Studzey`s Body Piercing Studio
Frequently Asked Questions

home studio piercings link jewellery info before a piercing link
numbered ear
Ear Piercings
  1. Ear Lobe
  2. Tragus
  3. Forward Pinna
  4. Scaffold
  5. Helix
  6. Auricle
  7. Anti-Tragus
  8. Conch
  9. Diath
  10. Rook
  11. Orbital
Body Piercing
Jewellery

Barbell

circular barbell

Spiral Barbell/ Coil

Curved Barbell/ Micro Banana Bar

Navel Banana Bar

Labret

BCR/ Ball Closure Ring

Tear Drop

Nose Stud

 A list of questions that are answered below.
Q. Will it hurt?
Q. When can I change the jewellery?
Q. How long will my piercing take to heal?
Q. My jewellery sticks out and moves around a lot, why?
Q. I clean my piercing all the time but it is still sore, why?
Q. Can I go swimming with a new piercing
Q. Is it okay to take a bath with a fresh piercing?
Q. Can I have the piercing done with my own jewellery?
Q. If I remove my jewellery for a few days will it heal over?
Q. Is there a way of disguising the piercing whilst still wearing the jewellery?
Q. Once healed is there anything at all that needs to be done to it at all?
Q. What can I use to bathe it with?
Q. How long will the piercing actually take to do?
Q. Will it bleed
Q. I had a problem with infection before, what can I do to prevent it from happening again?
Q. Can I use salt to clean it?
Q. Can I use hydrogen peroxide or creams?
Q. Can I have it pierced straight away with gold jewellery?
Q. If it does get infected what do I do?
Q. Why must I have it pierced with jewellery larger than I actually need?
Q. I have a lump on my skin, what is it? What do I do?
Q. Will it hurt? A. We are puncturing the skin with a needle, therefore to some extent yes; however the process is very quick, all a matter of personal pain thresh hold. I am asked this question just about EVERY time, I answer -" yes it may hurt", then when I say "that's it it's finished" the person is generally surprised it is already over! In all honesty expect the worse and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Q. How long before I can change the jewellery? A. Everyone is individual as regards healing time, the longer that the original jewellery is left in there the better, some piercings heal quicker than others i.e. ear lobe and tongue, it depends what you want to change into, if it is Titanium-fine but you are strongly recommended to use no other material jewellery for perhaps 12 months!! As much as the external / visual part of the piercing goes it may very well be healed but the inside the "fistula" can take a lot longer. Call in and let your piercer take a look.
Q. How long will my piercing take to heal? A. Each piercing is different from person to person. Here is a general guide for MINIMUM anticipated healing times, as said occasionally it can take over a year. Obviously lifestyle, working conditions and the methods of caring will reflect those differences.
Ear Lobe 2 months
Tongue 2 months
Nose 3 months
Lip/Madonna/Labret 3 months
Brooch/Pendant 3 months
Cleavage 4 months
Eyebrow 4 months
Ear cartilage 4 months
Nipple 5 months
Navel 6 months
Oblongata 8- 12 months

If the piercing has suffered any complications these time scales will be much longer. The above table is merely a guide, everyone is individual and times can vary, according to many factors, you are basically advised to regard it as not entirely healed for as long as possible

Q. My jewellery sticks out and moves around a lot, why is this? A. The jewellery is initially pierced to allow for swelling; therefore it may now be ready to "size down". Over time due to the fact that we shed skin a piercing can also shrink, as it comes up through the epidermal layers, requiring a smaller piece of jewellery
Q. I clean my piercing all the time but it is still sore, why? A. Vigorous cleaning or using a cleanser that is too strong, or applying it simply too often, are common mistakes. Twice a day may be overdoing it. The site should remain as dry as possible. The skin can sometimes become very tender looking, shiny and red with a clear discharge, even looking infected as a result, or giving the appearance of a burn.
Q. Can I go swimming with a new piercing? A. There is serious risk of infection with a fresh piercing whether in the sea or bathes etc. This is the only time it is suggested you cover the piercing with a waterproof dressing and disinfect the area thoroughly after such activities.
Q. Is it ok to take a bath with a fresh piercing? A. Your bath water is the greatest risk of infection that your new piercing will encounter. It can be contaminated with bacteria from other parts of your body as the water is dirty, particularly for navel piercings. Shower if possible, follow your aftercare routine following a wash and never dry the site of the piercing with your bath towel always a clean cotton swab or tissue.
Q. Can I have the piercing done with my own jewellery? A. No, it will not have been sterilised and though we could autoclave it, even if it was Titanium, with out knowing even what grade Titanium we would insist upon using our own. But it's gold! 9carat gold even 18 carat gold has too high a Nickel content for an initial piercing, and 24 carat gold is far too soft and therefore porous, harbouring germs.
Q. If I remove my jewellery for a few days, will it heal over? A. It can do, how long a piercing takes to heal over depends upon where the piercing is located, how long the fistula of the piercing is and how long it has been in place. An oral piercing and fresh piercings can seal over in a matter of hours; however it takes a while to heal through fully. Some people heal over VERY quickly.
Q. Is there a way of disguising the piercing whilst still wearing jewellery? A. Yes, there are "retainers" available for most piercings , these days they are even suitable for wearing in a new piercing, though to be swapping and changing the jewellery is NOT advised, also available are very tiny UV balls so that the balls can be changed to "hide" piercings whilst at school/college/work etc and they can easily be changed so that it shows at all other times without the need to disturb the bar within the piercing.
Q. Once healed is there anything that needs to be done to it at all? A. Yes, still ensure that balls are secure every now and again. Remove the jewellery every few months to give the jewellery a clean and give the piercing site a clean.
Q. What can I use to bathe it with A. The active ingredient recommended by environmental health is Isopropyl, basically alcohol; it evaporates off quickly leaving the piercing site dry.
Never use Surgical spirit; this hardens the skin, which is why it is favoured by walkers, to harden their feet. Never Use Creams as this would keep it moist and "gunk" it up.
Never use Water taken from the tap, to dilute your concentrated antiseptic i.e. Dettol liquid ALWAYS use water that has been boiled so that it is sterile water.
Never Use Whilst still warm, this can cause swelling, only ever use when cool.
If preferring the salt solution -
Never Use Table salt or Low salt, these DO NOT have the same active properties as Rock salt or Sea Salt.
Q. How long will you take to actually do the piercing? A. The longest part of the whole process is completing a consent form, or choosing the jewellery, the actual needle part of the process itself takes no longer than having an injection. For more details see Piercing Procedure
Q. Will it bleed? A. Everyone is different, however as skin is a living organ and therefore fed by blood vessels throughout, the likelyhood is you will, the exception being ear lobe piercing (WITH A GUN) this VERY RARELY bleeds as the hole is immediately plugged with the jewellery.
Eyebrow piercing is better off bleeding slightly, as blood remaining inside the skin can occasionally result in a slight black eye.
Q. I had a problem with infection before, what can I do to prevent it from happening again? A. The process of piercing is performed as sterile as possible, the body knows what to do, hence the scabbing, do not remove this encrustation from the skin as it protects the piercing from infection, BUT it is most important to keep the jewellery clean of any matter to prevent it plugging the piercing site.
DO NOT keep touching, ensure when there is a need to touch the jewellery, that your hands are freshly washed.
Do not use creams as this can harbour germs and clog the site.
DO NOT over bathe, once daily should be adequate, to over bathe will give it the appearance of a burn, ideally bathe after a shower.
Q. Can I use Salt to clean it? A. This remains a subject of debate, I follow Environmental Health guidelines on this one, it is their suggestion that 70% alcohol (or other antiseptic in 70% alcohol carrier) be used sparingly as unlikely to introduce infection into the wound, and some doctors believe it has an important drying effect on the piercing.
If however your personal prefference is to use salt, it needs stressing the importance of the correct salt, which is SEA salt or ROCK salt, NEVER table salt or low salt.
Any substance used that requires diluting, must be diluted with boiled; therefore sterile water and importantly used when cold.
Q. Can I use hydrogen peroxide or creams? A. Quite simply NO, it may be favoured by our overseas counterparts, however it is regarded as too harsh here!
Q. Can I have it pierced with gold jewellery straight away? A. There is a relatively new material known as High Tech Gold or similar which is an amalgamation of gold with Titanium and looks just like gold itself, it is pricer than regular titanium , though less expensive than gold.
Actual gold may NOT be used with an initial piercing, for the same reason surgical steel and silver may not be used, and that is its nickel content, the material used to bind the metals in manufacture.
9ct Gold has too high a nickel content and the more pure you go, ie. 18ct or 24 ct gold, is too soft and porous and easily scratched posing a more serious problem then of enabling microorganisms to become trapped.
Silver is NOT suitable either in initial nor healed piercings due to its property of tarnishing easily and similarly as 24ct gold its porousity it harbours bacteria.
Q. If it DOES get infected what do I do? A. Firstly if there is an infection (weeping is part of the normal healing process) importantly the jewellery MUST remain in, as this serves as drainage, to remove the jewellery will permit the skin to seal over, thereby trapping infection inside the skin.
If saline solution has been used to bathe the site, it is recommended to switch to the 70% aclcohol.
If the infection has arisen since recently changing the jewellery, change back to the original titanium or PTFE ensuring the jewellery is as sterile as possible (paying particular attention to the threads of the jewellery).
Q. Why must I have larger jewellery than I actually need? A. It is very important, to allow for swelling, that the jewellery be a minimum 2mm larger than will later be required,(approx. 6-8mm larger for a tongue to allow for the swelling to be expected) if the jewellery isn`t long enough, the swelling can result in the skin folding around the ends, causing more swelling and great discomfort, or worse still pull inside altogether.
For the same reason the balls need to be of a particular size until the piercing has settled, that again the balls do not pose a risk of embedding.
For this very reason we will NOT use internal threaded labrets / munroe bars for initial piercing.
With the exception of a Tongue, which requires changing down as soon as there is a minimum 4mm loose, other piercings need to show a minimum 2mm surplus bar to be sized down.
Q. I have a lump on my skin, what is it?
What do I do?		 A. Lumps coming out of a piercing are due to turning, catching the jewellery or caused by removing jewellery too soon, just because it looks healed is not a true indication of it being fully healed inside, this lump is usually the fistula (which is the name given to the formation of scar tissue which forms the tunnel through which the jewellery runs) and it may have been holding the jewellery and was pulled out, just occassionally it can be pushed back in, but it will eventually dry out and peel off, but LEAVE IT ALONE!
Q. What is the minimum age of consent? A. The legal minimum age for piercings without parental / guardian consent is 16 years, therefore a 16 year old CAN consent for themselves and do not require to be accompanied by a consenting adult, however it is far nicer that parents / guardians do approve of your piercing! It is also worth bearing in mind your schools opinion on piercings, should it mean they have to be removed!!
There is NO minimum age for most other piericngs, though we use our descretion as to whether a piercing be suitable for an individual.
We would not pierce female nipples under the age of 18.
A Navel piercing requires enough skin to be pinched to allow for the 12mm bar, to wear smaller to start is not worth it, as you shed skin over time, it would grow out so soon, sensible miniumum age here 12 years.
We DO NOT pierce babies ears, I believe a person has the right to a say in their own piercing, something a baby can`t, the youngest I have pierced was approx. 2 1/2 years old and was old enough to understand it would hurt, and they mustn`t play with it!


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