Dermal Punches and Veins?

Thursday July 10th, 2008 @ 2:50 AM

Filed under: Ear

I know with dermal punching cartilage, you have to look out for veins. But when it comes to dermal punching conches at slightly larger sizes like 2g or 0g, I don’t see how you can really avoid going through SOME veins. Is it really that bad to punch through veins? I read a few horror stories on here that talk about how peoples cartilage wouldn’t stop bleeding because larger veins were punched through. On both of my ears there is a medium sized vein, and a few smaller ones, and I don’t think there is anyway to avoid them. Would punching/ immediately stretching up minimize bleeding if it were to go through some veins?

Punching and immediately stretching would only solve the problem at that specific moment in time. Later when you went home to sleep or just sit around, it would/will begin to bleed again and if capillary veins were severed you could end up losing a fair bit of blood.

This of course is a serious health concern, having personally had a procedure done before where I lost a fair bit of blood over night.

Some artists have dabbled with the idea of using a cautery pen to cauterize the spots where the capillary veins are to completely seal them off. But that can still lead to blood loss should that cauterized area crack and begin to bleed again. Not only that but your bordering on practicing medicine without a license when you do the cauterizing of blood vessels,etc.

This is why, personally, these types of “extreme” modifications should not be taken lightly and just done on anyone and everyone. They should be within arms/phones reach at least for a week to assist in any situations the client may have.

From my personally/professional standpoint I tend to analyze the ear cartilage first to determine where the capillary veins are, along with the shape of the cartilage. Sometimes a 2ga-0ga,etc simply is just too big and will distort/compromise the shape of the ear. When it comes to cartilage punches I’ll punch and stretch a half size just out of routine. Before I do the procedure though I will path out exactly WHERE all the capillary veins are and do my best to miss the majority of them.

So instead of clients having wild eyed dreams of “OMG I WANT 0GA HELIX PUNCH!” instead they should just walk into a studio and go: “Alright what is the LARGEST size you can punch without hitting any capillary veins.” Though if you want the larger size no matter what, then you just have to suck it up and pay your rock’n'roll dues and accept the risk of perhaps losing quite a lot of blood.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments

Industrial Migration

Wednesday July 9th, 2008 @ 3:19 PM

Filed under: Ear

Out of curiosity I was just wondering if switching from a normal scaffold bar to two separate barbells could cause any migration of the separate piercings? (due to the angle of the piercing or something along those lines). I know 14g rarely migrates much at all….but hey crazier things have happened

If an industrial migrates, it is because it was pierced at an incorrect angle. In most cases it is the alignment of the 2 holes that causes migration. Individual barbells would alleviate this. In the case you mention, it seems as if you have a healthy normal industrial, so assuming the switch itself is smooth nand you use quality internally threaded jewelry it should definitely not cause any migration.

Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | Comments

Steel Tapers And Acrylic Plugs

Wednesday July 9th, 2008 @ 12:37 AM

Filed under: Ear

I’ve heard all over that acrylic plugs and eyelets are terrible for you. I recently ordered a set of tapers that were stainless steal and came with a free set of acrylics. What are the pros and cons of acrylic plugs/tunnels? I’ve googled all I could think of to try and find answers and came up with nothing.

You’re joking right?

http://ask.bmezine.com/index.php?s=Acrylic

AskBME.com people its got the electrolytes answers humans crave.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 4 Comments

snug

Monday July 7th, 2008 @ 11:18 AM

Filed under: Ear

Hello!

I just got my snug pierced yesterday and today I noticed that my ear was twitching every once in a while. Is this anything that was caused from the piercing or is it just something that I’ve never noticed before.

It is most likely caused by the piercing and should subside in a day or two. It’s not uncommon for people to have nervous reactions to trauma of this nature, from ringing in the ear to localised numbness. It is usually always temporary and I wouldn’t worry about it at this stage.

Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | Comments

gauging/stretching

Sunday June 29th, 2008 @ 1:15 AM

Filed under: Ear

So recently started stretching my ears and im at a 14 right now. they have been in for about 1 month (as per instruction) and they seem to be completely healed. I can easily change jewelry and there is no pain or any problems. However, i cant get the 12 gauge in w/o lots of pain! Is there a possible reason for this or do i just need to wait longer? (They feel fine though). Please help as i am very impatient!

CAN HAZ SERCH FUNKSHUN 4 STRETCHIN PLZ KTHNXBI!

Remember people before asking your questions, try actually reading/searching through AskBME first to see if a similar/identical question has already been answered.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment

How to care for ebony jewelry?

Thursday June 26th, 2008 @ 7:05 PM

Filed under: Ear

I have a pair of 00g ebony spirals and have no clue how to clean them. Any help would be great. Thanks

Darren

If you are the only person who has ever warn the jewelry, and you are storing the spirals in a clean place when you aren’t wearing them, there really shouldn’t be a need to actually “clean” them. If they get dust or debris on them, wiping them with a dry (or even mildly damp) cloth should do the trick. If you really feel the need to clean them, most manufacturers of wood jewelry suggest a brief washing with a mild soap and water.

More important than actually “cleaning” them is oiling them to help keep them moisturized and to help reduce the likelihood of cracks forming. There are a variety of different types of oils you can use on organic jewelry. I am personally a fan of jajoba oil…it is also the oil that most of the wood manufacturers I deal with suggest. If you are sensitive/allergic to nuts, you may want to avoid jajoba oil.

If you can avoid submerging your spirals and avoid wearing them in the shower, you will go a long way to prolong the life of the jewelry.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments

Ear lobe stretching using Darkside Acrylic Stretching Taper

Wednesday June 25th, 2008 @ 8:30 AM

Filed under: Ear

Hi there,

I have an enquiry regarding a ear lobe stretching taper i found at http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/online_store/darkside_acrylic_stretching_taper_9858476.cfm

I really am looking forward to buy this, though not before I know how to use it the correct way. This taper actually stretches several stages at one go, so it’s stretched over 2 or 3 different sessions per taper.

My question is:

How do I stretch my ear lobe using this taper to insert a non-flared tunnel right after?

E.g. the 11-16 mm taper.

Since I could only go 2mm per stretch, I’d be stretching my left lobe from 12mm to 14mm.

Question is, how do I insert my 14mm tunnel - other than the crazy idea of removing the taper from my ear lobe once it slids to the 14mm diameter, and quickly insert the 14mm tunnel into the naked ear lobe?

Wouldn’t the ‘fresh’ 14mm hole close back so fast that it’s impossible to insert the 14mm tunnel in time? Not to mention, the agony and the pain caused by the pressure in doing so.

Also, I have been reading that arcylic taper that they’re no good to be left inside piercing to gradually stretch them. Would this fact be correct or otherwise?

Many thanks in advanced!

I honestly hope you did not already purchase the said piece. If you have, well, I am truly sorry for your botched purchase.

It really grinds my gears Quahog when the following is stated:

“It’s important to only stretch your piercing up one size at a time and to leave at least 2 weeks between each stretch to avoid tearing the flesh. Some jewellery can be left in and gradually pushed along to stretch the piercing over a longer period of time”

As you said the reality is Acrylic is not safe for autoclaving and thus will usually melt when placed in an autoclave. Which means even if you: wipe it down with alcohol, boil it in oil, buy jesus juice and rub it all over it,etc it will not be safe to wear while tissue is healing.

When you simply cram jewelry in your ears and “wait two weeks”, quite often that’s simply not enough time. The result in this is micro-tears that can occur within your fistula. These micro-tears can cause scar tissue build up, blow outs and with a “dirty” (not sterile) item, can lead to a potential infection.

These items were simply taken out of the piercing studios and sold because impatient people simply lack the ability to wait. What was hopefully used responsibly and properly by the actual professionals is now easily obtainable by the uninformed public, to use whatever way they deem to be proper.

In order to PROPERLY increase the size of your lobes, you simply need to be patient and wait. It might take 2 months, 3 months, personally I say wait 6 months up to a year (sometimes even longer); before attempt to go to the next size up (ideal to only go 1mm a a time).

By waiting these, what impatient people call, “long periods” of time, you’re enabling your lobes to become relaxed and healthy. This would increase the elasticity of the lobe tissue and enable you to safely increase the size of your piercings, without damaging the fistula.

Also know that if you were planning to ignore all this and stretch it anyways using something that ends at 16mm would not help your cause whatsoever. Because as soon as you insert and then remove the taper to pass the 14mm one through, you’re going to have difficulties. If you NEED to stretch it and cannot wait because you’re impatient then what you’re looking for is a taper that ends at 14mm, nothing larger. That way the jewelry is the same size as the taper and insertion should most likely be a lot easier that way.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 5 Comments

Can’t get plug through after stretching

Tuesday June 24th, 2008 @ 10:26 PM

Filed under: Ear

After being at a 4g for about 3 1/2 months, I attempted to stretch my right ear to a 2g. The taper went through no problem, but I was only able to get the plug about halfway through. The back of my ear just doesn’t want to cooperate, and I’m not sure why. I gave up after a few attempts, didn’t want to irritate my ear too much. After waiting about a month, I tried again with the same results.

My ears have never really been that loose (my left ear wouldn’t take the taper at all), but Ive never had any issues stretching before now(no pain, blow outs, blood etc) and have no idea why my ear will take the taper but not the plug.

Is there anything I could do to get this plug in my right ear? After reading an older question, I saw “surprised to find out that you sleep on that side more often and/or use the phone on that side more often. Those sorts of things cause additional irritation, which can cause scar tissue build-up.” I sleep on my right ear, is it possible that scar tissue build could be the problem?

Thanks for any help you can give

There are a few things to keep in mind:

As you stretch, it is very common for stretches to become more challenging. It’s also very common for people to need to wait longer between stretches. While 3-1/2 months, or even 2 months, may have been long enough between your last stretch, it may not be long enough this time. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to this, but why it happens isn’t all that important. Listening to your body and not tearing your ear is really the important thing.

Another very real possibility is that the jewelry you are trying to insert is actually a bit bigger (even a fraction of an inch) than the taper you are stretching with. If that is the case, it’s very easy for the jewelry to get hung up on the tissue even if the taper goes in just fine. You may want to try and find a different piece of jewelry to put in immediately after the stretch.

It’s also possible that you simply don’t have a good angle for the insertion. As an experienced piercer, there are still times where inserting jewelry behind a stretching taper can be challenging. Trying to do it on yourself, especially if you have a piece of jewelry that is a bit too large, can be nearly impossible.

Most people do have one ear that stretches more easily than the other. I think all the theories behind why it happens are really just that…theories. They may in fact be right….or the very least, very well-educated guesses, but I don’t think anyone really knows for sure.

Best of luck. Just remember to not force it.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 1 Comment

Strange Smell

Thursday June 19th, 2008 @ 7:26 PM

Filed under: Ear

I have had 00g lobes for about 8 months and there is still a white substance gathering around the jewelry and it smellsreally bad. What can I do to stop this?

This is easily remedied - remove your jewellery and clean the lobe and the jewellery. It’s that simple.

The funk is trapped normal excretia that oxidises on contact with the air and gives you that lovely smell when you move your jewellery. Good old-fashioned soap and water on a regular basis will keep this under control. Another option is to switch to organics like wood. The porous material will absorb the sebum so it doesn’t become trapped and go rancid.

Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 2 Comments

Blow out.

Tuesday June 17th, 2008 @ 3:08 AM

Filed under: Ear

Which oil is that you use to massage the blow out, so that it may retract into the body?

And is reducing the size to 3mm enough?

There’s many oils that work for people, all depending on their body and how it reacts to the oil. You can try Neem oil, Jojoba Oil, even Emu Oil has been known to help people.

Essentially with blow outs you will want to completely remove the jewelry and massage the lobes with one of said oils to use. From there you will need to wait for the blow out to be re-absorbed into the lobe and then put whatever jewelry fits comfortably and easily into the piercing. Then wait 1-2 years before actively attempting to stretch that piercing to a larger gauge size.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment