Friday June 13th, 2008 @ 10:14 AM
Where would i need to go in order to get a piercing license and what are the requirements?
You get your piercing license at Ye Ol’ Piercing Store, of course.
Unfortunately, the answer isn’t quite as simple as that. First of all, when people ask about “licensing”, very often what they are really wanting to know is how someone goes about learning (training) to do body piercing. Training, and licensing, are often (usually) completely unrelated, as weird as it sounds. It’s also important to remember that there is know national/international “licensing” or “certification” for body piercing. All those sorts of things are handled on a state-by-state or city-by-city basis.
As for training…the best way to learn how to become a good body piercer is to serve an apprenticeship under an experience, well-educated, good body piercer. There really is no other way. There are a few places you can go to take some one-week seminars on body piercing. At best, those courses will have you well-prepared to start your apprenticeship. There is no way to learn everything you need to know about body piercing in a week. In my opinion, a good apprenticeship will last about a year, depending of course on how fast the person picks up the information and techniques.
As I said before, licensing is completely different from training most of the time. To be licensed in a particular state or city, you will have to meet all of the licensing requirements of the particular city or state. Those requirements vary immensely from location-to-location. Some places don’t have any regulations at all. Some places have really great regulations. Some places have nearly-pointless regulations. The majority of the regulations and/or licensing requirements out there don’t even cover piercer training/education…they merely establish health-and-safety requirements. Your local health department is usually a good place to start your inquiry. You can also ask a local piercer.
I hope that helps clear things up a little bit.
+4 / 6 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Thursday June 12th, 2008 @ 8:51 PM
HI, I can’t find jewellery to fit my nipple piercing apart from a straight barbell. I have a large nipple and I’d love to get a stirrup or a ring, but on all the online jewellery stores they don’t have anything like that that’s big enough. They all have a maximum length of 16mm. Any ideas on where I could find things to fit? Also, I can’t find anything to put in my tragus piercing as well… I made it bleed when i tried to put a ring in there as the curved ring stabbed into the inside of my piercing and I couldn’t get it through. And again, they don’t make stirrups in the right size - it would either be too big or it would be squezzing it tightly. Please help!
Welcome to the wonderful world of buying jewelry online! Tell her what she’s won Bob!
The reality Kayp75 is that the best way to obtain jewelry for your piercings is to actually *gasp* walk into a piercing studio and speak with them about obtaining the jewelry you want/desire.
Now people reading this, I know it’s hard…The really real world is be so tuff and scurry…But when it comes to purchasing jewelry online, you most likely not always find what you’re looking for. Sure there are about a billion sites online selling all manner of jewelry from half decent to utter complete crap that will rust in your face. Online shops, in my eyes, are better for individuals who know EXACTLY what the exact measurements of their jewelry requirements are and then obtaining very “unique” pieces you perhaps cannot purchase via your local studio. Also know its best to run by the local shop first to see if they can actually obtain what you’re looking for.
So Kayp75 just hit up your local studio(s) and see if they can obtain what you’re looking for. What gauge size is your piercing? Because Off the top of my head I can state: Straight Bars, Circular Barbells, and Rings(CBR’s) and even Smooth Segment Rings can be obtained in much larger gauge sizes. So I’d say simply just go to the studios and inquire about making a jewelry order as there are quite a few companies out there manufacturing awesome jewelry and aren’t opposed to making something they don’t regularly sell.
Also if you’re having trouble putting in your jewelry, again, visit the local piercing studio for assistance…The reason I say that is because that’s what we’re there for, for everything you might need be that: Piercing, Jewelry Ordering, Jewelry Insertion, Jewelry Removal,etc.
Because realistically if customers stop going to local shops for these services, what’s the point in any of us staying in this business for? Many think its a cool awesome job that gets you in the sack with the opposite sex, but that’s not it…Well, sometimes it is for some of us, but most of the time it doesn’t.
So guys…PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHOPS!!! And if you think your local shop sucks…Then travel to find a good shop!
+8 / 20 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 5 Comments
Tuesday May 27th, 2008 @ 4:05 AM
Basically, I have my grandmother’s nasty knuckles, so it’s uncomfortable for me to wear rings. I’d love to get a microdermal on my ring finger when the time comes to get married, but I’m hoping to have a future in piercing. If the area was well healed and I wore a moderately flat gem in it, would it survive with the constant changing of gloves?
straight up answer: Nope.
You have to consider with a job in piercing all the hand washing, glove changing you’ll be doing…Then on top of that how often you put your hands in pockets, into bags and various other locations.
The chances of this healing (well over a year) perfectly and problem-free is a very far and few between possibility.
+2 / 8 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 2 Comments
Thursday May 22nd, 2008 @ 8:42 PM
I am keen to have my webbed toes pierced but want to kmow if the stud at the top wont be a problem when I wear closed shoes.Also will the bottom stud not cause a problem when walking.Should I have them pierced seperately to make walking easier during the healing process? also, will I be able to take out and insert the jewellery at will? Any info will be appreciated.Thanks,Mandy9
First just to point out the constant complications that can occur from having your webbed toes pierced (ie: irritation, potential infections,etc) in an open or closed shoe.
If you absolutely want this piercing and are gun-ho and willing to accept the potential issues of delayed healing, potential infection,etc. Then I would suggest it be done at a minimum 12ga in thickness (if not bigger) and use internally threaded flat discs on both the top and bottom. With the flat discs it means you won’t have to worry about the balls as the discs should rest comfortably against the top and bottom of the webbing.
I would also personally try and find a time in your life, when you have the availability to take a few weeks off, before you get this piercing. That way you can essentially just sit around your house and not do a single thing, so you can give it a good chance of healing. The more you exit out into the outside world the more chance you have of introducing various harmful bacteria,etc to the fresh piercing. Not to mention when wearing closed shoes with socks your feet sweat and can and usually essentially suffocate and swell after certain amounts of time.
+1 / 3 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment
Thursday May 22nd, 2008 @ 2:09 PM
Hallo, simply put: if a vertical labret was pierced with a retainer or allowed to heal then the jewelry replaced with a retainer would it effect a person’s ability to play clarint? I know that no part of the retainer could stick out otherwise it might damage the reed, but would the piercing itself interfer with playing the instrument? Thank you for taking the time to read this, any input is appreciated.
Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to give you a guarantee that the jewelry won’t interfere with playing the clarinet. A retainer, or a barbell with a flat disk on the top, should reduce the chances of it causing a problem…but you won’t truly know until you try.
Based upon what you’ve said, I’m assuming you are planning on not playing while your piercing is healing. If you were planning on playing, keep in mind that any excess pressure put on your piercing while it is healing is going to slow your healing as well as increase the chance of excess scar tissue formation.
+3 / 3 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 4 Comments
Sunday May 18th, 2008 @ 11:24 PM
i’m interested in getting a triangle piercing, but in all the research i’ve been doing it always says that you must be anatomically suited for the piercing.
what should my vagina look like for it to be anatomically suited for this piercing? i know a piercer could tell me, but i would like an idea going into it.
thanks!
That’s the good thing about contacting AskBME.com, since a lot of us ARE piercers, so when you contact AskBME chances are very high that a piercer or someone with the right information will see it 
Anatomically speaking when it comes to the Vulva, not Vagina, what you are looking for is the Clitoral Hood area of the anatomy. It along with the shape/definition of the clitoris, as well as your outer & inner labia and other potential factors.
If you haven’t checked this out yet I’d say look at the BME Wiki on Triangle Piercings. As you should be able to figure things out that way by that bit of information.
If you have any other specific questions you’d like to ask and delve further into don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section 
+3 / 3 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 4 Comments
Friday May 16th, 2008 @ 1:37 AM
i have a new side labret piercing.. its around 2 weeks old.. i had it pierced with a post but changed it to a ring once the swelling went down. the ring was supposed to be the same gauge but was a tiny bit smaller. the outside of the piercing looks perfect.. but the inside.. it feels VERY hard. like a big hard ball is inside my lip. i have no idea what this is from or how to get it to go back to normal. but its scareing me a bit. i’ve never had anything like this happen to any of my piercings before.. (including another labret and monroe) do you know what could be causing this? should i go to the doctor? thanks.
The hardness you are experiencing is most likely a combination of some swelling/irritation and perhaps a some scar tissue formation. Most likely this is a result of switching your jewelry to a ring a little too soon and/or having a piece of jewelry in there that is a little too thin for how much it moves around.
Excess movement (from a ring) and/or jewelry that is too thin can irritate a piercing, which is a healing wound. Your body reacts to irritation by in a healing wound by swelling, and also sometimes by generating some scar tissue to “protect” itself from the source of irritation. In the case of a lip piercing, this most likely shows up on the inside, because of the softness of that tissue. It’s also possible that the irritation is being caused by a ring that is too small of a diameter for the thickness of your lip…espeically if there is still any swelling.
At the very least, you need to be as nice and gentle with your piercing as possible. It may also be necessary/best to change the jewelry. Without seeing your piercing in-person, I can’t really comment on that. Although, I can tell you that labret studs are almost always better/easier for healing than rings are.
+1 / 1 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Thursday May 8th, 2008 @ 2:24 AM
What exactly is the difference between a Microdermal and a Transdermal?
Well, I’m assuming you’ve already looked up the difference in the BME wiki (microdermals, transdermals), so I’ll break it down further and say that a microdermal will give you much the same look as a transdermal implant at a fraction of the cost; a greater range of attachment options; and a much greater availability of artists who can adeptly perform the procedure. They can also be removed with vastly greater ease - transdermal implant removal is serious surgery and will leave a much more massive scar than even the most aggressively rejected microdermal. Neither of them can be considered “permanent”, either. Guess which procedure I favour more highly?
+10 / 12 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 3 Comments
Wednesday May 7th, 2008 @ 3:01 PM
I got my cheeks pierced on February 29, 2008. It is now May 6, 2008 and they are still not healed all the way. The piercer who did them told me after he pierced me that he had never done that kind of piercing and he was unsure what the healing process involved. If I would have known that before he stuck the needle in my cheek then he would have never been aloud to do so. So a week passed and the lebret balls sank on the outside and the the flat back on the inside was completely covered with swollen tissue. I therefore could not remove them the correct way so I used a tongue barbell to push the lebret ring through my cheek and out the inside of my mouth. The healing since then has gotten better but it is not complete and I also am unable to put the correct ring in yet. I have read a lot of the forums that people have wrote about with this piercing and I do understand that that this is a high volume area and healing can take some time. But how long and when can I put the appropriate ring , the one short enough to actually make dimples, in with out worrying about swelling or irritation? Thanks
Heather
Cheek piercings do tend to take awhile to fully heal, but the amount of time that takes should drop with proper jewelry installed for the initial healing period. High quality steel or titanium labret studs with extra length to accommodate swelling will aid in the healing of your piercings. Having disks and beads that are not too tiny may help as well.
Keep the piercings clean, drink lots of water, don’t cause undue stress by playing with the jewelry and try your best not to chomp down on them while eating!
+4 / 6 votes
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Posted by Russ Foxx | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday April 30th, 2008 @ 10:28 PM
I’m currently 14 years old, I live in Australia and I’m looking to pursue a carrier in the body modification industry. This is not something I want to just ‘jump into’ but right now this is definitely something I can see myself doing in the future. I am extremely passionate about piercings and other ‘heavy’ mods. I have had quite a few piercings myself (15+) and a few dermal anchors. I’m really quite responsible, this isn’t something I just decided, I’ve been interested in it for a few years now.
I already have extensive knowledge of piercings and other mods (especially for my age) and I want to learn more and become a great practitioner. I’m not interested in becoming famous, I just want to be the best I can be at the job.
I’m curious as to what qualifications are needed and
just any general experience anybody is willing to pass on. I’ve read various things online about this matter but I’m looking for a more personal answer, one that comes from a more experienced piercer or even an apprentice. I’m aware that this will by no means make me “rich”, I realize that in general the ‘trend’ comes and goes. I know about studio standards and cost of up-keep. But as I’ve mentioned before, this is something that I’m really passionate about.
Please, no negative comments,
Thank you in advance!
I’ve recently answered a “what to expect out of being a piercer” question, so I’ll piggyback on this one.
My first bit of advice would be to get a standard retail job as soon as you come of age. Customer facing. Learn what it’s like to have to hustle to SELL, while keeping a fickle clientel happy.
Next, I’d say start taking anatomy courses. What goes where, what happens when you cut this or remove that. Reading an anatomy book doesn’t cut it these days- since you’re young, you can tailor your education towards it.
After that- two words: Counter Bitch.
Take that knowledge of retail I’ve advised and apply it to a shop. Learn how to work IN a shop before you work in the industry. More from counter to apprentice. Apprentice to practitioner. MASTER one discipline before you start LEARNING new ones. Just because you love a modification doesn’t mean you have to know how to do it. I tend to respect people who’re masters of their craft not “swiss army knife” practitioners who offer is simply because one has to bleed to get it.
Lastly- while I won’t come down on you because of your age- (since we’re talking an “in the future” path) some folks will. Learn humility. Some people have good reason for doubting the intentions of someone who, at 14, has been into anything for “a few years”. Prove them wrong by committing to be the most responsible artist you can be. Don’t rush into anything just because your weaker willed friends will let you do “free shit” on them.
Put your heart and soul into this, earn your lumps and you’ll come out the other side where you want to be. Hopefully.
+38 / 44 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 10 Comments
