There are still a lot of people who frown on the practice of body art in any shape or form.
Despite the fact that many people still fiercely insist that body art is simply a fad, it has been around for many centuries and generations, and can be found in many ancient cultures. In fact, body piercing is an art form that dates back to pre-biblical times.
If you're thinking about getting pierced, whether for the first time, or yet again, the location of your next piercing is likely something you've been thinking about...
Piercing can virtually be accomplished in any area of the body. Piercing of one area versus another is no longer reserved for one sex or the other in many instances - and in fact, most piercings are considered to be unisex, with some daring piercings being the exception.
A piercing does involve cutting the body and the time it takes to heal depends largely on the part of the body pierced. For the most part piercings on the face heal faster than others.
While most piercings heal perfectly, the sad fact is that things can go wrong from time to time. One of the more common reasons for a piercing to look odd is the presence of an infection. If your piercing is unusually red, tender, swollen or oozing fluid other than a small amount of whitish yellowish discharge, you have probably acquired an infection and may need medical care.
Prevention is better than cure, so whatever shop you go to should provide disposable, sterile piercing equipment. If you are not sure that equipment is sterile (sterile equipment is usually individually wrapped) then ask how equipment is sterilized. It is possible that the shop uses equipment called an 'autoclave' to clean equipment, which is perfectly safe.
If you are not comfortable with the response you get to your questions, just get up and leave and go somewhere more reputable.
If you're contemplating that crucial first piercing you may just be wondering how exactly it is done. Do they use a gun? Or is it a needle?
First, if a parlor is using a piercing gun, leave immediately because they are not safe. Since they cannot be sterilized, a gun could cause you enormous difficulties in the future.
When you make the decision to get a new piercing one thing you must consider is what type of jewelry you plan to use. Some metals such as Silver simply are not made for piercings - and others like Stainless Steel can help to prevent infection. The tarnish from silver can get deposited into the skin, which darkens the skin around the piercing and can be permanent. Other metals are suited to some areas of the body but not others.