Tonight, I want to talk about something not many people give a lot of thought to as accessories. I'm talking about piercings & tattoos. These are our permanent accessories. When we first get something done, it is an obvious accessory; we are conciously aware of it every moment of every day because it is something fresh and new that still catches our eye whenever we look in the mirror. After a little while though, they become part of our skin (Ar ar ar), something that is part of us, something that is without second thought. I know that my tattoos and piercings are my skin, and I'd feel quite naked without them.
Naturally though, when it comes to permanent accessories, it's the quality that counts more than the quantity. That is why tonight, I'm going to talk to you about piercings.
Piercings
Yesterday, I got 2 dermal piercings on my wrists. I don't have pictures yet, but i woke up this morning and looked at them and felt like they should've been there all my life; they're now part of my identity and part of my skin. I've wanted dermal piercings for almost a year now, and I waited to see if it was something i was still going to want, and of course, it was.
A lot of people see a piercing on someone else, make an appointment at any random shop, or have a friend offer to do it, and then it's done. What most people don't realize is that if you're not careful with who does this type of accessory, it be the deadliest and most costly accessory you can get. The guy I go to is at the Body Art Salon here in San Diego, and he is a licensed nurse. He understands the body and what is best for each type of piercing and where it will go. He explains everything that he is doing while he is doing it and why he is doing it. He also did my Tragus piercings last year. What I've come to discover is that it's important that when you find a piercer you like, you stick with them, but you need to make sure your piercer knows what they're doing first.
The best way to do this is go in and see the shop and talk to the piercer before sitting down to get something done.
Anyone can pick up a gun and some jewelry and start piercing. I've heard horror stories about people who went to someone's garage and it got infected and they had to go to the hospital, as well as people who went into stores and they used cheap jewelry and guns and had no idea what they were doing, and it had the same outcome. You don't need to go to school or get a license to become a piercer, which is why it's difficult to find a good one.
Once you find a hair dresser you like, you stick with them because they know what they're doing, they're safe and they're clean. Once you find a tattoo artist you like, you go back to them because they're safe, they're clean, they also use new packaging and new gloves and ink. Same thing goes for a piercer. When you find a piercer you like, one that's safe, always uses new packages, new gloves, etc, you stay with him.
Remember though, when it comes to piercing, it's also about the type of jewelry that they use. Anyone can use the cheap crap that costs you $10. Then you wonder why your piercing gets infected. While it may cost more to get the stainless steel, high-quality jewelry, in the long-run, it's better for you. Yes, it may cost $30 or $40 for a nose ring alone, but you know that it's not a cheap piece of metal that will break in two or make your skin itch.
Moral of the story is, will everyone have a bad reaction to the cheap jewelry? No, but will it last long and look good after a while? No. It's better to have a piercer that knows what they're doing and pay a little more up front, then pay a little less to someone who doesn't know what they're doing, and then pay more later when you have an infection and have to get it re-pierced because you had to let the hole close up to heal.
Dermal Piercing Examples
Dermals are quickly becoming the most popular type of piercing around because they're very fast and easy to do, and they have a very fast heal time.
This is pretty much what mine looks like, except a smaller stud.
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