Over the last five years, I have been working as a Professional Body Piercer in Dorset, England, and I have sadly seen at first hand the level of abuse in this trade. This is my chosen profession, and for better or for worse, has been for over ten years.
At A Glance Author Sarge Contact [email protected] When N/A Artist Sarge Studio Whiteflame Location Bournemouth United Kingdom It pains me, every day to see, and to have to deal with, sub-standard and sometimes badly infected Piercings, and to know instinctively that unless the victims of this complain to the necessary authorities, nothing will be done to help them.
I base all my findings on raw experience, and have a lot of literature on the subject, for instance, since I started Body Piercing there was a time that I would pierce navels with whatever the customer wanted, now I use only Ball Closure Rings because I realised that more people found cleaning their Piercings easier, that when they were pierced with a BananaBar, my experience has had a knock on effect to the way that I practice, so I am always looking for new techniques and products to keep my studio and staff up to date.
A short and expensive piercing course, over two or three days is not going to make a professional Body Piercer, there is not enough commitment or understanding of the reasons why people get pierced, little or no research other than market research and a total lack of interest in the medium itself. Also with this problem comes restriction of information, because for more information you have to pay the course more money!
It takes hundreds of supervised Piercings to properly appreciate the techniques of all forms of Body Piercing, and to properly interact with your customer.
Taken at face value most Piercing businesses come across as being genuine and caring, the truth of the matter is that the money is more important than anything else. This includes a complete disregard for council rules and regulations, cutting back on hygiene and a general disinterest in any problems related to piercing.
It seems to me that the longer a business runs in this way, happily taking money from the customers, the more complacent they become, cutting corners and rushing the job. This is usually from a total lack of interest and understanding of body piercing in the first place, this and a lack of common sense.
Common sense tells us that if a person comes back with a problem they need FULL attention, to reassure them that they did or are doing the right things for their Piercings.
I am calling for basic rules for all potential Body Piercers, maybe a N.V.Q in basic first aid, hygiene and body piercing, (nearly happened, but this MUST be enforced somehow without forcing the other side of Body Piercing underground.
Another important factor to take into consideration is that public information about Body Piercing is scarce to the point of non-existent. Leaflets with good aftercare advice and information warning people of dangerous practices, for example any piercing using gold plating below 18 carat, piercing using an ear stud gun or using the wrong aftercare solutions such as surgical spirit.
It is going to be a difficult job for everybody concerned to agree with each other, but I feel strongly that the problem is going to get worse in the following few years if nothing is done to regulate it.
Body Piercing was once considered as a popular fad, even up to last year, but looks as if it is here to stay.
SOME PROBLEMS IN THE BODY MODIFICATION GAME
(well from where I'm sitting)
Franchising
Franchising Body Piercing in theory is a great idea, in practice has laid a trail of destruction behind it the length and breadth of the country. And that doesn't even count the problems abroad. The dealings I have had with it are usually down to colourful businessmen coming up with amazing get rich quick schemes. No thought has gone into how much damage your trainee Piercers are going to cause because you haven't given them enough information, which in effect is where you make your money in franchising. You charge companies extortionate rates for short lectures that amount to nothing and then charge an even bigger amount for a couple of days training in body piercing, a certificate at the end of the course gives you leeway to pierce as many people as possible using sub standard jewellery and equipment and sterilizing procedures that are positively dark age. Of course if you want to learn more you go on a top up course that costs you again so as you can see the restriction o f information causes problems for the Piercer, this affects Piercers all over the world.
Basically the businessman reaps in the money and makes sure that the little companies use his name and his products, thus spreading his name. A brilliant idea where in practice, greed and corner cutting takes over.
Body Piercing and Hairdressers.
Ok, so in theory again a brilliant idea, you have both fashion businesses working next to each other. In practice a cross contamination nightmare and major health hazard.
Hair from the shop floor drifts about every time a door is opened, it gets everywhere, just asks any hairdresser. Body Piercing is the practice of making an open wound and filling it with a piece of jewellery, so having a hairdresser or barber finish off a cut and quickly leap into the piercing room donning a pair of gloves, to do a quick navel, would have the environmental health having a hernia.
Firstly the hairdresser should brush themselves down OUTSIDE! Then scrub their hands with a medical soap such as GP Scrub before putting on a pair of gloves and that's just for starters.
Tattooists and Body Piercers
Well, not a lot to comment on this really, I guess some places could do with a bit more privacy, and the ones who think that piercing is like opening a can of beans, in my opinion are obviously jaded with their life choice and will remain miserable and in their rut forever.
Mobile Body-Piercing
Now we come to the doozy of all problems, no end of horror stories here, next to no sterilizing facilities, the piercee doesn't know where any of the Piercers equipment has been, using the clamps for everyday stuff you know unblocking sinks and reaching those bits that fall down the back of the sofa? Uhh the mind boggles, un-sterilized jewellery, or in one case jewellery quickly wiped over from someone else's ear, or Jack Daniels as a sterilizing fluid! The urban myths and stories just get better and better, and still it carries on.
Hope I dont sound too uptight, but I'm sure that some people out there are having the same problems
By Sarge
www.whiteflame.co.uk