Body piercing

Body piercing usually refers to the piercing of a part of the human body for the purpose of wearing jewelry in the opening created. Body piercing is a form of body modification. "Piercing" is a related word that can refer to the act or practice of body piercing, or to a specific pierced opening or openings in the body.

Some peoples practice piercing for religious or other cultural reasons, while many individuals, particularly in the modern West, choose to be pierced for spiritual, ornamental or sexual reasons.

Body piercing in ancient times

The evidence suggests that body piercing (including ear piercing) has been practiced by peoples all over the world from ancient times.

Mummified bodies with piercings have been discovered, including the oldest mummified body discovered to date, which was found in an Austrian glacier. This mummy had an ear piercing 7–11 mm in diameter.

Nose piercing and ear piercing are mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 24:22 Abraham gave an earring to Rebekah, wife of his son Isaac. Nose piercing has been common in India since the 16th century.

Tongue piercing was popular with the elite of Aztec and Maya civilization, though it was carried out as part of a blood ritual and such piercings were not intended to be permanent. Ancient Mesoamericans wore jewelry in their ears, noses, and lower lips, and such decorations continue to be popular amongst indigenous peoples in these regions.

In Dreamtime by Hans Peter Duerr, it is claimed that nipple piercing became popular in 14th century Europe. It is sometimes claimed that the Romans invented nipple piercing and that soldiers attached their capes to the piercings (for example, see Doug Malloy). This is a controversial theory that seems rather unplausible given the sensitivity of the area and the ease with which such a practice could have caused injury; it is much more plausible that capes may have been hung from rings attached to soldiers' armor.

Body piercing today

Popularization in the United States

Jim Ward is often credited with popularizing body piercing in America. He opened America's first body piercing business, The Gauntlet, Los Angeles in 1975.

Societal attitudes

In the United States, and in other Western countries, ear piercing (for females only) was for a long time long the only common and acceptable visible piercing. But, by all accounts, body piercing is steadily gaining in both popularity and acceptance in the West and in other parts of the world. In some areas, certain types of piercings, even those once considered radical, are becoming more accepted. For example, while ear piercing was long uncommon among middle- and upper-class Western males, today men with pierced ears may be seen working in banks and other traditionally conservative settings in some areas, though this is by no means standard. In other parts of the world, ear piercing is still considered inappropriate for males in many settings, as are multiple ear piercings on women.

Personal attitudes

Attitudes towards piercing continue to be divisive. Some regard the practice of piercing or of being pierced as spiritual, sometimes embracing the term "modern primitive," while others deride this approach as insulting, as cultural appropriation, or as faddish. Some see the practice as a form of artistic or self-expression, while others choose to be pierced as a form of sexual expression and/or for sexual stimulation or the perceived increase in sexual feeling that certain piercings are thought by some to create. For some people, piercing is part of an S&M lifestyle or relationship, or is incorporated into SM play.

Some people choose to be pierced for symbolic reasons. For example, some survivors of sexual abuse have said that they experience piercing as allowing them to retake control over their own bodies. Some people choose to be pierced to symbolize certain relationships.

While some people consider body modification to be a sign of non-conformity, others deride body piercing as faddish. This can at times lead to prejudice or cognitive bias towards those with piercings or visible signs of past piercings.

Modern piercing procedure

All piercings require creating an opening in the body. Piercings that will be worn longterm (that is, those that are intended to be more or less permanent, as opposed to play piercings) are created by forcing a sharp object through the area to be pierced. In most modern Western contexts, a hollow medical needle is used to create the hole into which the jewellery is placed, and the procedure is carried out in a sterile manner. Jewellery and equipment are usually autoclaved before use, and other precautions taken.

Indwelling cannula method

Many European (and other) piercers use a needle containing a cannula (hollow plastic tube). The needle is partly withdrawn, and the jewelery inserted into the other end of the cannula. The cannula is used to pull the jewellery through the newly created opening.

Piercing guns

Another technique common in modern Western piercing is the use of a piercing gun, to force a semi-blunt piercing stud through the region to be pierced. This technique results in greater trauma than needle piercing, is unsuitable for piercing most regions besides ear lobes, and is less likely to be sterile. As a result it is a subject of controversy among professional piercers.

Expansion of piercings

Some people with piercings expand them beyond the initial narrow gauge they are pierced with. This may be done gradually, by stretching, or rapidly by scalpelling.

The healing process

Over time, after the piercing, the resulting wound is allowed to heal, forming a tunnel of skin called a fistula. When the piercing has fully healed, the initial jewelry may be changed or removed for short periods.

Encouraging healing

A new piercing will be sore, tender or red for several days up to three weeks. Complete healing normally takes several weeks or more. The below table has more specific healing time estimates. During this period, care must be taken to avoid infection. Touching--or, for genital and oral piercings, sexual activity--is usually discouraged.

Changing of initial jewellery to allow for swelling

For some piercings (in particular tongue piercings) changing the initial jewelry is an essential step. In the case of tongue piercing this is because the initial jewellery is significantly longer than the jewellery for a healed piercing, to allow for swelling.

The end of the process

When a piercing is fully healed and is no longer painful or prone to infection, and when the jewelry can be removed for long periods without the opening re-healing, it is said to be "seasoned." Seasoning can take a year or more.

Cleaning of piercings

Cleaning of most piercings

For piercings other than oral and genital, soaking in saline solution is a technique often recommended and used. Antiseptic rinses are generally not recommended, as they can be too harsh on the exposed flesh. Rotation of the body piercing jewelry is regarded as a potential aid to healing, provided it is carried out after careful cleaning.

Cleaning of oral piercings

For tongue, lip, cheek and labret piercings, the rinsing of the mouth after eating, drinking (except water) and smoking is recommended. Some piercers and piercees use Listerine, while others prefer to use a non-alcoholic mouthwash such as Oral-B Non-Alcoholic or Biotene, or a dilute saline solution. Kissing and oral sex are advised against for 4–6 weeks after the piercing, as are excessively cold or hot foods.

Cleaning of genital piercings

It is recommended that both male and female piercings are cleaned with saline solution, as with other piercings. Tight clothing and genital intimacy are recommended against for a period of 4–6 weeks. The urine of the pierced person is sterile (to them), so will not infect their piercings.

Behaviours which promote healing

Behaviours which are recommended

• Revisiting the piercer for an evaluation at any time, if needed
• Practicing good hygiene
• Following the recommended aftercare guidelines

Behaviours which are recommened against

• Contact between the new piercing and another person's skin
• Touching the piercing, unless cleaning it, in which case only with washed hands
• Smoking (in the case of oral piercings)
• Contact between the piercing and bodily fluids, perfume or cosmetics
• Oral sex and genital intimacy (where this could cause one of the above)
• Swimming in public swimming pools, lakes, oceans, streams, as they may be too harsh to promote skin cell healing

Healing times

The length of time required for healing a given piercing will vary according to many factors, including but not limited to the type of piercing and jewelry, the aftercare, and the overall health of the person. The following table provides typical estimates and should be used as a general guide only. A professional piercer or medical doctor should be consulted for specific information.

List of piercing types

Facial piercings

• Nose and septum piercing
• Ear piercing
• Lip piercing
• Cheek piercing
• Tongue piercing
• Bridge piercing
• Eyebrow piercing

Body piercings

• Nipple piercing
• Navel piercing
• Surface piercing

Male genital piercings

• Apadravya piercing
• Ampallang piercing
• Prince Albert piercing
• Reverse Prince Albert piercing
• Frenum piercing
• Lorum piercing
• Guiche piercing
• Dydoe piercing
• Scrotal piercing, e.g. transscrotal piercing
• Hafada piercing
• Frenum ladder
• Dolphin piercing
• Pubic piercing
• Foreskin piercing
• Deep shaft piercing

Female genital piercings

• horizontal and vertical hood piercing
• inner and outer labia piercing
• clitoris piercing
• Christina piercing
• Princess Albertina
• Isabella piercing
• Fourchette piercing
• Triangle piercing

Related articles

• Earring
• Body piercing jewelry
• Body piercing materials
• Ear piercing instrument
• Tattooing
• Body modification

Related Media

The following Adobe pdf documents are examples from a single piercing studio:

• A body modification code of ethics
• The studio's Required legal forms and aftercare sheets
• A chart for sizing gloves and measuring jewelry gauge and size
• A list of piercings' difficulty and pricing
• Examples of different kinds of needles used for body piercing, and a few examples of how to dispose of them
• Some healing related issues that relate to body piercing
• A guide to testing jewellery
• A chart comparing wire gauges likely to be encountered when making jewelry

External links

• Body Modification Ezine — oldest and biggest body modification website
• the ABC of piercing — on piercing.com
• Piercing-Spezial — a German piercing site with a photo gallery