tattooing and body piercing involves breaking the skin, and the instruments/tools that penetrate the skin MUST be sterile, or you are putting yourself (or your customers) at risk of developing severe infections, injury or possibly (in the worst cases) death
Make sure the body piercing kit you choose has sterile body jewelry included. If you are not sure if the body jewelry offered is sterilized or not, ask before you buy
“…what good does it do to use a sterile needle, and sterile forceps if you are going to just shove an unsterilized piece of jewelry into an open wound?”
“It may take a few moments to suddenly become clear what kind of extreme stretching this guy did, but what is immediately apparent is that this is something that should probably be avoided, unless you have already had all the children you want to have in your life…”
“…forceps can act to reduce pain experienced in certain piercings (i.e. nipples) due to the fact that the client may feel more pressure than needle penetration when used properly…”
“Look for a piercing supply company that posts their regular spore test results for their autoclaves, and who clearly defines their sterilization process publicly. Once you’ve ordered, make sure that the items received are pouched in sterile pouches with color-changing indicators on the back of the packet, along with a clearly stamped date…”
“MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphulococcus aureus) is a type of flesh-eating and rapid spreading staph infection that is resistant to most antibiotics (photo) usually caused by improper skin preparation before a body piercing or tattoo.”
“Beware of pouched jewelry that does not feature a color-change indicator, or that has been sterilized outside the United States by methods other than an autoclave.”
“Using unsterilized body jewelry endangers your client and puts you at risk legally…”
“Sterilized and disposable tools are recognized by the Health Department as a viable alternative if a body piercer does not have an autoclave.”