It’s very common in today’s day and age that everyone knows that one person who pierces themselves at home with a sewing needle that they ‘sterilised’ with boiling water. DIY piercings have been happening for a long time and probably will be around as long as piercing is still fashionable. But it is important to note that there’s a big difference between a professional piercer who has done extensive training and experience and a DIY home piercing. If you are thinking about DIY-ing it, it’s probably best to reconsider.
For starters, watching a professional piercer is not the same as knowing everything that they know. To become a piercer it is recommended firstly to complete a certification in Maintaining Infection Control, as well as Training in the areas of body piercing you wish to obtain skills for. By completing this training it can help an aspiring piercing understand what hazards are common in a piercing and what to do if any of the potential risks arise. As part of becoming a piercing it is important that you not only learn about piercing but about the parameters around it. In a piercing studio a lot of safety measures and precautions are put in place to protect you, the client, and anyone else that may be present. DIY-ing your piercing will potentially lead to a handful of problems that could have been avoided.
The tools and equipment used by professional piercers have been made with characteristics to ensure proper placement of the piercing in a clean and safe way. All single-use disposable equipment such as the Cannula needles are pre sterilised using an Autoclave, meaning when using an aseptic technique with these sterile items will result in a clean bacteria free piercing. Products like Needles are individually packaged in sterile packs and are for single use only. If the packaging is damaged, the needle is no longer sterile and cannot be used safely.
Performing a piercing with non sterile items will be putting you or your client at risk of infection or contracting an infectious disease like Hepatitis. There is a big difference between sterilising an item and disinfecting. You may read on the internet that you can ‘sterilise’ an item by putting it in boiling water or using a lighter to burn the end of it. This information is false. To sterilise and remove contaminants from a surface requires a full steam cycle in an autoclave.
Using a sewing needle for example not only is unsterile but also blunted and unsafe. Over time the sharpness of the needle is going to deteriorate. Even an unused needle isn’t going to be as sharp as a piercing needle. This then causes more damage to the site in addition to potential transmission of an infectious disease.
Another factor that needs to be considered in regards to using a piercing needle is the catheter/cannula attached to it. This is the small plastic tubing that surrounds the needle itself.
After the needle has penetrated through the steel it is removed and disposed of in a sharps container but the catheter tubing remains to hold the site open. With externally threaded jewellery, the catheter is going to prevent the thread from bugging your fresh piercing. Once the piercer inserts the jewellery into the tubing it helps glide through the skin with ease and not catching or having to re-open the hole.
At a piercing studio it is a must that all jewellery and tools that are being used in the piercing process are to be sterilised. These sterile items are not to be opened until the moment of the piercing treatment.
The sterilisation process is the most important step, followed closely by the cleaning of the area you are being pierced in. The cleaning process isn't always as simple as whipping down a surface, there are rules and regulations that need to be followed. For example a piercing studio will wear Personal Protective Equipment while using hospital grade disinfectants to clean before and after each clients procedure.
Jewellery comes in all sorts of gauges, the most common ones being 18G, 16G and 14G. Each of the gauges are used for particular piercings. 14G must be used for navel, industrial, nipple and tongue piercings because these are high mobility sites and migration is common and a smaller gauge will result in fast migration. A piercers needle has the gauge written on the box and are colour coded. This allows for accuracy when transitioning from piercing hole to jewellery. If pierced with the wrong gauge it will cause more harm than good, for example blow out (where the skin essentially pushing out the hole or tearing when pushing the jewellery through. A sewing needle is not going to have the correct thickness that a piercing requires.
Anatomy plays a major part in location and longevity of a piercing. To simply know roughly where a piercing should sit on a person is not always correct. There are alot of factors to consider, ranging from vein locations, skin variants, structure of the area and surrounding areas and more.
As an example
For a navel piercing, there needs to be a good ‘shelf/hood’ of skin so the jewellery can sit with enough room and little movement, otherwise migration is very high which can lead to bad scar tissue.
When getting a new piercing you are generally recommended to be piercing with 316L Surgical Stainless steel or titanium as these are metals that contain little to no Nickle- which can cause irritations. If you have a nickel allergy, having it in a fresh piercing is not a great way to find out. Titanium/ Surgical Steel pieces that are used to pierce with are hypoallergenic and won’t unearth an allergy.
In conclusion, opting for a professional piercing ensures a safer and more hygienic experience, backed by their expertise and adherence to industry standards. Entrusting your piercing to a trained professional minimises the risk of complications, infections, and ensures a result that not only looks great but prioritises your well-being.
Celebrate your individuality responsibly by choosing the expertise and professionalism that only a qualified piercer can provide.
-Eliza Catford
