Piercings and other things i wish I'd known

[RedStarWarrior]

I pierced and gauged my own ears. You should have done so with a simple heating and sterilized sewing needle.

[Drusilla]

I pierced and gauged my own ears. You should have done so with a simple heating and sterilized sewing needle.

I repierced my ears that way... but the second holes kept getting infected. Apparently, I'm allergic to stainless steel, and will have to invest in more gold studs before I try again. Talk about a pain in the ass...

As for tattoos, I wish I'd been more selective in who did mine. The coloring isn't quite solid, and I bled like a stuck pig because of how deep the guy went. You can never be too selective when it comes to body art.

[PancaKe]

Yeouh Dru, that sounds nasty. I'm way to scared of needles to actually get a tattoo; and I change my mind so much that I probably am best off just dying my hair random colors

[Katie]

Yeah it's generally a good idea to do a bit of research when you want someone to basically injure you. I don't know how it is in Australia, but here you need a license to cut people's hair but not stab needles through them, go figure. Well, I think the actual business needs to be health inspected or something, but personnel training? Pshh, how hard could it be???

If a "piercer" ever pulls out a piercing gun, even for earlobes, leave. They cannot be sterilized, and the microscopic blood spray in every piercing can pass along diseases to you. The only way to sterilize anything is using an autoclave - what your dentist/doctors use on their tools. There is literally no way to sterilize at home, you can "sanitize" but it's not the same. Ask your surgeon why he can't just use an alcohol wipe on his scalpel and see if he laughs. (If he doesn't, run). Guns also shatter cartilage, can get jammed (fucking OW), and are extremely inaccurate. Not to mention they use the earring itself to stab the hole, which is basically blunt forcing its way through. A piercing needle is hollow and essentially slices a tiny hole in your ear, kinda like a holepunch on paper versus stabbing a pencil through (the flap of paper hanging there : your flesh!). Also, a professional piercer will be trained in first aid if you faint or jerk away or something, while a mall employee would wring her hands wondering if she'll get fired.

This is a good website if you want to let the fuckup heal and repierce in few months:
http://safepiercing.org/

This isn't directed at anyone, just an opinion:
I believe that with the internet and the explosive popularity of forums, there is no excuse to basically not know something. Want a good dog food? There's a forum for that. Want to go skiing? There's a forum for that. I lurked a piercing forum for a weekend and walked out knowing what to look for in a piercer. If you're lazy, post a thread "I want my ears pierced, tell me about it" and let the information flow in.


P.S. You don't need to buy any sprays. Table (or sea) salt and warm water (google "sea salt soaks"), and a dye-less, frangrance free soap will do it all.

[PancaKe]

Yeah it's generally a good idea to do a bit of research when you want someone to basically injure you. I don't know how it is in Australia, but here you need a license to cut people's hair but not stab needles through them, go figure. Well, I think the actual business needs to be health inspected or something, but personnel training? Pshh, how hard could it be???

Yeah - same in Australia I think. There are professional piercers; then the stupid idiots in chemists and shopping centers who are like "Haisup pierce your ears here for like $20!!!1!!!11one" . Idiots.

So I guess although it costs more, professionals here I come

Guns are a turnoff. they use those things to tag cows man.