"Special for today:
At A Glance Author faith summers Contact [email protected] When N/A Only �10 to have an inexperienced, unfriendly piercer jab a dirty, probably already used needle through a part of your body! The studio hasn't been cleaned for a few weeks, but we'll never ask for ID! Inadequate aftercare instructions and subsequent infection are guaranteed!"
What would you do if you saw this on a sign outside a body piercing studio? Walk straight past and never even consider stepping inside, right? However, there are too many studios just like the one above, and the only difference is that they don't have the sign outside. These studios continue to flourish because of the simple reason that people keep going to them to get pierced. Whether it is someone who is unaware of the risks, or someone who just doesn't care; the fact is that people continue to go to dirty, unhygienic studios and that is why there are so many of them. Many people say that this is the same with any profession � there will always be people who are just in it for the money and do not care about the responsibility they have to their customers. However, I believe that we can change this through one simple thing: research.
There are many risks involved in getting a piercing. If you go to a competent piercer, with a clean sterile studio and equipment, then these risks are hugely reduced and almost eliminated; just as if you go to a poorly trained piercer with equipment that is not clean and sterile, then the risks are hugely increased. One of the main risks is cross-contamination. If a piercer gets blood on a needle from one customer, and then re-uses the needle on the next customer, they risk passing on diseases such as Hepatitis or even HIV. Incorrect jewelry is another risk, for example if ear lobes are pierced with a gauge under 14ga then it is incredibly easy for them to catch on something and be ripped out. It is important to note that piercings can become infected due to other reasons, such as continually touching the piercing with dirty fingers. It is also true that not all piercings done by irresponsible piercers go horribly wrong. There is simply an increased risk of something going wrong.
So, why do people continue going to unhygienic studios and exposing themselves to this increased risk? I believe that there are two main reasons:
Number one is that people are often unaware of the risks and how to avoid them. For example, they may not know what an autoclave is, or they may not know that not only should gloves be worn, but that they should be changed every time the piercer touches something which is un-sterile. Most people are unaware of the dangers of being pierced with a piercing gun. I believed everything the airheads in Claire's told me about how safe the guns were until I did some actual research. Many people are also unaware of the proper aftercare for a piercing (think of the Claire's "Ear care solution" that is dolled out to unsuspecting children). A friend of mine recently got his lip pierced, and the only aftercare instructions he received were "Don't have a spliff for a couple of days". As he doesn't have any other piercings, he had no idea that these instructions were completely inadequate.
The other group of people who put themselves at risk are people who choose to ignore the possible dangers. This includes people who get a piercing on impulse at a place they are not familiar with. I made this mistake when I was 17, and got my ear rim pierced on impulse at a newly-opened studio in my hometown. Although the piercing turned out fine in the end, I was not comfortable with the piercer and the studio in general and should have walked out rather than ignore my instinct. There are other reasons for choosing to ignore the potential risks. I know someone who wanted to get her tragus pierced, but as she is extremely shy and has no other piercings except her lobes, she planned to go to a studio which she'd once been in with one of her mates. This particular studio had a very poor reputation and had produced many low-quality piercings, but she did not want to have to go into a studio which she was unfamiliar with. When she told me about it I encouraged her to consider going to a more reputable place, and even offered to go with her to check out some other studios so she would be familiar with them, but she refused. Underage kids can also ignore the risks in going to an unsafe studio, as the unsafe studio is often the only studio which will agree to pierce them because they are underage.
How can research change any of this then? Well, years ago I didn't know the first thing about piercings, and I thought my five piercings done at Claire's were great. Then one day I discovered BME and immersed myself in it. Later, when I got my tongue web pierced (my first "proper" body piercing), I was able to use BME to help find a competent piercer. I went to a few studios before ending up in the cleanest studio I'd seen, with a friendly piercer who I trusted enough to let him stick a needle through part of my tongue. If I hadn't known about the risks and hadn't done any research, I would probably have gone to the first studio I'd seen, which was definitely lacking in cleanliness. If everyone did some research before they got pierced, then we could start to eliminate the two main reasons for people going to unsafe studios. They would not be unaware of the risks, and would know exactly what to look for when choosing a good studio and piercer. Research could also persuade people that the dangers are very real and cannot be ignored. If enough people did this, then maybe the irresponsible piercers would either be forced out of business or would be forced to change their ways.