One of the first big lessons I learned when getting into body modification, is to always use selective listening. We are constantly bombarded with "info" and loose research stating how dangerous this mod is or how many people get some disease from this mod. Of course, anyone with half an ounce of intelligence would be able to pick out a million short-comings in what our doctors, news broadcasters, and family try to shove down our throats. This is why we use selective listening. If someone with a sturdy knowledge of mods informs us that there are risks involved in some procedure, then we're apt to open our ears, but if a dentist comes up with yet another theory on how oral piercings are detrimental to our health, our ears tend to automatically close.
At A Glance Author Rachel Contact [email protected] IAM NerdChick7 When N/A
The problem I find with selective listening, is that more and more I see younger or less informed people trying to use this, but they neglect to use their intelligence in doing so, simply turning down their nose to anything anyone tells them that is contrary to what they WISH the truth to be.
For starters, piercing yourself if you're unqualified is disrespectful to your body, and if you don't end up causing yourself real harm, you'll at least end up with a badly done piercing (reading some experiences on BME does not MAKE you qualified, an apprentiship for 12+ months THEN plenty of practice makes you qualified). A safety pin, sewing needle, ear piercing gun(even the home kind, which is barely suitable for ear lobes, let alone anything ELSE), nail, claw, thorn, compass, ear piercing stud, or random piece of plastic is NEVER an acceptable instrument to pierce yourself with. Not only are they too blunt to make a clean hole without tons of scarring and damage, but they are also quite un-sterile, and no matter HOW much you soak it in alcohol or boil it, it will not BE sterile, and there is a high chance of infection. I am not being un-reasonable, this is very true. If you want to pierce your ear lobes your self, then fine, but please do it with a real needle of some sort, and use proper jewelry made of respectable metals(they're really not expensive if you don't buy them from the mall..).
Always see a qualified piercer. If you are under age, then don't seek out a place that will pierce/tattoo you anyway. These places are ALWAYS scummy, and if you don't get a disease, you will get a shoddy piercing. There are age limits for a reason. You have your entire lives, there is absolutely no rush. If you cannot wait, then you probably shouldn't get anything done, especially tattoos/scarification and the like. This leads me into the thing I see done wrong more often than not, even by "professional" piercers.
Stretching should always be taken slowly. Everyone seems to think that they have some special, super-human quality that let's them discard this rule, but they don't. Skipping gauges, other than in a few rare circumstances(like wearing extremely heavy earrings for a long time, and the next gauge fits VERY loosely...or in the case of some people's tongue or genital piercings, who never get larger gauges, but their piercings stretch on their own...and yes, I have seen this on more than a few occasions). Stretching is a VERY slow process, but once again, you have your body your entire life, so there is no rush. Especially with stretching things like facial piercings and your lobes, people will always see these, and once you get past a certain point (which is different for everyone, there is no safe zone, if you stretch, assume you're stretching for life), they will never be the same. Consider trying to get an apartment, a loan, adopting a child, or getting a job. These will all be made a lot more difficult by having visible modifications. If you consider these seriously, and are willing to deal with whatever may come to you, then you are ready. If you are unsure, then wait. It will not hurt you to wait.
It is important to go to an artist that you respect and trust. It should be someone that you can talk to, and that can answer questions. It should be someone that you feel you can go see if something goes wrong. They should have a clean studio, and preferably one that is also comfortable. They don't have to have bean bag chairs sitting around the floor, but if it is way too business-like and cold, and there is no one willing to answer your questions, then it is probably not somewhere you want to go. Some of these are perfectly competent, but they will not usually be the ones who are available to you to answer your questions if you need help later.