Piercing and Jewelry: A Detailed Guide About Piercings

Jewelry is the name given to ornaments such as necklaces, earrings, rings, brooches, bracelets, anklets, chains, etc., made using precious metals such as gold, silver, and precious stones such as diamonds and emeralds, which are usually attached to the body or clothes. Jewelry is worn both as a requirement of certain beliefs and to bring beauty to the fore. Jewelry has become an indispensable part of our lives today. One of the most popular pieces of jewelry of recent times is piercing. I’m sure you’ve heard about it but do you actually know what is piercing?

Piercing is actually the very process of piercing almost any part of your body you want with the help of a needle and attaching the appropriate jewelry to the area. When we look at the history of piercing, we can see that it has been used from primitive societies to modern societies. Piercing, which is generally used as a status indicator in primitive societies, comes to the present day as an accessory that beautifies the body in modern societies. It is an art performed by puncturing the skin and the fat layer or cartilage under it and inserting jewelry or needles. Piercing, which is the art of decorating the body, is mostly known as a method of personal self-expression.

What Are Piercings and How to Use Them

People can use many accessories to look more beautiful and different. One of the types of accessories used is piercing products. Those who want to have a piercing can do some research on where it was done. How to put on and remove piercing products is among the topics that are curious. Piercing is a type of accessory made with piercings. There are different types of piercings. Piercing accessories are attached to the drilled holes by drilling holes in areas such as ears, lips, and tongue.

There is a lot of research done on what exactly piercings are. Those who want to have a piercing can do some research on where it is done. Piercings should be done by experts. First of all, those who want to have a piercing should decide on the area to be made. There are different areas where the piercing is done. Areas such as the ear lip and tongue are among the areas where piercings are made. Since holes are drilled in the areas to be made, it must be done in a healthy environment. All products to be used in piercing procedures must be clean or cleaned. Since the areas to be pierced are very sensitive, people need to make a very good choice.

If the specified hygienic environment is not provided, serious health problems will occur. In order to prevent the occurrence of health problems, it is necessary to have it done by authorized places that are experts in their work and have done this job before. It may vary depending on the area to be pierced. Those who want to have piercings in the ear or lip area need to be very careful. There is a healing process after piercing procedures.

This situation, which is very important for health, should be taken seriously by people. It is an important issue for health that the procedures to be carried out are always carried out by experts. People who decide to have it done should do good research and choose experts.

Individuals who have a piercing application need to pay attention to some information about insertion and removal. There is a lot of research done on how to remove the piercing. Individuals need to perform the insertion and removal procedures properly in order not to damage the area they have pierced or to prevent them from getting infected. There are many different models of piercings used. The products used can be opened and closed easily. The products used are generally used with one end open.

The part with the gap can be easily removed by pulling it from the hole made for the piercing. Piercing removal or insertion procedures should not be compelled. In case of any force, the hole opened for the piercing may become infected and cause inflammation. It is absolutely necessary to have knowledge about how to use the purchased product. It is absolutely necessary to request information about how the piercing is put on and removed from the places where the piercing is taken. In this way, insertion and removal can be done easily without damaging it in a healthy way.

Unconsciously exhibiting compelling movements in removing and putting on will bring great health problems. It is one of the processes that should be very careful. Piercing accessories used have a gap or opening for easy removal and insertion. These opening and closing places are usually turned to the back. The open part of the piercings should always be in the invisible part. Ear piercings can be done in the same way as earrings. It is almost the same as removing and putting on the earring.

You Must Know These Before Having Piercing as a Jewelry!

Piercing is not just a piece of jewelry! Piercing is a lifestyle and philosophy. Piercing, which we can call one of the methods of self-expression of people, refers to the jewelry that is inserted into the hole opened with the help of needles in various parts of the body such as the nose, ear, lip, and tongue. So what types of piercing models are there? Is there any harm in terms of health? How should it be maintained? Let’s get started to find out the answers to all these questions.

Piercing is popular with both men and women. Although body piercing is often associated with young people, it has been practiced for thousands of years in different parts of the world. In recent years they have become a popular alternative to more permanent forms of body modification such as tattoos. Piercing is making a hole in your skin so that you can create a beautiful appearance and add a piece of jewelry to your body. Most people are familiar with earlobe piercing.

Other body parts that can be pierced include the upper ears, nose, lips, cheeks, nipples, navel, tongue, eyebrows, and genitals. Rings, nails, barbells, and bars are some of the different types of jewelry that can be used. The first question you need to research after the question of what is piercing is what you should pay attention to before getting a piercing. If you are considering a body piercing, here are some things to consider:

Piercing may be fashionable now, but trends are changing. How will you feel about piercings in a few years?
Piercing is painful and the area usually hurts for a while after healing.
What will your family and friends think of your piercing and will it affect your relationships?
Does your school have a policy regarding body piercing? You may need to cover or remove face or tongue piercings during school hours.
Having a visible body piercing can be an issue for certain businesses and can affect your job opportunities. In some industries, an exposed puncture can be a health and safety concern.
It can be helpful to ask friends with piercings about their experiences and see how other people are dealing with piercings.

Keep the piercing as dry as possible. Do not touch or rotate jewelry unnecessarily, and always wash your hands before and after touching the piercing. Do not share the jewels with your friends. Do not remove the jewelry before the wound is completely healed. Do not remove the scab, as it protects the pierced part from infection. Use liquid soap on the puncture area while showering or bathing. Use a tissue or cotton swab to dry the piercing after a shower or bath. Do not use towels or face washes.

Do not use alcohol-based cleaning solutions, tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, skin cleansers, antiseptic solutions, or creams. These can dry out the skin and cause long-term healing. Avoid swimming until the piercing has healed, as the water can pose a risk of infection. Infection and other complications may occur if the necessary care and attention are not given to the piercing during or after the procedure. General complications can include:

Increased pain, redness, swelling, irritation, or itching at the piercing site
Heavily infected discharge from the piercing site – this may be yellow, green, or gray and have an unusual odor
Problems with healing or scarring
Excessive bleeding – this requires immediate medical attention
An infected piercing can be treated with antibiotics. If complications develop, you should definitely see your doctor. Do not remove jewelry until advice is given.

Piercings can be applied to various areas such as ears, nose, lips, belly button, tongue, eyebrows. Since these are sensitive areas of the body and sharp-piercing tools are used in the piercing process, there are some risks of having a piercing. Therefore, it is of great importance to have this process done in reliable and quality places. So hygiene is essential.

Piercings can be placed almost anywhere on the body, but it is important to have piercings in places where the body is likely to tolerate this procedure, as well as aesthetics. Lifestyle is also an important factor for getting a piercing. For example, if you work in a job that requires you to wear earplugs during the day, it would not be right to use an ear-piercing, because constant contact with jewelry can cause this area to become infected.

Piercing is a body ornament and a way of expressing one’s self. So it’s part of fashion. The history of this method, which we can consider as modifying the body, dates back to historical eras. When we look at the history of piercing, we see that it dates back to ancient times.

Piercing Jewelry Types and Models

Ear Piercings

Ear piercings range from traditional piercings to sharper ones, which is probably why earrings are so popular. Some people pierce the cartilage, cartilage piercing may take longer to heal than other ear piercings. Various cartilage piercings in the ear, including tight, helix, and conch, have varying healing timeframes and pain thresholds. Generally speaking, you should wait four to 12 months for recovery.

Cartilage piercings are also more prone to infection, as cartilage has less blood supply to help fight germs. Holes made for ear piercings heal quickly and do not impose a great burden on the immune system during the healing process. It is very important to take care of the piercings attached to the ear cartilage.

Permanent health problems can occur if the cartilage becomes infected. For this reason, when you suspect inflammation of the ear cartilage, you should definitely see a doctor. The ear shape varies from person to person. For this reason, have your anatomy checked before you wear the jewelry you want. A good piercing specialist will not make holes where you don’t want them and will guide you in the right way.

Helix Orbital: Continues along the curved outer edge of your upper ear cartilage.
Conch Orbital: It is in the large opening of your ear and is one of the riskiest areas for cartilage damage and possible infection.
Daith: It is a cartilage area that joins with the innermost cartilage fold.
Rook: It continues parallel to the outer edge along the inner edge of the ear cartilage extending down from the center.
Tragus and Anti-Tragus: It is the round cartilage protrusion just outside the ear canal.
Industrial/Scaffold: A two-hole piercing, jewelry has a long rod.
Snug/Anti-Helix: Continues along the vertical inner cartilage protrusion.

Face Piercings

If you want to get a sharper look, you can consider a facial piercing. The level of pain experienced for any piercing site is individual. Each piercing can be sensitive for several weeks or even months, depending on whether it is affected, such as from a tight hug or snagging on a piece of clothing.

The holes made on the nose and face for piercing heal quickly due to the intense blood flow in the face area, but if the piercings on the face are not carefully looked after, permanent scars may occur. The nostril in particular is one of the most popular piercing points. Nose piercing, which has been used for many years by Indian and African cultures, has also started to become widespread in the USA and Europe in recent years.

Removing the piercing during the first 3 months causes the hole to reopen and the healing process to start from scratch, which means inviting infection. For this reason, never remove your jewelry without asking the piercing specialist.

Erl/Bridge: Opposite the bridge of the nose.
Dimple / Cheek: Pierced into your mouth.
Monroe: In a beauty mark area, it continues from the upper lip to the mouth.
Septum: This pierces the soft tissue in the center of your nose.
Labrets and Lowbrets: Continues from the center of your lower lip to the inside of your mouth.
Nostril: It continues along with the soft cartilage of the nostril.
Snake bites: Two symmetrical lower lip piercings, similar to fangs.
Medusa/Philtrum: The indentation between your upper lip and nose; It is both oral and lip piercing.
Eyebrow: These are surface piercings.

Lip Piercings

The lip is also a frequently used area for piercings. Especially the lower lip called labret, and the part in the middle of the chin is the area where jewelry is worn the most. The care of lip piercing, which is considered as both mouth and face piercing, is extremely important. Since there is an intense blood flow in the lip area, the hole that has been opened heals quickly.

The biggest risk of lip piercing is infections that may occur as a result of the contact of the jewelry on the lip with the teeth and gums. If a serious condition occurs, it is a great benefit to go to the doctor or dentist. Possible health problems can be prevented by using jewelry with a soft structure or jewelry suitable for the lip structure.

Mouth Piercings

While mouth piercings are certainly not comfortable, they are not as painful as one might think. However, the risk of infection is high, so it’s important to take care of proper oral care and proper oral hygiene, including brushing, flossing, and rinsing the mouth frequently.

Oral, i.e. gum and tongue piercings are also popular. The holes drilled into the mouth heal quickly due to the abundance of blood in the gums. However, the fact that the mouth is very rich in bacteria requires giving great importance to the issue of oral piercing. When a part of the jewelry in the mouth is broken, there is a danger of breaking your tooth due to swallowing or a wrong bite.

Since the mouth is a very humid place, it is an extremely suitable place for bacterial growth. This provides an ideal environment for infection to occur. Infections caused by piercing should be given great importance and a physician should be consulted immediately. The habit of playing with piercings and biting can lead to damage to the gums and even to the breakage of teeth and fillings. Tongue piercing can cause increased saliva production in the mouth.

If swallowing problems, fever, rash occurs, you should consult a doctor immediately. After each meal, you should rinse your mouth with mouthwash to remove food residues that can accumulate around the jewelry.

Tongue: This can be a painful piercing as the tongue has many nerve endings.
Frowny: It continues from the thin connective tissue under the lower lip.
Smiley/Scrumper: It is the thin connective tissue above the upper lip. It can be painful.

Body/Surface Piercings

The body itself offers a large canvas for almost endless possibilities of addition. However, keep in mind that certain areas of the body will require more recovery time. The skin on the body tends to heal more slowly than the skin on the face, so it’s normal for body piercings to take longer to heal.

Piercings placed on areas such as the belly button, nipple, chest, back, and nape usually heal within 6 to 10 weeks. In order for the piercings worn in these different parts of the body not to become infected, you should not play with the piercings unnecessarily, wash them twice a day with soap and dry them with a towel, and avoid excessive cleaning. Over cleansing causes the skin to be sensitive and prolongs the healing process. You should not enter public swimming pools and should not touch the waters of which you are not sure of its cleanliness.

Belly/Belly Button: This is a very germ area, so it requires a lot of maintenance and you have to put in effort for three to four months.
Nipple Piercing (M+F): It takes at least six months to heal.
Neck: A horizontal surface piercing with balls at both ends.
Breastbone/Fission: This carries a higher risk of infection.
Vampire Bite: A surface piercing in the neck or shoulder.
Madison: A surface piercing in the collarbone has a higher chance of infection.
Dermal Anchors / Micro-dermal Implants: These are protruding implants.
Corset Piercing: Parallel sequential piercings that you can tie with string or ribbon.

Piercing Care

There are some situations that you should pay attention to in terms of piercing care and the health of the pierced area for wearing jewelry. But basically, we can count the following:

Do not touch the area for 24 hours after the hole is opened.
Rinse twice a day with saline solution.
Take a shower for the first few weeks and wash without rubbing your body.
See your doctor whenever you feel signs of infection.

Do not touch that area for 24 hours after the piercing is inserted. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly when touching them. Things like dirt and oil can prevent the puncture site from healing and even cause an infection. In this process, it is necessary to be cautious and situations such as bleeding and tingling are normal. A normal healing process is as follows:

Bleeding, tenderness, redness, and swelling are normal in this process. Such situations can occur immediately after the jewelry is put on. However, if excessive bleeding, excessive swelling, or excessive pain occurs, contact the doctor or the person wearing the piercing. Do not forget that the holes opened in the genital areas bleed for a few days.
Itching and discoloration are also a normal part of the healing process. Itching occurs because new cells will form in the punctured area. In the same way, some liquid may come from the hole where the hole is made. This fluid is called lymph and can cause skin discoloration.

It is necessary to wash the pierced area with a saline-based solution once a day for several weeks following the piercing. If the solution you use bothers your skin, ask your piercing specialist about other solutions.

You can sterilize the jewelry used for the earlobe by placing it in a glass of hot saltwater. To clean the jewelry worn on the belly button, hold a glass of saltwater towards your belly button for a while and press the glass towards your stomach to prevent it from flowing. For any other type of jewelry, clean the pierced area and jewelry by dripping a little saltwater solution on a paper towel.
If you want to wash with soap and water, use soap 1-2 times a day at most. The best way to wash with soap is in the shower. During the shower, apply some soap to the fiber and gently rub the pierced area for 15-20 seconds.
Also, be careful not to overwash to avoid the possibility of irritation and infection. Cleaning once or twice a day is sufficient.
Avoid anti-bacterial products and harsh soaps. These substances can damage healing cells, dry out your skin and cause crusting. Likewise, never, ever try to clean with alcohol.
Do not use things like body lotion, baby oil. Due to their consistency, these substances can prolong the healing process by preventing the skin from breathing.
Taking a warm shower is ideal for cleaning. Eliminates redness and impurities. Do not take a bath in the tub for several weeks after the hole has been drilled. A bathtub is a place rich in bacteria. Therefore, delay bathing in the tub for a while to avoid infection.

Do not make hand contact with the piercing, except for cleaning. Do not play or touch unnecessarily. Prevent other people from touching and kissing. Try not to play sports until the hole heals. While playing volleyball, a ball hit that may come to that area can cause unexpected problems for you. Avoid sexual intercourse for the first 6-10 weeks in case of wearing jewelry on the genitals. Also, be careful not to kiss for the first 6 weeks in case of wearing jewelry in the tongue and mouth. Stay away from places such as lakes, ponds, bathtubs, rivers, streams, pools. It is difficult to be sure whether the waters here are clean. So do not risk your health and stay away from these places until the healing process is over.

Remember, the drilled hole heals from the outside to the inside. Therefore, even if you think the hole has healed, the process may not be complete. Therefore, do not try to remove or change the jewelry during the healing process. Such interventions cause the healing process to start over. Even if you feel pain, do not panic immediately. This is 90% of the pain caused by the movement of the piercing. Remember that not all pain means infection.