painting or by using an artist's airbrush create designs on your nails instead of a canvas!
