Friday November 7th, 2008 @ 10:20 AM
Filed under: Nose
i dont have a “sweet spot” in my nose for a septum piercing so i wanted to know if i could still get it pierced and if so does that mean they pierce the cartilage and can i still stretch my septum if i dont have a sweet spot
It is possible to do a septum piecing even if you don’t have a “sweet spot”. The piecing will have to go through cartilage. This will typically result in a slightly more painful piercing to get done as well as a piercing that may take a bit longer to heal and may be a bit more sore while healing.
Stretching the piercings SHOULD still be possible. However, you will probably find it more (perhaps significantly more) painful to stretch, you will probably have to wait longer between stretches and you may be limited as to how bit you can stretch.
+7 / 7 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 2 Comments
Friday November 7th, 2008 @ 10:15 AM
Filed under: Ear
Hey guys
I have a friend that is in a cabinetmaking course in college, and he is eager to make me some plugs to try out the machines, and to work with some of the different species of woods they have in his shop. The only thing is I am hesitant to actually wear the plugs, due to the fact that I have never heard of some of the wood before he wants to use. He is making a pair out of something called wenge. I know everyone is different, but are you folks aware of wenge posing a particular threat to someones health if worn?
thanks
At first, I was sure this was going to be a question about a genital modification gone wrong. 
Michael Sims, one of the experts when it comes to woods being used for body jewelry, has Wenge listed as a wood that is unsafe to wear. It apparently can cause a contact dermatitis reaction as well as has the potential for “central nervous system effects”
No beuno.
+17 / 17 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 4 Comments
Friday November 7th, 2008 @ 10:02 AM
Filed under: Ear
I got my inner conch pierced about 4 weeks ago. Prior to this I’ve only had my earlobes pierced (3 times). I know that I have issues with nickel.
The piercing process was fine and I had no issues (I was pierced with a regular needle and got a 14g barbell put in because I heard barbells are better for healing), but for the past week or so my piercing has begun to act up. There is a reddish bump on the back of the piercing and whenever I go to clean it, it bleeds slightly.
I’ve been cleaning it thoroughly using Bactine twice a day and Spectro Gel once a day in the shower. I have also done a few sea salt soaks which helped greatly with getting rid of the minor pain I experienced in the beginning.
Is there an issue I should be aware of? I don’t think it is infected because I clean it regularly, so I was worried it may be rejecting. I heard that bleeding piercings is a bad sign. Is there anything I should do?
Thanks in advance.
You made a good choice with the barbell. They definitely heal faster than rings. I prefer to do conch piercings at a minimum of 12ga, as I find they are a bit more durable and seem to heal a little better, but a 14ga conch piercing is definitely “healable”.
I would suggest changing your aftercare routine. Stop the Bactine for sure and it’s probably best to stop the Spectro Gel as well. Neither of those products are going to help your piercing heal…your body has to do the healing. In most cases, chemical cleansers will actually interfere with your body’s ability to heal. At this point it sounds like you are using too many things, too often, on the piercing. In addition, the action of moving the jewelry around in the piercing (which I’m assuming you’re doing to rinse the cleaners off/out) will serve to irritate your piercing.
The bump you have, and the bleeding you are getting, is an indication that your piercing is irritated.
I would suggest doing warm sea salt soaks on the piercing twice a day. Try to soak the piercing for about 5 minutes AFTER you shower. I think you’ll find that fewer products, less often…and a reduction in irritation from moving the jewelry…will make a big difference.
Good luck!
+6 / 6 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 1 Comment
Monday November 3rd, 2008 @ 6:05 PM
Hello there guys , there are already few months since i first learned about your site and since then i haven’t stopped watch your topics and daily picture posts .
My tattoo time came , so i am having some issues with my mother telling me that the ink that is used is the same as the ink heavy industries use to paint the cars (as she read from an artical : source coming from european union and dated back to 28/7/03 ffs-.-). I am opposing her by saying that the ink is completly natural produced by herbals , and that the source is way old. What i mean is come on we leave in 2008 every day a new techonolical breakthrough comes out, there is no possible way tattoo shops using such ink even if they did back then. What i need to know is where the ink comes from and what are the possibilities for me to have an allergic shock via the ingredients used to the ink. If you could tell me the ingredients used it would be lovely !!
I am looking forward to your answer , since you guys are experts ^^
Yours Faithfully ..
Different companies use different ingredients in their pigments. Yes- some are organic pigments. Others are made from plastics and metal salts. Some use glycerin as a base and some don’t. It’s impossible to tell you who uses what.
Tattoo pigments are generally not regulated and most companies won’t provide an MSDS sheet, which is disconcerting.
That said- most pigment out there is totally fine and you’ll be alright using it. Avoid gimmick pigments like UV reactive. At most, you may react to the red pigment, but that’s not as common as it used to be.
Good luck!
+3 / 9 votes 
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 4 Comments
Thursday October 30th, 2008 @ 9:40 PM
Hello! I have a quick question.
I plan on starting a large tattoo project on my leg in a few months. What’s the best way to remove the hair from the area beforehand?
I’d rather get it waxed, but would that interfere with the tattoo healing at all? If waxing is ok, what’s the best amount of time to do it before the tattoo work begins?
What about in between tattooing sessions? They’ll be about 4 weeks apart.
I may also be getting a scarification done on or near the pubic area at some point down the road. Would waxing be ok in that case too?
Thanks!
Waxing can cause a lot of trauma to the skin which can be bad for tattoo application.
Your best bet would be to consult with your artist. My artists request that you leave the hair removal process to them in the case of low-hair-concentrated areas (like backs, upper arms, etc)
but surfaces like pubic areas, armpits, lower arms and legs may stand for a gentle at-home shaving as per your regular regime to avoid cuts and razor burn the night before your appointment.
Remember not to use any aftershaves, creams/lotions, numbing agents or go tanning for at least 24 hours prior either.
+7 / 7 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | 3 Comments
Thursday October 30th, 2008 @ 9:38 PM
So this is probably a really dumb question, but I wanted to ask just to make sure.
Can you not get your cheeks pierced if you have big cheeks? Or is it just a matter of getting proper jewelry?
Aside from the multiple possible issues that can stem from the piercings themselves, I can’t see any reason why simple anatomy would be cause for a cheek piercing not to work out.
Barbells come quite long, afterall!
+4 / 12 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
Thursday October 30th, 2008 @ 9:34 PM
just a simple question for those who may know the answer:
I’ve recently recieved and healed a frenum piercing, and I’ve experienced some discomfort and slight swelling after intercourse. I currently have a curved barbell as jewelry, I was wondering if possibly a strait barbell may be a better solution to solve this problem.
any suggestions?
Most guys will tell you that straight barbells feel much more comfortable than curved barbells do in a frenum piercing.
Also, be sure your piercing is worn at an appropriate gauge - I do frenum piercings at 10g and up. As I’m sure we all know, genital piercings tend to take a beating considerably more than any other piercing would so a thick anchor is key.
And of course, implant grade jewelry will definitely increase the longevity and comfort of your piercing.
+6 / 6 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
Thursday October 30th, 2008 @ 7:45 PM
I know that peircing yourself is really unprofessional.
But today I gave myself a monroe.
I stearlized evreything I used.
So I peirced it, then I took the pin out & put the earing in, only thing is… its too short & the earing won’t go through the other side…
I mean it feels finee & evreything is okayy buh it just doesn’t go out the other side.
Well my question is…
Is their anything bad about this?
Will it be okayyy to wear it like this?
&& if I keep it in for a long time, then take it out. Will it close?
Soo… you didn’t give yourself a monroe piercing. You poked a hole in your face and set a piece of barbell into it.
Bad idea.
Take it out, see a doctor to make sure you haven’t made yourself sick by piercing yourself at home and then see a piercer about having it re-done properly.
Reputable piercers have extensive training on aseptic technique (how to NOT make you sick and injure you during a piercing) piercing placement, acceptable body jewelry size and quality to make sure things go off without a hitch and you don’t end up with potentially life-threatening infection, disfiguring scarring and a wasted piercing attempt.
+29 / 35 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | 8 Comments
Thursday October 30th, 2008 @ 7:43 PM
I want to get snakebites but I have really full lips. I’m not really sure if they’ll look okay. Do lips rings still look good on people with full lips?
I personally do not offer captive bead rings for initial lip piercings. If you were to have your lips pierced with barbells for the initial healing time you should be able to be fitted with CBRs later on with no problem.
+1 / 11 votes 
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | 1 Comment
Thursday October 30th, 2008 @ 7:36 PM
I’ve been considering suturing on an armband, but I’ve never done any piercings before and I can’t find anything like this on BME or other sites, so I’d like some advice. The plan is to shave the area which the armband will cover (although that might not be necessary if I’m only leaving it in a few weeks?), and basically sew the armband to my skin on both edges. I’d tie the sutures loosely to reduce pulling.
Is this a terrible idea? What hazards should I be looking out for?
I guess the idea is only terrible depending on the desired end result.
Suturing a design around your arm to leave in for a few weeks and then remove will leave you with a pretty festering-looking wound as if you got a sliver and left it in your skin.
If the sutures didn’t reject in that short period of time (which is likely) you could still be left with very uneven scarring (which tends to be permanent)
I personally don’t think it’s a brilliant idea to leave something like that in for a long period of time. However, I think it could look nice for a very temporary stay for a few photos and then removed in the same day.
+7 / 11 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
