Breastfeeding and getting pierced

Friday January 11th, 2008 @ 9:23 PM

Filed under: Piercing

My wife is thinking about getting her lips pierced. She’s wanted it for a long time already.

She is breastfeedng (6th moth now) and wants to continue to do so.

Are there anny extra risks, eccept for a possible longer heelingtime, that she might have to take into acount?

Cheers Bas

Yes the piercings will have a longer heal time as the body is working very hard to generate milk so it can be passed onto the child. Because of this it is ideal to wait until your wife is no longer breast-feeding, before obtaining any piercings.

Also due to the longer heal time if any potential infections were to occur or other problems, it can be passed into the child through the breast milk.

So as I stated it would be ideal to wait until your wife is completely done breast-feeding, before obtaining and piercings or tattoos,etc.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment

Healing it in a hospital situation

Friday January 11th, 2008 @ 8:40 PM

Filed under: Tattoos

So, I am getting my first big tattoo on Monday. (Cue spaz out right now.) But, I am really nervous for the healing process. I work in a hospital, all over actually. And, I am exposed to a lot of icky (for lack of any medical terminology) stuff. I have a lot of contact with stuff like MRSA and c. Diff. Both, of which I would rather not get. Are there any steps that I can take at work that will make infection not possible? Obviously, I won’t be rubbing my leg all over festering boils, or anything… But, is doing that plastic wrap thing an okay procedure to take up while the tattoo is healing? Mucho thankos.

Is there any chance of taking sick leave or a holiday on short notice?

Personally with all the potential problems by putting yourself in contact with MRSA and various others in a Hospital environment, I’d say better to just stay away for a little while,

As working in a hospital you have to factor into the fact that the environment is not completely sterile or clean. People brush against various objects in the hospital, much like they do outside. So I would be VERY concerned/worried about entering into a location such as a hospital which has been the breeding ground for the issues you are bringing up.

As for the plastic wrap concept, there’s two different views on this. Some tattoo artists believe you SHOULD wear plastic wrap and change it often to maintain the tattoo. While others believe leaving the tattoo open to allow it to receive oxygen, and just keeping it clean is best.

My concern with the plastic wrap and being inside the hospital is that essentially you’ll be wandering around the hospital with sweaty lymphing bio-soup leg. And no matter how you swing it a bit of pressure in the right area can cause that liquidy mixture to expel out from the plastic wrap.

Personally if I was in your shoes I would have organized some time off from work, at least a week, to allow for the initial healing process to begin. As it’s just better to be safe then to be sorry. Why risk the potential concept of catching MRSA?

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 7 Comments

Nipple not a go-go

Friday January 11th, 2008 @ 7:16 PM

Filed under: Nipple

I’ve had my nipples pierced for several years now and have had no problems with the first one that I got pierced, but the second one was pierced very poorly. It was pierced too deep and is lined up perfectly on one side, while the other side comes out of my areola. Initially, they had a post in it (I have always had barbells in them) that was too short as well, and the bead even went into the piercing on the wonky side once. I inserted a longer post and big beads and have been dealing with this piercing for far too long (almost 3 years now). I have scarring on the one side now, and it’s very irritable.

I know I should take it out, I know it’s not happy and won’t be, so I’m going to not be stubborn and actually take it out (finally!). I’m wondering how long I should wait to get it re-pierced after I take it out. I’ve heard 2 weeks I’ve also heard 8.

Thanks!

Taking it out is definitely the best option. If it’s still unhappy after 3 years, chances are good there is simply no hope for it. Nipple piercings done too deep can be virtually impossible to heal for many people.

If you were my client, I would suggest you wait a minimum of 3 months. Given the amount of trauma and irritation that has been going on for the past 3 years, giving the area plenty of time to settle down is going to be best. You want the area to not be inflamed or irritated at atll, and it’s best if you can give your body a chance to re-absorb some of the scar tissue. You may find that massaging the scar tissue regularly will help break it up a bit, making it easier for your body to re-absorb.

Having said all that, I will also say that being able to see and feel the piercing goes a long way in determining how long to wait. My suggestion of 3 months is based solely on what you’ve said. I might have a different opinion if were were nipple-to-face.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 2 Comments

septum scar

Friday January 11th, 2008 @ 7:14 PM

Filed under: Nose

so i got my septum pierced a few weeks ago and it seems to be healing well. the thing about it is it’s a little low on the right side, this was done intentionally because my nose is a bit crooked on the inside, and in order for the piercing to lay proper it was pierced at a downward angle.

i’ve started to notice that there is a slight bump on the right side and looked into it and read that it’s most likely scar tissue, now i don’t want to have it redone as it seems to be completely fine other than the slight bump, it doesn’t hurt or look too strange (unless you’re holding my nose open and looking up at it).

my question is will it cause any other issues besides create a small bump, and will it be okay if it’s not bothering me? i just want to make sure it won’t continue to grow and take over my nose to the point i’ll need to have it surgically removed

The bump shouldn’t cause any other problems. It’s also possible, once the piercing heals a bit more and “toughens up”, the bump may end up going away. Many bumps that show up during the initial healing phases of a piercing end up going away once the piercing heals a bit more and isn’t as easily irritated.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments

Mod Etiquette

Friday January 11th, 2008 @ 7:10 PM

Filed under: Uncategorized

I am getting a cautery branding done soon. While at the studio, I was hoping to ask the artist some questions about another mod I have planned for the near future - dermal punching my outer conch.

Is it appropriate to discuss other mods while receiving one? I’d wait until after the branding procedure is done so he can concentrate, but would discussing the dermal punch afterwards be inappropriate, or should I make a separate consultation appointment?

I have to admit, it’s kind of refreshing to see a lot of AskBME questions being about etiquette. It’s nice to know that some people do give some consideration to being considerate.

Asking the person who is doing your brand about your dermal punching your conch is more-than-okay…assuming they are also the person who will be doing the punch. If not, it might be a little tacky, but even then, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. You might even want to consider asking them before the brand, so you don’t forget in the excitement of having just gotten branded.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 2 Comments

Need some professional help

Wednesday January 9th, 2008 @ 6:59 PM

Filed under: Tongue

I want to get my tongue pierced and it will be my first non-ear piercing and while I was doing my research I realize that I could have a metal allergy.

But when I went to my pierce he basically said to deal with it; if it does get infected, switch it in a week with a gold one when the swelling goes down because they don’t have a gold barbell long enough for the 1st piercing, which doesn’t make sense because if it got infected the swelling wouldn’t go down so I couldn’t change it. And it also sounded like he didn’t care if it did happen or didn’t know much more then me. Which leads me to want to get another piercer. But anyway I said all that to ask this:

Should I fine a new pierce?

Could I have a metal allergy and can I still get my tongue pierce?

Is titanium and gold the best metal to use and would it be wrong if I brought my own barbells to be pierced with?

And if so where can I find a good place that sells them.

How is http://www.titaniumonly.com/?

Thank you so much!!!

A couple of points of clarification, just so we’re on the same page:

When you have a reaction to a particular kind of jewelry, it’s exactly that…a reaction. It’s not an infection. An infection would occur for a whole different reason and would be a whole different issue to deal with. Your body has a reaction to the jewelry because there is something in it that your body simply can’t deal with.

Most people who have metal sensitivities end up being sensitive/allergic to nickel. The reason you can’t wear “standard” earrings or stainless steel body jewelry is because it has nickel in it. Most people can tolerate a high-quality piece of implant-grade steel without having a reaction. However, that’s a whole different discussion. For your purposes, what matters is that you’ve had trouble wearing stainless steel in the past.

Gold is typically a good option for people who are sensitive to nickel…but again, this presumes it’s a high-quality piece of jewelry to begin with. One of the downsides to gold is it’s high price.

Another option, and one that is much less expensive, is titanium Titanium works well because it contains no nickel.

As for your piercer…I’d say ditch him. If he didn’t offer titanium as an option, or wasn’t at least willing to order the appropriate piece of jewelry for you, it sounds like he either doesn’t know as much as he should and/or he doesn’t care about your health and safety as much as he should. Whatever the case…you don’t want to get pierced by somebody like that.

As for buying your own jewelry, that might be an option. However, I think finding a piercer that knows what they are doing, cares about doing a good job and either stocks the jewelry you need, or is willing to order it, is probably your best option.

Good luck!

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments

Raised tattoo means botched tattoo?

Wednesday January 9th, 2008 @ 6:53 PM

Filed under: Tattoos

I have had 4 tattoos and one piercing by the same artist and been delighted. He’s proffessional, hygenic, on the same wavelength as me, all in all everything I could ask for. However, my fiance noticed that my last tattoo (got a shocking 6 months ago) is a bit raised. It was on my upper arm, near the front, so not an uncommon place at all. Now I’m worried to go back to him, because I would expect it to be a sign of bad tattooing, but I don’t want to replace him. Aftercare was fine, and so are all my others by him. What does a raised patch of blakwork highlight?

Raised skin in the area of a tattoo can mean the skin was overworked somewhat and some scar tissue formed as a result. However, if there isn’t a lot of it, and this is the first time it has happened on any of the tattoos from this person, I probably wouldn’t let it be a “deal breaker”. Perhaps he did get a little carried away in that spot…or perhaps the skin in that particular location simply reacted differently to being tattooed.

Have you considered asking him about it? Based upon the things you’ve said about him, it seems like he would be open to answering any questions you had. He might have some insight into what happened.

Ultimately it will be your call on whether you get tattooed by this person again. Considering all the positives you listed about him though, it seems that discarding him out-of-hand might be a bit excessive.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 4 Comments

The etiquette of custom designs

Wednesday January 9th, 2008 @ 6:41 PM

Filed under: Tattoos

I want to know if I’m totally out of tune with tattoo etiquette.

I have an idea for a tattoo. It’s slightly vague, but I know how I want it to be shaped and placed. I took this idea to an artist whose work I’d seen on the web and asked him whether he might be able to draw up what I wanted with a view to getting it tattooed on me. He liked the idea and we chatted about it for a few minutes.

However, he refused to draw it up, saying he wouldn’t do so in advance (NB I volunteered to pay whatever expenses were required for drafting it). He said he only worked spontaneously, and that I could make an appointment and he’d draw it directly on me and then tattoo it on me then and there. I expressed concerns about getting the tattoo done when the design had only just been finalised, and he said he preferred to work with people who are ‘more decisive’.

That’s upto him, but I wanted to know if I’m likely to encounter this as a stumbling block when getting my tattoowhen approaching other artists. Surely it isn’t abnormal to want to see the design before I get it done? Am I missing something about how tattooists work, or was it just this one guy?

It isn’t unreasonable to want to see the design beforehand…obviously. However, different artists do work in different ways. It sounds pretty obvious that this isn’t the artists for you. As for what you can expect to find with other artists…it’s going to vary from artists-to-artist.

If you are looking for a fairly large/involved custom piece, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding an artist who is willing to draw the design beforehand…especially if you are willing to compensate them for the time they spend drawing it. For large work, many artists require a drawing deposit. This deposit typically comes off the price of the tattoo when you get it done. If you don’t get the tattoo, they then keep the deposit as payment for the time they spent on your drawing.

However, if you are looking for a fairly small/simple design, I know many artists who would simply wait until the day of your appointment to do the drawing. If the design is simple, any changes you want made can be done easily and quickly, so they simply do the drawing when you arrive.

I don’t know the size/nature of your piece, but I hope this helps a little bit. Good luck in finding an artist.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments

text tattoo ideas

Wednesday January 9th, 2008 @ 12:28 AM

Filed under: Tattoos

im looking for the tattoos that say one word one way and when you flip it the tattoo says a different word and also if you know of any good sites to check out this style of tattoo

They’re called “ambigrams” and they’re certainly not just restricted to tattoos - go type the word “ambigram” into Google and you’ll find heaps of websites devoted to the concept, as well as custom ambigram services.

Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | Comments

Septril

Tuesday January 8th, 2008 @ 8:22 PM

Filed under: Nose

How big do you have to stretch a septum piercing before getting a septril piercing?

There isn’t necessarily a size you “have” to be at, but it obviously needs to be big enough to be able to get tools into. I would guess that 0ga or 00ga would be the minimum to make it reasonable to do the piercing.

Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 2 Comments