Body Piercing 101: What You Need To Know

By Stefanie Flenner


While body piercing has been very common in many cultures for thousands of years, it's popularity in the West truly didn't catch on until the 20th century. Today, we see people every day with a variety of decorative piercing. Some people opt for basic earrings, but it's common to see people sporting eyebrow spikes, nose rings, tongue rings, navel rings and more. Prior to getting pierced, however, it is important to take into account several factors.

Consider your overall health prior to piercing. If you have the flu or a cold or are just getting over an illness, this isn't a good time to pierce. Your immune system is already taxed, and the healing process might be much slower if you pierce while you are unwell. There are many chronic types of diseases, such as diabetes, that weaken our immune system in general. If you have an immunodeficiency, a body piercing is probably not a very good idea in general. While it's fun to decorate your body and you might love the look, your health should be the first priority.

To lessen the chance of infection, you should take care when choosing a piercing facility. Do-it-yourself piercings are never a good idea, and you need to skip a shop that looks unclean and where quality hygienic practices are not in place. All of the needles and instruments should be sterilized before each use, and generally a good piercer will inquire about your overall health prior to piercing, especially in an area of the body that is particularly prone to infection. While there are plenty of places to get a cheap piercing, find a shop that is highly recommended. Often a tattoo parlor also offers piercing services, so if you know of a quality tattoo parlor; this might be a great option. Be sure to follow the piercing specialist's aftercare instructions exactly.

It is also wise to think about your lifestyle prior to getting any type of piercing. If you are quite active and get a great deal of exercise, you might not want to consider nipple or navel piercings. Exercise clothing tends to be fairly snug and can rub uncomfortably against these items, especially just after piercing. There's a reason why our gym teachers made us take out our earrings during P.E. class. If you participate in contact sports, jewelry can snag and rip, damaging your skin.

It's also not a bad idea to think about your career or future career before you add facial piercings. For some jobs, it doesn't matter if your look leans to the avant-garde, but for some occupations it does. This is a good idea for both piercings and tattoos, sometimes it's best to consider body decoration that can be covered up if needed. Obviously, some jewelry can be removed, but certain alterations, such as ear plugs, will always be obvious.

Of course after everything has healed up, you can definitely have a little fun selecting some cool new jewelry for your piercings. There are many online sites that offer inexpensive items for you to consider, such as GlitterJewelry4U.com. They have everything from earrings to eyebrow spikes plus nose rings, tongue rings, nipple rings and nipple shields. You can find tons of styles suitable either for men or women.




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