As body piercers, why do we insist on supplying jewelry for each piercing, instead of allowing people to bring their own jewelry off the street to be pierced with?

If I have pierced someone before and they bring in the jewelry that I pierced them with, and they want to use that jewelry, I generally will allow that. As long as the jewelry is not scratched or altered.

If I use their jewelry I used previously to pierce them with . . .  I charge them $5 to re-sterilize the jewelry in a Statum (Flash Sterilizer) before the piercing, and then charge the regular piercing fee less jewelry.

This is the only case where I will allow people to bring in jewelry for their piercing.

WHY NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO BRING JEWELRY IN TO BE PIERCED WITH OFF THE STREET?

1. It is seldom appropriate for the piercing (length, gauge, metal composition, etc).

2. It is generally used by someone else and is scratched and not sterile.

3. A “GOOD” piercer uses special tools, needles, and various shortcuts to make a piercing smooth and comfortable. Therefore the tools and jewelry must be compatible to complete a successful and comfortable piercing. This is the reason many people have a good piercing experience with a piercer that uses compatible tools and jewelry, while other people have a bad experience with a piercer that struggles with a piercing because he uses incompatible tools, needles and jewelry. The Piercee pays the price ultimately by experiencing a very uncomfortable piercing and one that may not last.

4. Economics – generally it takes the entire piercing fee to pay for the operation of your piercing business, therefore, the profit and income for the piercer is found in the margin between the costs and retail charge for the jewelry.

5. Many people believe the piercer is responsible for the jewelry they insert into a piercing . . . in that case it is highly irresponsible to allow people to bring in jewelry for you to pierce them from the outside. The Piercer may end up paying a very high price in the end if the jewelry was substandard.

As body piercers, how many times have we been asked, “Does it hurt”?  We are asked that question every day over the phone or in the piercing room.

People really know that it’s got to hurt some, so the real reason people ask that question is to get some reassurance that everything will be OK!

When people ask me if it hurts, my answser is “Nobody Complains About It” and just leave it at that . . . don’t say anymore about the issue.  I have discovered over the years people accept that answer and generally say, “Oh . . . Oh OK” and the never bring the issue up again.  If others are not complaining about it, it must be OK.

People will have problems with their piercings. You must service your piercees and the best way for you to get new business is to help other piercer’s piercees. Give of your time and experience to piercees who have been pierced by other shops. It will bring you great rewards.

You will get so much information from your piercee if you simply ask “good questions”, the LISTEN. If you listen long enough, they will eventually tell you what THEY ARE DOING WRONG WITH THEIR PIERCING. Keep them talking and they will tell you exactly what you need to know.

As piercers we-do-not diagnose . . . we suggest. This is simply a liability issue. If you diagnose you are liable for your diagnosis. If you suggest, you are not liable for your suggestions made in good faith. You can also use the terminology of “other people have found that” . . . . (using this aftercare or doing this helps their piercing). For example you could say, Many people have told me they tried this or that and it worked great for them.

Most piercing problems result from Irritation NOT Infection. This is why you need to know how to ask questions to find out what your piercee is doing to cause irritation to the piercing.

You do not need to go into big medical reasons for their problems. In most cases, they are just irritating their piercing, so it is your job to find out what they are doing that causes the irritation.

The first thing a person thinks when they see redness around their piercing . . . “is my piercing is infected”. I will cover more on Irritation Looks Like Infection in a future article. Learning how to pierce is more than just the actual piercing . . . it is helping your piercing clients after the piercing.

According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) an employee with the potential for exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material (OPIM) is required Universal Precautions training annually.

Universal Precautions are infection control procedures that involve the use of protective barriers. These barriers include gloves, gowns, aprons, masks, and protective eyewear, which can reduce the risk of exposure. These measures also include personal hygine practices like hand washing and the disposal of contaminated materials.

Body Piercing is not a universally regulated industry, therefore, there are NO universal procedures and requirements throughout the United States. That is why body piercing training is so different coming from various providers . . . there are no common standards practiced and required by governing agencies. Therefore, it is very important that you do your own research to determine those standards that specifically apply to you in your individual state.