How to Get Body Piercing

Body Piercing – Getting Pierced and Taking Care of It

The concept of body piercing as quirky and rebellious style statements has been around for a long time now. It began with tribal’s using it as a characteristic style of adornment. Today, body piercing is a booming industry. Piercing studios are mushrooming thick and fast in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, and youngsters are especially attracted to this.
I have a total of nine piercings on myself – three in each ear, one eyebrow, one nose and one lip piercing. Oh, I love them! Here are pictures of me with piercings. (Sorry, the quality is not great, clicked with camera phone!):

bhumycka

Lip piercing Eyebrow, nose, ear piercings

Getting Pierced for the First Time: Considerations:

1. Though this is not as permanent as a tattoo, it’s not really ‘temporary’ either. Many piercings close and their traces vanish if you remove the jewellery, but that also depends of the healing and scar covering qualities of your individual skin type. So don’t do it if you think you might regret it.
Since you will not be removing your jewellery again and again for risk of closure, it is pretty much a permanent look that you must be comfortable wearing.
2. Your professional environment may not permit you to wear visible body piercings. Many companies have rules regarding the standard appearance of their employees. In such cases, you avoid the more daring piercings and opt for something like a navel piercing that won’t show.
3. Your social environment may make you uncomfortable. Many of us don’t like to be the odd one out in a group. If you move in circles bound by traditional mindset, think again. Your family, relatives and friends are people who may express strong opinions about your pierced look. If you live in a non-metropolitan city, be prepared for folks turning around and staring at you, or even stopping you to ask a question. Go for it only if you can handle their curiosity and reactions well.
4. Remember that a piercing needs lifelong care, otherwise there is risk of scars and infection. You will need to be prepared for the effort in maintaining your piercing.

How to Go About It

1. Ask experienced friends to recommend a good piercing expert. Check out 3-4 studios instead of rushing to the nearest one. Meet the expert, talk, ask him your queries, and choose be satisfied and comfortable with the expert and the cleanliness of the studio.
2. Take an appointment well in advance.
3. Take a supportive and calm friend or family member along with you.
4. Do not go on an empty stomach. You may feel light-headed. Have a sweet beverage before your piercing for some extra carbs to keep you perked up. Ideally your last meal should be light and two hours before your appointment. Don’t eat just before the appointment in case you feel queasy.
5. Choose your jewellery carefully. Go for something simple, you can always change it when the piercing heals. If you opt for barbell type, then make sure the rod is long enough to allow room for a little initial swelling. If you choose a ring, see that it is big enough to accommodate some swelling and movement. Whatever your choose, its design and size should not sit too snugly around the skin; there should be space for air and easy movement of the jewellery.

piercing

Barbell Type Ring Type

In case of a lip piercing, always choose a barbell with a long rod as the first time jewellery. A ring somehow does not heal as well and tends to cut through the skin. You can change over to ring or a spike after 3 months.

6. Check that the person who does your piercing sterilizes his hands and your jewellery before beginning. He should use a fresh pair of surgical gloves and open a new sealed pack disposable piercing needle.
7. The site of the proposed piercing should be cleaned with spirit and the exact point where the needle will make the hole should be marked with a pen and shown to you for approval first.
8. If the room has mirrors all around as many piercing studios do, try not to look if you fear that it will freak you out.
9. Expect pain and a little blood! The initial pain is the worst and it gets over as soon as the jewellery is inside. A skilled hand can do this in less than a minute.

Aftercare

1. Your piercing studio will give you a complete briefing on how to care for your piercing. They should also provide you with a sachet of rock salt and maybe some calendula oil.
2. A little swelling is normal. This should subside within three to six hours. A lip piercing takes a little longer than that, maybe a day.
3. Your piercing is a cut/wound that needs to heal. Help it by keeping it clean to avoid infection. Use rock salt and warm water to make a concentrated solution. Dip a Q-tip in this and clean the piercing five or six times a day, taking care to gently remove any crusts that form around the jewellery.
4. Twice a day you may put a pinch of turmeric dissolved in calendula oil to speed up healing, though I have not found this necessary in personal experience.
5. In case of an eyebrow piercing, you may get your eyebrows threaded as usual after one month without needing to take out the jewellery. Just ask the person at the salon to go gently over that part. An occasional drop of blood while threading is not something to faint over – it’s normal. Before the first month it would be better to use a pair of tweezers to selectively shape your brows leaving the portion where the piercing is.

The Risk of Scars: From Personal Experience

The first 3 months you have to take extra care to not let your piercing get hit or pulled when you undress, comb your hair, sleep, bathe or wash your face. This is because you’re not used to it being there, you will forget and accidently it may get pulled.

I have a long scar across my eyebrow from a previous piercing that I lost because I didn’t care for it well. Whenever I would comb my hair, it would catch in my comb and get tugged because I forgot it was there. If I pulled off a sweater, it would get caught. Sometimes, I’d brush my hands over my face forgetfully and hit the piercing.

The sign that a piercing is getting spoilt is that the amount of skin holding up the jewellery reduces, and more of the jewellery gets exposed. You know you are about to lose your piercing when the barbell or ring starts to dangle or hang onto a very fine piece of skin and feels too heavy for it. Take out the piercing before this happens or it will leave a permanent scar on healing.

intresting

In Case of Infection

1. If your piercing gets infected, that is, within the first two weeks or anytime in your life, here is what you do first. Show it at the place where you got the piercing done and follow their advice.

2. You should NOT listen to anybody who tells you to take out the jewellery. I have had a very smart doctor tell me so when mine have got infected, and I must say that that is VERY bad advice. If you take out the jewellery when the piercing if infected then the skin will collapse around the hole, trapping the pus inside with no room for drainage. This can be very dangerous indeed and make it septic. If an infection causes you to get fed up of your piercing, have patience till you cure it completely before you throw it out.

3. I have always managed to easily clear up infections by following the usual clean up routine with a Q-tip dipped in warm saline water several times a day. If you apply the Q-tip with a little pressure and use the solution at the maximum temperature you can comfortably bear, then the swelling will subside and the pus will dry out quickly. Don’t put antiseptic creams or any oils at this time. There is one ayurvedic oil called ‘Noorani Tel’ available at any local chemist, you can apply that after carefully cleaning it. Turmeric powder also helps.

4. People like to freak out when a piercing gets infected, but I have found that this is usually not such a big deal and is easily taken care of. So don’t panic and listen to folks who seize this opportunity to tell you that they told you so and it serves you right.
So what are you waiting for? Go be a punk!!!

Also Read:
All About Nose Piercing
Everything you need to know before you get tattooed
Enchanteur Body Mist (Desire)
How to Remove Tattoo at Home
Henna Tattoo Designs: How to Apply Henna on Skin
Should Nose Piercing be Done on the Left Side or the Right Side?

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112 thoughts on “How to Get Body Piercing

  1. Piercings except ear ones are a total turn off for me !!! My younger sis did her eyebrow piercing and she was looking horrible frankly saying, eyebrow piercing is very dangerous as it may affect the nerves near the eyebrows connecting our brain hence leading to severe damage ! am sorry but for me its :yuck: :yuck: :yikes:

      1. :high5: :high5: I know others may like these trends copied from western counterparts but me will stay away from this !

        1. Those with lotss many body piercings generally have troubled childhood according to world renowned psychologists,its a mark of self injury to escape from the trauma of troubled childhood.I know many of may not like my comments but its true !

          1. LMAO!! can’t help it, but i had a fantastic childhood.. and i dont think anybody with piercings that i know of (and i know about 50 people at least) .. have had one. Sorry, but that sounds like a poorly evidenced and opinionated view of things. In my humble opinion, what’s beautiful to one may not be so to another. I just think that maybe the young today like to put out the idea that they are bold and daring in their style statements and getting pierced in unsual places is also an expression of a rebellion streak. Well, non-conformity is great! The desire to NOT conform to the general way is the root of new ideas! Rebellion is sweet! Though my reasons for loving body piercings is just that i think they look gorgeous. Which logic decides that a ear piercing or a nose piercing is alright and looks pretty, but a piercing elsewhere is abnoxious or outrageous?? It’s just that most people have trouble accepting that which they are not used to seeing. :devil:

            1. Well I didnt mean everybody has troubled childhood, I meant many have !! I said people with lots many piercings generally have, dear not just one , two or three, and yes its not poorly evidenced view, you cant ignore the opinions of well known psychologists, anyways take care,

            1. Tapaswini i would like to clarify that… I am in the psychiatry filed itself and I have done a lot of studies as part of my thesis. Its true that most people with troubled childhood have piercings ( and deeply disturbed social relationships) as a mark of rebellion but it does not hold good to say that all people with piercings have a troubled childhood. Everybody has a liberal streak, it depends on how we express it. To each his own sweetheart!…Its not rite to say that people who have piercings or tattoos are mentally disturbed individuals..its body art sweets! Some people love them like some love to color their hair…live and let live sweets! :puchhi:

              1. Divya when did I say everybody has troubled childhood, I didnt even use mentally disturbing term, I just said many have, and I didnt exxagerate the fact !

                1. well a psychiatrist is well above a psychologist 9in terms of experience and education) …and rest assure there is no such hypothesis linking piercings to childhood…. relax! live and let live sweets … :makeup: :makeup: :makeup: :makeup: :makeup:

    1. What tapaswini said about eyebrow piercing is so true. A slight operation near my eye has left my eyelid droopy. Major nerves to open and close the eyelid passes near the brow region. I am not sure how deep is it when you pierce. Nevertheless i still love piercing and tattoo.

      1. I’d like to clarify that. An operation involved cutting and sewing all the layers of skin, possibly operating on the muscle underneath AND the cutting of nerves. Nerves take the longest time ever to rejoin and i dont even know if they ever rejoin properly. BUT, an eyebrow piercing or any surface piercing for that matter is ONLY on the thin skin layer, and does not include muscle or nerves. i got my eyebrow pierced three times and i have really big eyes, never had the droopy eyes problem. That is why it is important to get piercings at licensed places. misinformation is an easy error to make.. but then, these are the FACTS!!

    2. Tapaswini : i understand many people have concerns with nerves and all that, but i guess all that is avoided if you go to a trained licensed professional.
      i happen to know many people who are peirced. Dont know anybody who faced any problems despite taking proper care. But to each his own!

  2. OMG!!!!!!!!!!! i m not daring for body piercing ……….even i dont remember when i got my ear/nose pierce ?:) ?:) ?:) but i m worry now for my baby ear pierce :hrmph: :nababana: :nababana:

  3. i love body piercings .. have 6 of them.. 5 in ears and one in nose. 😀 my mom was quite in shock to know that i got one of my piercing only on one side of my ear .. actually she was shocked at my nose piercings also. 😛 bt over a period of time she has made peace with it and now she keeps giving me suggestions for earrings 😆

    The only piercing I would never get is belly button. but to each her / his own.

    I loved your under lip one.

    I really wanted to get my eyebrow done once upon a time but my mom would have really thrown me out of the house. so I didnt. :lol2: Now my charm of getting one has gone. :sidefrown:

    1. Rati, never got to see ur ear piercing…..I somehow am fascinated about belly buttons…(not for me though…i like to watch them on others 😀

    2. rati u r such very daring ………first u want twins………already had 5 ears piercings and also wanted eyebrow piercing ……….dont ever do that……u have very nice eyebrow shape :nonono: :nonono: :nonono:

      1. Puja, get it done at silofer’s GK-1 .. get it done from the uncle not his son. he is terrible… i have got all my piercings done frm there. 🙂

          1. it does.. bt if you like it you dont mind getting it done. 😀 actually the post piercing procedure can be really scary at times. sometimes it may swell or you may get a boil or something.. bt otherwise if you take care of it, it just heals after a while. 🙂

          2. “get it down from the uncle not his son” :stars: :stars: :hihi: i think its depend where u wanna pierce :hihi: :hihi:

              1. i mean if you wanna ear/nose piercing than to with uncle’s son……….but if you wanna belly belly button piercing than only go to uncle…….. :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

                1. I understood this after reading ur 1st comment itself :tongue: , Rati is innocent baby, you see, use samajh nahi aaya !

    3. wow rati, i’d never have guessed you have so many piercings.. maybe you could do some hairdo with the hair gathered up and click a snap so we could see?? Oh, i’d love to see!!

  4. i’m scared to get a tatoo inked on me :hihi: :hihi: … body piercing to bhooll hi jaooo.. :nono: :nono: :nono: :nonono: :nonono: :nonono: :nonono:

  5. I have total of 4 piercings, 2 in each ear. I love them but don’;t have to guts to go for more.
    Recently got my daughter’s ears pierced when she turned 1 .

    1. monika, same here… 4 piercings… 2 in each ear…
      but i do want to do a nose piercing….
      i am a bit scared … not sure whether i will do it or not… it doesnot look good with everybody…
      rati your nose piercing looks awesome… 🙂

  6. I like belly button piercing…I think it is super sexy!! :waytogo: :waytogo: If I ever go for body piercing I would do that only 😉 😉
    But facial piercings is a no no :nono: :nono: …even seeing them on others gives me some painful feeling.. :whistle: :whistle:
    Ok I dont know if it is true.. but have seen on tv someone saying (a piercing artist) that belly button piercing helps in reducing labor pain…Is it true??? ?:) ?:)

    1. No, that is NOT true. Labour pain is very deep seated, it is not on the skin layer, it is in the uterine muscles, so that would be unaffectd by body piercings. However, it should be known that pregnant women should either wear very loose belly button piercings or take out the piercing when they get pregnant, because the sweeling belly will press outwards against the piercing, and it may tear.

  7. wow…u are totally rocking the piercings, bhumycka (also love the way u spell ur name)! not all of us can carry them off! hats off… :waytogo:

  8. Body piercing and tattoo is a work of art and symboli to many of us. I just totally love them. I wish to do piercing but I dont have faith with any professionals in my city.
    Nice post . Totally loved it.

  9. I have 17 piercings 😀

    I go through phases where i feel grown-up and I want to let them close but then I start missing them so much I put all my earrings back in 😉

    I also have 2 tattoos 😛

    Rati, I can’t imagine you with an eyebrow pierce!!!! omg!! 😯

    1. 17 piercings is great!! Wear do you have them? I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it!!! I also have a tattoo. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: I am a tattoo artist, it’s pathetic that I can tattoo other people, but not myself! :waaa: :waaa:

        1. HAHAHA Rati you’re on a roll today 😛

          Well I have my piercings in my ears, nose and I used to have the eyebrow but it’s closed now 🙂

          I can’t get my lip pierced. I almost did once and walked out of the store at the last second and i’m glad because it wouldn’t have suited me 🙂

          No belly-button either.. I wince at the thought of the piercing getting caught in clothes all the time!! :yikes:

          I have 1 tattoo on my left wrist, 1 tattoo on my right index finger and a third on my spine which i’m getting removed. I don’t like it anymore so maybe i’ll replace it with something once the skin has healed :doctor:

          and omg you’re a tattoo artists?!!?!? THAT IS SWEET :waytogo:

        2. rati, i have one on my left arm, the bicep area. it’s a pentagram with the picture of a ‘baphomet’ inside – that’s a mythological being in wiccan culture. 🙂

          1. I also want to get a tattoo done now.. :smug: :smug: :smug: have been thinking it form ages bt i am such a chicken .. :yikes:

            I checked the Baphomet right now, looks like a very strong sign. :yes:

            Brinda never head of tattoo on an index finger.. it must be like your permanant ring. 😀

  10. I have only ear piercings,which mom got when i was very very small . I hardly wear earrings now,I cant wear artificial stuff my ears get sceptic and cant take care of gold ones 😐 😐 😐

    1. ritika, if you cant take care of gold ones and get septic with the artificial, maybe you could try surgical steel? that’s the standard jewellery material in these piercings shops, usually. the reason i’m saying this is, that usually surgical steel wont make you go septic and ouch. it seems to suit everyone, which is why it is also the choice metal for surgical tools. :victory2: AND, whatsmore, these guys make awesome designs in that material. you will like them especially if you like funky designs. Titanium is another metal you may consider, it has extremely low to zero nickel content, which is what most people with skin sensitivity react to. Almost nobody has reactions to high grade titanium. Of course, you may want to try good old silver. It suits most people, and these days you get beautiful jewellery in sterling silver, which is not even as expensive as gold!! :preen:

  11. Hey Bhumycka, great article. :)) It’s really helpful for anyone contemplating on getting a piercing or just curious about it. I personally think piercings look bad ass. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I used to have 5 in my ears and wanted to get more plus one on my nose but never went ahead with it.

    1. haha.. badass is SOO right! But som people want to put out the idea that they are badass dont-mess-with-me types. lol. Why didn’t you get the one in your nose? nose looks sweet on most indian faces.

  12. Trust me…..you do not look “cool” with that body piercing. You look ghastly!! :yuck: :yuck: :yuck: :yuck: :yuck:
    I hate body piercing

    1. Ooops! I just read my comment and it sounded rude 😐
      It wasn’t supposed to come like this 😐 I was talking in general about the teens who just get those piercings to look cool.

  13. i love piercings…but dont hv the guts… love ear piercings though and must have done it some 5 times…and all the time it got infected and closed…dont think i took proper care…want to go back and do it again…..
    you look beautiful….bhumycka :love:

      1. oh.. about tattoo studio in bangalore.. i have no clue.. i am in mumbai. but i’m sure there will be a good one you can hunt down. why dont you search for some reviews online? do you know anybody who got tattooed..some friend who may make a recommendation??

          1. Hi Priya..

            Two really good tattoo studios in bangalore are Brahma studio and Pradeep Menon’s studio. I have a few friends who highly recommend them. I plan on getting my first tattoo from Pradeep Menon. 🙂

    1. thanks priya!! if you wanna go back and try again, do it, girl! There are some great ways to ensure that your piercing heals perfectly. however, i did find that my ear piercings were slowest to heal, that is, the ones that were in the cartilage part of the ear. Did you get your ear cartilage pierced, or just the fleshy ear lobe? they are wicked painful too!! Eoww!! :tremble:

      1. i hv the earlobe one… wanted one above it…i am so in love with ear piercings that it was always a disappt abt it not working out. :weep:

        1. oh.. that’s weird. umm.. do you do it with a gun? i hate those gun piercings, they result in a lot of problems. maybe the metal of the jewellery doesnt suit you, or what?

  14. Bhumy- grt article- A lot of people dont have much knowledge about piercing so they avoid even if they want to,… I love to see eye brow piercing on cute guys 😉 *shhhh don tell my hubby* I once liked a Ram gopal verma hero only because of the piercing.. hheehhe
    And gals with flat tummies look so sexy with belly butrton piercing naa?

    btw- u can go to gravatar and change ur display image… use the same ID u use here
    !

    1. Belly button piercings look SOOO awesome, Bee. But i wish i had a flat tummy, or at least something similar to a flat tummy, lol!!
      Thanks for the display image info! I was wondering how the heck i should change mine..! :woot:

  15. Wow!!! Great article..I happened to read it today!!! i love body piercings…and its right for all to have their own opinion but frankly I found the first few opinion kinda rude and in-ur-face!! U go gurl! I am from bangalore and I have 6 piercings myself and Lol I dont have a troubled child hood….amazing article!! especially the after care part… i wish some people would do better to keep their conservative opinion to themselves on such an open forum!!! U rock gurl!!! :waytogo: :drool:

    1. thanks divya! opinions are fine with me! being a tattoo artist and sooo pierced everywhere, i get this all the time.. so i’ve learnt to just look at it as people who are not used to seeing all this. even my own mom hates my piercings, lol. she once told me i’m a big time ‘wannabe’..haha! it’s okay!
      6 piercings is wow! Go rockstar!! If you’re from b’lore, maybe you could suggest a tattoo studio for Priya, she posted a few comments above you. Sometimes body piercing studios also provide their own tattoo artists in mumbai.. dont know about b’lore ?:) ??

      1. Hi girleee…there are no good parlors here in bangalore, infact Im looking ahead to get some done ( the T stamp on back :toothygrin: ) but as of now none that I know of…there are so called celeb parlors but I have seen the work (some of ma friends have got it done too…and it dint come out so right)… So no worries my search is on and as I get to know of one i will inform priya!! ciao!

          1. u know bhumycka…i visit mumbai very often bec thats my home town…so think i will reserve my tattooo for mumbai visit…..:D

  16. me too have 5 of them…2 on each ear and 1 on nose…n im loving it. :yahoo: :yahoo:

    :yes: gr8 article bhumi :waytogo: :waytogo:

    rati di koi piercing wala smily aad kar do na ab :mirror: :mirror:

                    1. Donchoooo remind me of that horrible bag….I am so irritated…:( Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr spank hunterwali…but while it lasted it was really useful 🙁

                    1. Hehheee…is so funny…why do they change spellings and even pronunciation so much though 😀 The Shiseido SA was telling me I speak like the US guys but the UK way…i was like wth does that even mean???!! Apparently, she meant words like trash can and dustbin…US say one way and UK ppl use the other word (no idea who says what)…so she asked me what do I say for it…I very promptly told her “Garbage”..she looked like :headbang: 😀

                    2. Okay..ya that comment doesn’t make much sense to me either 😐 Me go make dinner for hubby …me being goooooooooooood wife O:) O:) O:) O:) O:) O:) O:) :tongue: :toothygrin:

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