surface bar retainer?

Wednesday December 19th, 2007 @ 1:49 AM

Filed under: Surface/Unusual

i live in a city where it’s easier to become mayor than find a bartending job. out of the blue, i was offered one today by a massively popular restaurant. starting asap, i’d be making nearly TRIPLE what i’m currently making, but they have a super strict policy on jewelry.

i’ll have to take my gauges out while i work [no problem], but my surface piercing is another story. i made myself wait two long years [until i made myself go to uni], before i had it done. i’ve only had it about three months, and i’m not ready to give it up yet!

do 90 degree surface bar retainers exist, ANYWHERE? i read somewhere that ptfe [bioplast, et al.] can be heat-set into certain forms, but i have searched to the ends of the earth, and no luck. i know continual fussing with such a piercing would lead to a pretty quick demise, but i highly doubt i’d be changing it more than once or twice a month.

help meee

Unfortunately there’s no realistic form of “retainer” for surface piercings. Some retainers are used to minimize the visual look of the piercing, often they have clear silicone o-rings on them to reduce the visual look. Unfortunately there is nothing on the market right now that reduces the visual aspect of a surface bar, unless you remove the beads and put small clear silicone o-rings on the jewelry. However know that your employer will still be able to see the jewelry, no matter what you put in.

Also if one does a proper research into the matter of heating up PTFE(Teflon), Polysulfone(Bioplast),etc then they will find that once heated up the material is compromised. If one is using PTFE for surface bars they should be making it out of solid blocks and should be done so only by a qualified professional.

Taken from the PTFE wiki:

“hile PTFE itself is chemically inert and non-toxic, it begins to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware reaches about 500 °F (260 °C), and decompose above 660 °F (350 °C).[12] These degradation products can be lethal to birds, and can cause flu-like symptoms in humans.[13]

By comparison, cooking fats, oils, and butter will begin to scorch and smoke at about 392 °F (200 °C), and meat is usually fried between 400–450 °F (200–230 °C), but empty cookware can exceed this temperature if left unattended on a hot burner.”

So ultimately I would say either stick with the surface bar you currently have in and just put clear silicone o-rings on the tops and risk violating the companies no jewelry policy. Or you will simply have to make the mature judgment call on how bad do you really want this job, by removing the piercing and making a living.

Life is about giving and taking…Sometime you gotta give something up to take something that you want.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 5 Comments

infected lip

Wednesday December 19th, 2007 @ 1:41 AM

Filed under: Lip/Cheek

I pierced my lip a little over a week ago. The swelling has gone down, and now it feels like my other lip piercing (that’s now 2 years old) did, except I’m pretty sure it’s infected. The outside hole has a big sore around it that scabs up and makes moving the ring hell (even after I soak it to try to losen it up beforehand) and there has been copious amounts of pus. I’ve been doing sea salt soaks and trying to leave it alone, but I suppose my question is, is it better to “squeeze” the pus out (I tend to put pressure on the ring by stretching my lip out to make it come out) or leave it alone to clear up on it’s own?

Plain and simple, change the ring out to a implant grade steel or titanium internally threaded labret stud. Honestly I often ask myself why the hell are piercers still using rings/CBR’s for lips, when anyone with an iota of logic and intelligence will know that a labret stud offers a more effective and efficient healing process. Anyways sorry for that lil rant, teehee.

The fact is that the pus is still occurring because of the constant rotation of the ring. This rotation of the ring in and out of the piercing often irritates it and prolongs the healing time. With rings you should never be turning/spinning the jewelry around and the more you “squeeze” and touch and play with the piercing, the more you’re just going to irritate it.

So as I said above get a high quality labret stud inserted into the piercing and leave that thing along, at least for a good 8 weeks or so. If you decide you want a ring, then you can do so, once the problems are troubleshooted and gone. But still you want to wait a lil bit before changing the labret stud out to a ring, be patient and don’t rush…Else this problem will just keep occurring.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 7 Comments

Bleeding days after stretch?

Thursday December 13th, 2007 @ 7:33 PM

Filed under: Ear

Two days ago, I stretched my lobes from 12g to 10g, using an acrylic taper. I wore the taper in my ears for a day and a half, and took them out last night to clean my ears and check on them. When I took them out, they started to bleed a bit, so I cleaned them off, oiled them up, and replaced the tapers (they didn’t bleed when I stretched them, just stung a little bit. This afternoon, I got stainless steel plugs to replace the tapers, and when I took the tapers out again, they bled a little again.

Is this normal? Could it be because of the acrylic material of the plugs I’d worn for 2 days?

Just for reference, I’d had my ears at 12g for about 3 weeks before I stretched up, and the 10’s slid in pretty easily, with just a little pressure needed to get them in.

Sounds like it can be a result of two things:

1) Stretched too fast and tore some fistula tissue

2) Irritation from the acrylic tapers.

Know that waiting 3 weeks before stretching is not always the best option. If there was pressure, even the slightest, you forced the jewelry through.

You’re best option right now would be to do leave the steel plugs in and do sea salt soaks daily, essentially treat your stretched lobes like they are fresh piercings. From there wait roughly 6 months to a year before stretching to the next size.

Patience is a virtue that is strongly required when stretching ear lobes…The more you force your lobes to larger sizes, the more problems you risk putting yourself into…

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment

Apprenticeship

Sunday December 9th, 2007 @ 10:05 PM

Filed under: Piercing

I am 18 and live in Arizona.

I would like to pursue a career in body piercing.

How can I go about getting an apprenticeship that is free and not a ridiculous amount of money?

I already hang around a tattoo shop most of the time, but they don’t have a full time piercer there.

Any suggestions or information?

Thanks for your time!

Ryan

Hi Ryan,

Welcome to the over-saturated world of wanting to be a piercer….No, seriously, its REALLY over-saturated.

Sadly because of this over-saturation there is a wide range of piercers with a variety of skill levels. From the piercer who just shouldn’t be piercing, right up to the highly skilled professional.

Always remember this statement: “Nothing is free”

Often apprenticeship views will vary from piercer to piercer. For example my view on apprenticeships are as follows:

1) Apprenticeship is a minimum 2 years (training and then working along side me).

2) Apprentice Candidate MUST take First-Aid/CPR training and keep it up to date.

3) Apprentice Candidate MUST take Bloodborne Pathogens/Infection Control.

4) Apprentice Candidate MUST have or be willing to take a basic Human Anatomy and Physiology course.

5) Apprentice Candidate MUST have or be willing to take a basic Business Management/Accounting course.

Now I could even delve further and request my apprentice take classes involving metal working,etc, but that’s a bit overkill. Some will even say my statement of Human Anatomy and Business Management is overkill as well. However I strongly disagree as these two very important subjects that will help develop an apprentice into a long-term body piercing professional. Not just someone who is going to be doing this job part time, as they will stand out above and beyond other piercers.

The same is said for First-Aid/CPR as well as Bloodborne Pathogens/Infection Control training…Without them you will be a liability for any customers that enter a piercing studio.

By obtaining these goals you will stand out better than anyone else who might be potentially attempting to seek an apprenticeship. It will show you are goal oriented and really interested in this business. It’s one thing to live the lifestyle but its another to be on the business side of things and offering the service.

Now this isn’t a reply to put you off the concept of becoming a piercer, quite the opposite really, we need more ethical quality artists in the business. But what it is, is an idealistic push towards the future and what we SHOULD be doing. And what better way for us to make this much needed change, then by focusing on our apprenticeships. Because if we push stricter training methods, we will produce a much more trained and efficient piercer.

Another goal for seeking apprenticeships is to not just find any shop that will take you in. Ultimately every person seeking apprenticeship should source our the best shops that use the highest quality materials (ie: Implant Grade Steel or Titanium, Internally Threaded or Threadless,etc) as well as have a very consistent portfolio of each artist working there,etc.

Hopefully that helps you, if you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 4 Comments

Silicone

Thursday December 6th, 2007 @ 2:50 PM

Filed under: Ear

Do you reccoment silicone stretching to go up a size. i.e. 9/16 to 5/8?

I personally do not recommend using silicone for stretching.

Having said that…I know many people have used silicone very successfully for stretching; sometimes even stretching several sizes.

However, I have personally witnessed (although not on myself) a number of bad experiences when silicone has been used for stretching. In most cases, there were several things done wrong when using the silicone to stretch. I do believe that the extent of the “damage” that occurred was due to some of the properties of the silicone jewelry and the effects wouldn’t have been as bad if other materials were used.

Some people have reported having problems with silicone jewelry even when they aren’t stretching. I think it’s important to mention also that the problems people typically experience seem to be related to the surface “tackiness” of the material, and rarely seem to be a reaction to the material itself.

Now, having said THAT…I personally wear silicone on a regular basis. I find it to be incredibly comfortable and I have experienced absolutely no problems with it.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 3 Comments

Something wrong with my ear

Thursday December 6th, 2007 @ 2:46 PM

Filed under: Ear

I’ve been at 7/16th’s for a good couple of months now and been wearing the same horn plug and cleaning it regularly. My ear was quite loose and could slip a 1/2″ plug in. Well, this morning i woke up and something was quite different, i felt of my earlobe and it was stiff and felt different.

Just my left earlobe was swollen and stiff and not loose at all! I took the plug out and the fistula was so small and puffy, when its usually nice and roound and a bigger hole, and my earlobe had swollen up so much! I didn’t have a blowout or a tear, i didn’t even stretch my ear! What is wrong with my earlobe?

These sorts of “flare ups” are not unheard of with stretched lobes. I know that I have experienced a few of them over the years…everything seems fine, and then seemingly for new reason…one ear freaks out. If you didn’t change the material of the jewelry you’ve been wearing, most likely it’s some sort of mechanical irritation: you slept on it funny or pinched the tissue with your jewelry, or something like that. It’s also possible you get something into the hole which irritated it and causes it to freak out.

Most of the time, leaving jewelry out of the piercing for a few days, so things have a chance to relax and settle down is the best option. You might lose a size or two, but stretching back up is typically very easy, especially if you’ve been at one size for a long time.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments

Tragus

Thursday December 6th, 2007 @ 2:43 PM

Filed under: Piercing

I had my tragus pierced a few weeks ago and apart from a little swelling, it’s doing OK. However, I might need to have a brain scan soon, for which I would probably have to take the piercing out for around 45 minutes. I know this will probably aggravate it a bit, but do you think I’d have a problem getting it back in, or with healing it after having taken it out? Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

It’s very unlikely the piecing will “close” in that short period of time. However, for no longer than you’ve had the piercing, it wouldn’t be uncommon for the hole to “shrink” a bit, making it difficult to get the jewelry back in. If you’re having a brain scan, I’m assuming they won’t want you to have anything at all in the piercing. However, if it’s simply a matter of not being able to wear metal in the piercing, you may want to consider wearing some sort of retainer (plastic or quartz) in the piercing.

If this isn’t an option, you may want to consider going to a studio you trust to have the jewelry put back in. They should be able to do it a little more easily and smoothly, and thereby reduce the irritation to the piercing.

Best of luck with your piercing and with your scan.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments

turning 2 into 1?

Wednesday November 28th, 2007 @ 7:49 PM

Filed under: Tongue

I have two tongue piercings vertically. They were close to begin with (1 is 5 years old, the other is 2 or 3)The other day my daughter pulled on the back percing and ripped it a little so now they are even closer than before. I am afraid that if she pulls them again, they will rip completely and I will just have a big hole in my tongue. Would it be possible for me to turn both of the piercings into 1 larger guage piercing? If so, how?

This is possible…whether it’s something you will be happy with may be a different story. You could stretch one (or both) of the piercings until the tissue between the two piercings breaks. You could cut the tissue between the two piercings (you may want to find an experienced piercer to do this for you). You could tie a loop of dental floss or fishing line between the two holes and slowly tighten it over the course of a few days or week until it cuts through the tissue.

Just keep in mind that if you join the two holes in such a fashion, you will likely be left with a hole that is more oval shaped than round, and something that may not shrink as much as you may want it to should you decide to stop wearing the piercing in the future.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 3 Comments

Too Thin?

Wednesday November 21st, 2007 @ 11:24 PM

Filed under: Ear

I’ve been wondering for a while…how thin is too thin when it comes to tissue around a stretched lobe? (I’m talking about in well healed, slowly stretched piercings.) I know everyone is different but at what point would most professionals say, “hey, you might want to…”?

This is sort of a two part question. Second, what should a person do if they have stretched lobes, to say 0 or 00ga, but because the piercings were origionally done too low they can no longer stretch? The holes won’t close completely and after trying resting, downsizing, and massage there just isn’t any increase in the tissue. If closure is the only option, what exactly should a person be looking for a plastic surgeon to do to guarentee that they can have thier lobes re-pierced and stretched to the size they want in the future?

Thanks and I hope you can understand my questions!

This problem often occurs because not every piercer asks the client if they are planning on stretching their piercings.

One option is visiting a qualified body modification practitioner and have your lobes re-directed via scalpel. My lobe piercings were not even when I went to go to 1/2″ so my practitioner opted to re-direct the lobe piercings subtly. Now this won’t stop the lower portion of your lobes from being potentially as thin as they are, but it can help get to a size you want to be at.

If you are going through the plastic surgeon they are essentially going to close the hole’s up. Which depending on their procedure techniques usually is a matter of removing a piece of the lower portion of the stretched lobe and suturing it up. If you search ModBlog and BMEZine there’s various photo’s showing lobe reconstructions via Plastic Surgeons.

If you opt to go that route personally I’d suggest you’ll want to make sure you wait a good while, like a year or more, before re-piercing and attempting to stretch.

As for when I feel like I should point out on customers about their lobes thinning, is when the bottom portion of the lobes are very thin and not a good healthy thickness to them, especially when the thickness of the lobes is not uniformed and consistent.

Often I see stretched lobes that are thinning along the inner portion of the lobe that pushes up against the persons face, due to it being pierced too close to the face. Or it’s directly in the center point of the lower lobe because the piercings were done too low.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 2 Comments

Vein

Wednesday November 21st, 2007 @ 11:18 PM

Filed under: Ear

Hey my name is Max from Las Vegas, NV and I have a fairly large vein in the middle of my earlobe and I want to pierce my ears and eventually stretch them. Will this be a problem?

Hey Max!

So many jokes to be made about big veins, etc but I’ll just cut to the chase.

The best option is to visit an experienced qualified body piercer and bring up the situation with them. If they quickly brush you off and say you’ll be fine, without even analyzing the area, then perhaps you should find another shop that will take your statements serious.

Usually this will mean the piercer will inspect your ears and usually will take a flashlight/penlight to place it behind the to be pierced area. That way they can see any and all blood vessels/veins that are passing through the area, that way they can try their best to miss said veins, in order to reduce blood loss,etc.

As for stretching the piercings, again I’d say have the piercer look at it and depending on placement required will provide more knowledge into the matter.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments