Piercing FAQ's
Not really, any discomfort you may feel such as pinching, pressure, or perhaps a burning or stinging sensation is extremely brief. Some piercing locations may be slightly more sensitive than others, but the fact is, our piercings are performed skillfully, quickly and gently. Many pierciee's tend to gather tension and apprehension before their piercing, which adds to mental apprehension which is worse than any sensation being pierced you may experience. We pierce all over the body, all day, every day, and what we hear most often is, "That's it, that's what I was so worried about, that was nothing, and it didn't hurt at all!" It's too quick to be all that bad, and you will leave with a great piercing saying "Wow that really was kind of fun!" There are enough terrible stories about unskilled and/or inexperienced piercers in the world. At Accent we can promise a safe, pleasant, clean, personal and professional experience. We cannot say you will receive this level of professionalism elsewhere. After the piercing most clients leave saying they are in no discomfort. Clients often report that "It feels different with something being there" but that is about it. Some folks experience some intermittent tingling, slight stinging or a pinching sensation for a while afterwards. This can range from minutes to a few days. Your new piercing will be tender, as is to be expected from most new piercings, more so during the first few cleanings, if you bump it, or handle it roughly (which you aren't supposed to do anyhow!). TopAll of the piercings here are done using sterile disposable piercing needles. Many of the Piercing locations use forceps, which are applied to hold the area securely for the piercing. These may also help to numb the region by reducing circulation of blood. Certain areas, such as the nasal septum, nostrils, ear rims, Prince Albert and vertical clitoral hood piercings use a hollow tube known as a needle receiving tube. These are locations where forceps are not practical or necessary. The actual piercing is made using an extremely sharp tri-beveled piercing needle specifically designed for this purpose. Immediately following the piercing and sometimes during the piercing procedure the jewelry is inserted, pushing the needle out as the jewelry goes in. This is a skill in which our experience and quality internally threaded jewelry can make a big difference regarding your comfort! TopMost piercings we perform don't bleed at all, although some bleed a little, and a few bleed quite a bit, usually immediately following the procedure. Certain piercings, such as Prince Alberts tend to bleed off and on for several days. This is perfectly normal. Other areas, such as the tongue (which is very vascular and quick to heal) don't usually bleed, but do tend to swell as part of the healing process. Sometimes a body piercing won't bleed at all during your visit, but may bleed later. There is no reason to be concerned. You can apply direct pressure for a few minutes, using clean paper towels. Also helpful for bleeding piercings is a dry cold compress. Place some crushed ice cubes in a zip top baggie and then wrap with clean paper towels (to keep the condensation from the wound) and apply. Some piercings that swell or bleed sometimes heal the quickest! But, do not do anything to make a new piercing bleed, this can lead to complications and extended healing times. TopWhat is the risk of infection? When your piercing is done here, the risk of infection (if you follow the aftercare precisely as directed) is virtually none. See the information about our studio's Clean and Sterile Shop. However, if a piercing is positively identified as infected, it may be advisable to leave the jewelry in so the infection can drain. Note: many doctors have no training or little to no experience in piercing, and many have, and may not know how to best advise you. TopIf you are over 18 years old you will need to have a valid picture I.D., such as a state issued driver's license, passport, I.D. card, military I.D. A valid school photo I.D. is acceptable for minors younger than driving age; please see Piercing Policy on Minors for further information. Photocopies of any I.D.'s are not acceptable TopWhy can't you use an ear piercing gun? The plastic reusable ear piercing guns cannot be sterilized between uses which involves high temperatures and pressure. Most often they aren't even cleaned between customers! This makes them dangerous, and highly unsuitable in terms of hygiene. Further, the guns insert dull pointed studs which are not designed for body piercing. In fact, they are poorly designed even for ear lobe piercings. The studs are too short for anything other than an earlobe, and even some lobes are too thick for the studs to fit without pinching. Also of concern is the fact that most people wielding these guns are not trained as body piercers. Education of these individuals is mostly comprised of one and a half to two hours of lecture followed by a couple of piercings. The training is limited to ear lobe piercing. Sometimes a half hour talk from a person who is not a teacher is enough for some to be let loose on unsuspecting victims. Please be careful. Ear studs are also too thin for body piercings. Very thin jewelry has a tendency to be treated by the body as a splinter, and be pushed to the surface. Also, if thin jewelry were to be pulled (either accidentally or for fun) it would tend to cut in the way a cheese slicer works: (a cheese slicer is a skinny wire that cuts easily with little force). Thicker jewelry (than ear studs) is better accepted by the body, and much less apt to be rejected or ripped out. We insert and specifically size correct body jewelry to allow room for any swelling and cleaning. Body jewelry is also smooth and has no poking posts or wing nut backings and is therefore far more comfortable in piercings than the usual stud style earrings. We use rings or small barbells instead, for greater comfort, safety and superior healing. TopThere is a minimal risk that your body may refuse to have a foreign object (jewelry) in the place you select. We carefully evaluate all clients to be certain that they are anatomically, occupationally, and otherwise well suited to the piercing selected. For example, if you swim in dirty water, we might decline to pierce you, or you may have an "outie" naval which may be unsuitable to pierce. The common piercings we do tend to heal very well on most clients. Still, even if we do our job perfectly and you do your aftercare completely and thoroughly, there is a very small chance the piercing will "reject". In basic terms, your body pushes the jewelry toward the surface, and, if you do not remove the jewelry it will come all the way out. At times, re-piercing behind the scar tissue will result in success. If you think a piercing is rejecting, it is wise to have an expert examine it. If indeed rejection is occurring, it is typically best to remove the jewelry, rather than allow it to come through the surface on its own. This can result in a split scar, which can be unsightly and may be more difficult to re-pierce later. TopHow long with my piercing take to heal? See the chart on approximate initial Healing Times for popular piercings. Initial healing involves cleaning the piercing according to aftercare instructions, with approved products, avoiding bacteria, etc. until your body has the chance to produce cells which form around the inside of the piercing, eventually sealing it off from the body. At that time the piercing is no longer open wound, and it is said to be healed. A freshly healed piercing is made of more delicate tissue than the rest of the body and it is more easily damaged or opened. You must still be careful and not be overly rough on your newly healed piercing, or it can turn back into a healing piercing (an open wound) and require additional care. Further healing involves the "toughening up" and "settling in" of the new tissue cells, so that it becomes more like the rest of your body, after this stage, most areas can withstand fairly rough treatment with no ill effects. TopWhen can I leave my jewelry out, for how long, what if I need an X-ray or MRI? If you like your piercings you will leave something in them at all times. Ears tend to stay open well without jewelry on most folks, but the same is NOT true of most body piercings. We do many re-piercings on people who don't believe this, removing your jewelry, even if you have had a piercing for years, is a trial and error process. If you don't want the error, don't do the trial. There is a device called an Insertion Taper which we can often use to successfully reinsert jewelry on a piercing that has shrunk, but it still needs to be open through and through. It may be impossible for you to shove the jewelry back through, but with the right tools, and skills, reinsertion is often possible. The best solution is to leave something in. If you need an x-ray, MRI, CAT scan, Mammogram or other medical procedure, you can use Tygon or PTFE. These are inert plastic options the same thickness as your jewelry that can be inserted in the piercing to keep the hole open in situations where metal jewelry is not acceptable. It works great! Body jewelry at Accent is high-quality NON FERROMAGNETIC jewelry that will NOT react in an MRI environment. It won't get hot, and it won't behave in a magnetic way. This is not true of most body jewelry, much of which is of poor quality. Unfortunately, many medical practitioners are still undereducated about body jewelry and, unless they have experience in body piercing or the related metallurgy, removal of the metal may be required. Metal body jewelry will show up on the films as a "density" so if they are looking directly in or under the area where you wear jewelry, it is reasonable to change to a plastic option. TopWhat about pregnancy and breast feeding? Many women leave their body jewelry in place, some women leave jewelry in during their entire pregnancy and delivery. If during your pregnancy your piercing(s) becomes uncomfortable, you can replace the jewelry with inert plastics, such as Tygon or PTFE which will bend with your changing body, be more comfortable, and safe to wear. Once your pregnancy is over, you may return to more conventional jewelry. If you experience no discomfort, you can leave the jewelry as it is. There are women who have given birth with genital jewelry in place! Milk ducts are a multiplicity of pore-like openings. I have NEVER heard of a single case of women who were prevented from breast feeding as a result of nipple piercings. In questioning, the feedback I've received is either it doesn't change anything at all, or that milk comes from the piercing sites, as well as the milk ducts. Most women do remove their jewelry to breast feed. TopWhat jewelry materials are acceptable to place in my body? See our information sheet of the same name here. TopHow do I take care of a new piercing? We do not list our aftercare on this web-site. We have found that the most comprehensive and accurate information, as well as explanations, come directly from our thoroughly experienced staff. If you have any questions regarding the care of your new piercing, please feel free to stop by or call. TopHow old do i need to be to get pierced? At Accent Tattoo & Body Piercing Inc. we will not pierce children under the age of 12. |