Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 @ 10:53 PM
I just got my apadravya placed last week (14g). How long should I wait before I step up to a 10g or 8g?
Generally speaking, starting at a larger size than 14g would be much more practical for an apadravya piercing. This piercing is meant to take abuse, so piercing it at a larger size would give it more stability.
If you would prefer to stretch it rather than have it re-pierced at a larger size, let your piercing tell you when it is ready to upsize. Your jewellery will be tight initially, but will loosen up over time (usually a couple months or so). When you notice that your jewellery has loosened up, this is when you can taper in a slightly larger piece of jewellery. Be sure not to take drastic jumps, as this will likely damage your piercing and cause unsightly scarring as well as creating tough scar tissue that will be difficult to stretch in the future.
You can do this yourself without a taper, but it is safest to have it done for you professionally.
+2 / 6 votes 
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Posted by Russ Foxx | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 @ 10:39 PM
I got two microdermals in my hips about a week ago,my family has just told me we’re going on holidays to asia in a few months.I was wondering if it’s guaranteed that I won’t be stopped boarding in the airport security place because of the dermals? Because they’ll probably have healed by the time of the holidays,and I’m seriously considering getting them removed,please help,they’re looking very well and I wouldn’t like to remove them for no reason.
I travel by plane quite frequently and have never had a metal detector go off due to any of my implants or body jewellery. Even my neodymium magnet implant hasn’t set them off.
I’ve asked security why this is and have received mixed answers. I’ve been told that this is due to the grade of metals the jewellery is made with and also that the amount of metal by volume is not enough to set them off. None of these security sources have seemed to really know for sure.
Expect that your belt buckle, coins and lighter will set off the sensor, but not your microdermals (assuming that they are made with implant grade titanium).
+6 / 6 votes 
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Posted by Russ Foxx | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 @ 9:35 PM
Filed under: Tongue
Hi.
I’ve decided I want to get my tongue split, but not in the traditional one point slice down the centre of the tongue, im contemplating getting a double tongue split.
Im wondering what the troubles would be, how it looks, and if its ever been done?
Instead of having ‘2 tongues’ id like to have 3.
What would be the better option to perform this procedure? Scalple, lazer, or fishingline/dental floss?
Any info would be gladly appreciated.
Thanx
Logman
“Trifurcating” a tongue may sound like an interesting idea and all, but is not by any means safe nor practical. As stated on BME’s Tongue Splitting FAQ:
“To do so would risk cutting into the lingual nerves, the lingual glands, numerous major blood vessels, and it is dubious whether full nervous control could be sustained even if done by an oral surgeon. Attempting a “trifuraction” (or more) would almost certainly end in disaster.”
Need I say more?
+11 / 11 votes
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Posted by Russ Foxx | Permalink | Comments
Tuesday September 22nd, 2009 @ 6:10 PM
How realistic would it be to have a career as a piercing artist, with out piercing genitalia?
I have wanted to be a piercing artist since I was a little girl. To be honest it is the only thing I can see myself doing for the next 40 years. I love piercing and have absolutely no problem doing anything above the waist. I have even become certified through OSHA on Blood Borne Pathogens and CPR/First Aid certified. Before I put myself out there trying to find a Mentor to train me. I would like to know if I would be wasting his or her time because I don’t have a desire to pierce anything below the belt.
This will certainly fall into opinion versus supported data; so bear with me.
Is it realistic? Sure.
Would you be taken seriously by a majority of your peers? Doubtful.
While I don’t doubt your commitment to piercing as an industry and am impressed with your obtaining OSHA and BBP/CPR training, going into a profession with such a rich history and refusing to learn/perform some of it’s most popular procedures would earn you a reputation you’d likely not want.
That said, as piercing and modification (regrettably) moves away from the sexual arena and more towards the aesthetic… my generations distrust of piercers who refuse to do established, desired piercings may be archaic, so you never know.
+7 / 7 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 1 Comment
Wednesday September 2nd, 2009 @ 1:26 PM
I recently purchased a new CBR for my septum online, though due to the size of the bead and my lack of ring opening/closing pliers I am having trouble getting the bead to clip into the ring.
I was wondering if it was acceptable to go to a piercer’s to ask them to put it in for me, even if it wasn’t purchased in their studio, or is it bad taste?
If it is acceptable, would they charge, should I tip and roughly how much?
Thank you in advance.
It’s totally fine, they will probably charge you small fee for the service, and you are certainly welcome to tip if you feel so inclined! People often need help inserting or removing their jewellery, and most studios have no issues with helping with jewellery not purchased at that shop.
+20 / 24 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 8 Comments
Wednesday September 2nd, 2009 @ 1:13 PM
I ran out of sea salt today to do the soak for my navel (almost two months old) and the cotton ball compress for my nose (one week old). I don’t have any H2Ocean spray left, nor any tea tree oil. My bank account is at less than a dollar until next week (needed groceries and used the last of my money for that), so I can’t go buy anything.
So, what can I use for the next five days until my paycheck comes in? I know not to use peroxide, alcohol or iodized table salt. I have some kosher salt in my cabinet, but I don’t know if that’s acceptable and I don’t want to risk it without some expert opinions on the matter. My sister has some ear care solution left over from her Claire’s piercing a while back but I don’t know if I trust that either. The other sister has saline solution but it’s for her contacts, and I’m pretty sure one is NOT supposed to use saline for contacts as aftercare for a piercing.
Input would be very helpful, as my navel piercing has decided that TODAY, the day I inconveniently run out of the best aftercare stuff, is a good day to start acting up. It doesn’t have a bump and isn’t infected, but it’s acting like it did at three days old. Lots of lymph, a little blood, and a bit tender (I blame period hormones, sorry for TMI). Will warm water alone do me any good until I can afford a box of sea salt?
Short answer: yes, warm water in the shower is fine. Iodised table salt probably isn’t the end of the world, either. Kosher salt is almost certainly ok, too. I’d stay well away from the Claire’s stuff and everything else, though. And dang, how much is salt where you live? You can get, like, a kilo of plain sea salt (cooking salt) at Woolie’s here in Oz for, like, a dollar. 0_o
+9 / 13 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 6 Comments
Wednesday August 19th, 2009 @ 9:18 PM
i got my hood pierced and a week later it split in half. i need surgury to fix it but they cant guarantee how i will heal i could possibly lose all of my feeling. im not sure wat to do. can i sue?
People have sued for much less, sadly.
Can you describe how you feel the piercer is at fault?
And can you put me in touch with the physician who told you that you could lose all sensation due to a splitting (which is done in the body mod community and by some doctors to increase sensitivity) so I can ask them a few questions that, to be honest, may question their competency?
+42 / 42 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 16 Comments
Sunday August 16th, 2009 @ 8:35 AM
I have been considering getting nape microdermal piercings, and I have been trying to find somewhere that sells flesh colored or clear colored disks/balls or anything that would make a microdermal less noticeable. I have short hair and I am also an actor so I may be required to hide the piercings if I get them. I have had zero luck finding anything like this, and I have been searching everywhere online. I’ve only found clear retainers for other types of piercings.
The easiest way to hide HEALED micros is simply removing the end, if they were done flush to begin with, the post will be hardly noticeable. For hiding a healing micro, or if you aren’t comfortable with wearing no ends a good DIY fix is putting a flesh colored band aid on a flat disc end and cutting it to the same shape and size as the end.
+21 / 23 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 2 Comments
Sunday August 16th, 2009 @ 8:29 AM
Filed under: Nose
What type of jewelry can you wear in your septum after you have your septril pierced? Do people usually wear tunnels with holes in them to allow for the stud, or do people wear no septum jewelry at all afterward?
I have seen pictures where people are wearing no jewelry in the septum, and I’m curious as to how they keep their septum from closing up around the septril piercing.
Thanks 
The most common jewelry is definitely an eyelet, with a hole in it for the septril to go through. Some people also wear solid plugs or rings even and wear the end of the septril under the jewelry with a flat back end on it. As for wearing no jewelry at all, some peoples septums never heal shut and even a small opening is sufficient for the end of a septril piercing.
+13 / 13 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | Comments
Tuesday August 11th, 2009 @ 7:58 PM
Alright, I tend to be a little bit paranoid so please bear with me. I’ve waited for my lip piercing for the past 5 years and I just don’t want anything to go wrong. Alright I got my lip peirced five days ago now and the area around the peircing was a slightly red circle and it’s been a bit sore but I figured thats normal. The area around the peircing today seemed a bit darker red and very irritated. A friend of mine and my mom (who have no knowledge of peircings) said it looks like the beginning of an infection and it isn’t normal for the area still to be enflamed five days later. It really hasn’t been hurting me much but I have been touching it a lot so now it feels even more sore.. still nothing excruciating. I’ve been washing my mouth out with H2ocean and have been rubbing the same stuff Claire’s gave me when I got my ears pierced years ago (probably not the best idea). After being told that was a bad idea I’m now using antibacterial soap (Dial I believe). I probably wouldn’t have this concern but Im starting to get a low grade fever and feel naucous and I’m worrying they could be related… If someone could just help me out and tell me what they think it would be appreciated
Sounds to me more like irritation caused by two things. Primarily the stuff you have been cleaning your piercing with (switch to twice daily seasalt soaks - how to correctly do this can be found on this site with a quick search) and also touching the piercing. This is a total no-no as the potential to introduce bacteria from dirty fingers is there (other than the fact that touching the piercing will disturb the jewellery and irritate the wound). Other symptoms of infection include pain (an infected wound is really painful), discharge that can be a yellowy-brown colour sometimes streaked with blood and often foul-smelling and swelling. I believe it is always better to err on the side of caution so if you are concerned, a quick trip to the docs won’t kill you. If they do diagnose infection and prescribe antibiotics, be sure to leave the jewellery in, at least until the infect has cleared (should you decide to retire it).
+14 / 14 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | Comments
