Body Piercing News

Getting a body piercing these days is becoming routine.  With the popularity of piercing soaring, there are many places offering piercing services.  But there can be and usually are vast differences in the quality and prices of various shops that offer piercings.

In states like California and New York, where body art is heavily regulated, you should always go to a shop that is permitted with the county health department and who uses only sterile body jewelry and piercing supplies.  Ask to see the permit of the body artist or shop before you get pierced.  Also, you should receive printed after care procedures after the piercing to insure you are informed of what is needed to heal quickly and without complications.  If you are not sure if the shop you are considering is permitted and legit, go somewhere else that is.

Trust is a very sacred thing when it comes to body art.  If you don’t trust your body piercer or tattoo artist you probably would find someone else to do your body art.  Likewise, the sterility of a body piercing kit or tools used for body piercing are only as good as the company that supplies them.

Whether you are a professional body piercer or are a self-taught piercer who pierces friends and family members at home, you need to make sure that where you are buying your supplies or piercing kit from is a reputable and fully licensed company.  Remember, it doesn’t matter how careful you are (with gloves and proper skin preparation procedures) – if what you are using to pierce, and the body jewelry you are inserting isn’t sterile, you are risking an infection or worse.   For safe piercing tips or questions contact us anytime.  Safe piercing

With increased competition in the body art industry comes cost-cutting moves and ways to try to appeal to a customer’s sense of value.  While some shops run specials or lower their prices, other shops resort to more dangerous ways to cut corners.

In a disturbing trend, many shops are offering to charge less for a body piercing if the customer brings their own body jewelry.  While this may sound (at first) to be a good offer, it is at best increasing the chance of infection and at worst, illegal.  Using a non-sterile piece of body jewelry in a fresh piercing is foolish and increases the chances of serious infection for the client.  If a shop offers you this kind of ‘deal’ you would be advised to run (not walk) away since not only is their ‘deal’ inviting an infection into your near future, but they are operating illegally and probably are not registered with the health department either.  To find guaranteed sterilized body jewelry and quality body piercing supplies click on the link.  And remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true it usually is!

For some, the only obstacle keeping them from getting a body piercing is the pain they imagine that comes with the process.  True, there is always a certain amount of pain felt in almost all body piercings, there are ways that one can ‘minimize’ or reduce it.

One way NOT to do this is drinking alcohol beforehand – alcohol thins the blood and can cause bleed-outs or feinting.  Some people have found that taking Tylenol (acetaminophine) before a body piercing can reduce the pain felt.  (Note: do NOT take Aspirin, as this (like alcohol) will thin the blood and you will be exposing your client to greater risk of injury or bleeding.)

When it comes to numbing sprays or gels, we cannot endorse fully the use of these producdts as their effectiveness seems to differ from individual to individual.  Lastly, the use of sharp piercing needles reduces the pain felt during a piercing.  You can find ultra-sharp needles, supplies and body piercing kits and this fine online seller of body piercing kits and supplies.

Across America, health departments all over are cracking down on renegade tattoo parlors and piercers for not adhering to county and state hygiene standards.  If your shop has been recently visited (or cited) by your local health department for violating codes, you are not alone.

One of the recommendations being made by many county health departments is to use sterile, one-time (disposable) forceps, pre-sterilized body jewelry and needles.  Rather than the time and cost of purchasing an autoclave (not to mention the time and work needed to pouch and cycle items) you can purchase online guaranteed sterile body piercing supplies and body jewelry from respected online suppliers and avoid fines, scrutiny or worse.   Be safe, sure and NEVER take chances with your client’s safety and well-being!

Since our launch in May 2010, the Body Piercing News has been enjoyed by many thousands of body art enthusiasts.  As some of you may have noted recently, our site was down for 32 hours due to ‘excessive bandwith usage’.  Basically, what this means as that our popularity has exceeded our bandwith alotment, and therefore, we are facing higher costs to accomodate our valued readers, such as yourself.  In response to this, we have added a “Paypal’ Donation button in the left column of the site, just under the category listings.  So if we have made you laugh, learn or think a bit while meandering our articles, hopefully you might show your appreciation by donating to our cause from time to time.  It’s not required, but it would be immensely appreciated and help us continue bringing  you the most interesting, thought-provoking and strange oddities from the body art world.  Also, please visit our sponsor links, as these also help us to continue with our mission to inform and entertain you at all times.

And of course, we will always answer any and all comments, questions or concerns you have regarding body piercing supplies, kits, body art techniques and all other inquries we receive regarding the wonderful world of body piercing and body art.  Thanks again for making The Body Piercing News such a popular place on the web.  We truly hope you will hear our call for support and take the opportunity to show us your appreciation, no matter the size of the gift.  Thanks again for your time, your interest and your support.

Depending on where you live, it seems that everywhere you look there is a tattoo shop.  Once considered a ‘fad’ in the 60′s and 70′s, tattooing has established itself firmly in the mainstream of societies around the world and is definitely here to stay.

Thanks to the increased awareness brought by recent TV reality shows like ‘L.A. Ink’ and ‘New York Ink’, it seems that everybody wants to get into the business of owning a shop of their own.  The problem is that it takes more than artistic talent to operate a complex business like a tattoo shop and many artists come up short on the necessary requisites.  In Los Angeles county, for example, there seems to be a constant flux of shops going in and going out, and the trend does not seem to be slowing down.

So how (as a customer) are you supposed to know the difference between a quality tattoo shop and a ‘fly-by-night’ operation that may not be there in a week?  For one, you can ask how long the shop has been there.  Secondly, ask to see the shop’s health department permit (if they are legitimate they will have it prominently displayed and not mind if you copy down the permit number for verification).  Third, make sure they are using only sterile body piercing supplies and tattoo supplies with color-changing indicators and proper dates stamped clearly on the packaging.  If the shop you are in has any problems with your questioning, simply leave and find one that is legit.

In many areas of the country, there is a shortage of qualified body piercers.  As with all things, a short supply leads to increased prices.  At the Body Piercing News we have heard of people charging as much as 85 USD for piercings in some areas.

Because of this shortage, more and more people are turning to purchasing body piercing kits and doing the piercings themselves.  Although this is not recommended for many piercings (which are difficult to do by novices), there are many piercings that can be done with a good chance of success at home.  Just make sure the body piercing kit you purchase includes sterile body jewelry, proper skin preparation and how-to instructional videos.  This company offers the best quality sterile body piercing kits we have found along with streaming videos and aftercare guidelines, at the most affordable prices.

The holidays are believed by some to be the worst time to get pierced or tatted.  The reasoning behind this is that having a pink (still healing) piercing or fresh tattoo visible at the holiday dinner table may be the catalyst for ‘prickly’ conversation from relatives.

Although that may be true in some respects (depending upon where you get the body art), it may actually be the best time (economically) to get work done since traditionally many shops are slow at this time of the year.  So if you are thinking about getting that new body piercing and the cat is already out of the bag (that you do such things), you may be able to get rock-bottom deals on getting it done right now.  So treat yourself to that tattoo or body piercing you want and just keep the conversation moving during those long holiday meals

Dedicated Professional Body Piercing Shop

Let’s face it, body piercing is a very personal experience.  Once you’ve worked up the courage to get it done, the next big challenge becomes who/where do you get the piercing from?  If you are not fortunate enough to live in an area where there are dedicated body piercers (that means they ONLY pierce and aren’t inside a tattoo shop), you will undoubtedly be dealing with a tattoo guy/girl.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not an issue of competence (in most cases) but personal preference.  The problem with tattoo shops (and tat artists) is that the shop is usually located in a bad part of town and employs ‘unique’ body artists that are usually difficult to deal with when they find out you aren’t spending 500 on a tattoo.  No matter where you go to get it done make sure the person doing your body piercing is qualified, licensed and registered with the local health department.  If these credentials are not clearly posted in plain sight (as required by law), leave immediately and find a place that does obey the law.  You may spend a few more dollars for a legitimate body piercing, but it beats getting an infection (or worse) by someone that is not qualified to work as a body piercer.