ear piercing

Ear piercings are those pieces of jewelry that attach to the ear by way of a barb or thin piece of metal that is threaded through a small hole in the earlobe or other part of the ear. Ear piercing is one of the most widespread practices in the world. Ears were the first to be experimented on when man considered piercing. In some tribes, it was done because they thought that evil spirits entered the body through the ears and metals repulsed these spirits. Throughout history, we have instances of women, and even men, piercing their ears and adorning them with beautiful jewelry.
Though ear lobe piercing is most common, and it is the easiest to perform as the lobe is made up of soft tissue, there are other cartilaginous sites which can be pierced too. There are many types of piercing - vertical, industrial, helix, orbital and anti orbital. A helix piercing, for example, is a piercing along the outside rim of the ear. This piercing is slightly difficult to do, as this part of the ear is not as soft as the lobe. Industrial piercings join two holes with a barbell.
The risks involved are negligible if proper precautions are taken and the healing period is around six to eight weeks in an ear lobe piercing. Precautions like keeping the wound clean until it heals, not swimming, and keeping the telephones, headphones, reading glasses and hats that come into contact with your piercing clean are all important steps that can be taken to safeguard piercings.

eyelid or eyebrow piercing?

Your eyes are amongst the most expressive areas on your body, and your eyes are wholly unique. Naturally, a great way to emphasize your eyes is with body piercings! While facial piercings on the whole are becoming ever more popular and acceptable, piercings in the eye area are really pioneering new styles and methods in the body piercing and body modification world.

While I do not want to discourage you from getting a piercing in the eye area (in fact, I think eye area piercings are a beautiful way to enhance features), I do want you to be fully informed. I shall first explain eyebrow piercings, which are rather common now, and then I will dive into the rarer - and RISKIER- piercings that can be done near the eyes.

Eyebrow Piercings are common piercings in our culture. The eyebrow piercing can be placed anywhere on the eyebrow, although only a very skilled piercer should consider piercing near the inner corners (closest to the nose) of the eyebrow, for three major nerves are located in this area (for this reason, this isn't a popular placement). Most piercings are pierced at a forty degree angle, so as to minimize risks of tearing the jewelry out. Most initial jewelry consists of either curved barbells or captive rings, depending on your facial structure. Some people get multiple eyebrow piercings on one or both eyebrows - your creativity is really the limit.

Once pierced, these piercings take anywhere from five to eight weeks to heal, but irritations such as makeup or sweat can irritate the piercing and prolong healing. While the eyebrow is one of the least infected piercings, the risk is indeed there - so be sure to soak using warm saline solution, don't touch the jewelry with dirty hands, and follow all aftercare instructions given to you by your professional piercer.

tongue piercing

A tongue piercing is a type of body piercing that is normally done directly through the center of the tongue, and is one of most popular body piercing sites in the western world following the ear.

A tongue piercing is accomplished by first determining the placement of the piercing which is marked and a clamp is then applied. The first jewelry is usually longer than is ultimately required, which allows for swelling, which is normal after a piercing. Within 2 days following the piercing of the tongue it can swell to twice the size it originally was. This can be painful when eating and speaking, but it is not permanent. Piercers frequently recommend chewing on ice and drinking cold beverages in order to help reduce this swelling.

As a result of the tongue's exceptional healing ability, a tongue piercing will usually close rapidly. Some piercings will close up in a few hours while other holes that have been stretched larger may take a few days to close. The amount of time it takes for a piercing to heal differs greatly from one person to another. There are some people who have piercings that have larger stretched holes that are able to fit jewelry in their piercing sometimes after years. It is usually recommended that people who are not able to take care of their recent piercing avoid piercing procedures.

A traditional tongue piercing placement is in the center of the mouth along the midline of the tongue. It is frequently about 3/4 "back from the tip of the tongue. It is usually placed with the top a little further back than the bottom, which permits the top of the jewelry to lean back slightly and away from the teeth which puts it more towards the upper part of the palate since there is more room in the person's mouth there.

Long term or permanent tongue piercing has become extremely popular in modern western society. With high quality surgical steel readily available, barbell style jewelry is usually associated with the emergence of this piercing in the 1980s. It is also noteworthy that the this piercing is not specific to a particular gender and was not developed specifically for just a woman or a man. One of the most common names for tongue piercing jewelry is a tongue ring, which is a misnomer since tongue rings are rarely used in tongue piercings.

tragus piercing

This is the piercing of the small cartilage that is at the end of the ear tunnel. Though it is not as common as ear piercing, it has gained popularity over the past few years. What is done is that you go to a professional piercer and with a special piercing needle and scissors he gets your tragus pierced while you are either sitting or lying down. A small rubber is place at the other end of the tragus while it gets pierced. This part of the ear usually has some thick flesh and so a little bit of pressure is usually used to get the needle to the other end.

It is normally a painful process since bleeding is also involved but the pain gets away after a few days.The gauge of the needle that is used to get your tragus pierced is also very important as this will determine the size of rings, studs, labrets and barbells that you are going to put on thereafter. After this a special ring is then inserted into the hole and this will only be changed after it has healed.

You have to choose the jewelry carefully because you will have it on for quite some time about 8 weeks to even 3 months. You also have to take good care of your pierced tragus daily to ensure that it heals properly and failure to do this can make you get infections. You will have to clean it daily using saline solution or any other kind of a disinfectant solution as advised by your piercer. Put some solution on a small piece of cotton wool and clean it gently from the outside going to the inside and twist the jewelry ring a bit to ensure that solution gets into the hole. Do this with a clean hand to avoid any contact with bacteria.
You will also have to sleep on one side during this period to avoid getting hurt and also to ensure it heals within the appropriate time frame. You can get both of your traguses pierced or only one depending on your choice since different people have different tastes.

nose piercings

Nose piercing is the longest standing type of piercing carried out using specific equipment. In most of the cultures around the world, nose piercing is followed as a part of tradition. According to the choice of the wearer, the piercing can be done at the curve of the rim of nostril and most commonly selected part is the curve of one of the nostrils. Piercing can be done anywhere along the nostril or through the septum. Some people also select the base of nose between the two nostrils to pierce. Nose piercing is done with the help of cartilages that are less flexible with lower blood supply.

A needle or a gun can be used for the process and ensure that the piercing is done by an expert pierce. When a needle is used, a cork is inserted first into the nostril and the needle is simply pushed through. Try to avoid the use of guns for nose piercing as it have higher chances of transmitting body fluid borne diseases. The guns used for body piercing are not sterilized and thus increases the risk. The equipment used to pierce as well as the jewelry should be sterilized. Most of the jewelry comes in a sterilized pack and should not handle it when using the needle or gun to insert the needle. The sterile jewelry should be handled only with sterile gloves. Avoid the jewelry that has been on display as it carries the chances of infection. There are mainly three types of piercing and the healing time for each type is also different. The nostril piercing, septum piercing and bridge piercing are the common types of nose piercing.

After nose piercing, the ring of the nose demands extra care. You need to care for your nose piercing with special attention on a regular basis. To avoid infection, you have to keep the piercing site clean which will help to fast healing of the piercing. Especially when the piercing is new, wash your hands well before you touch your piercing or the jewelry. If there is any sign of infection, you could feel the area tender and in such a case, dermatologist help is highly recommended.

Once or twice a day, a hot compress can be applied to the pierced area which will help in fast healing of the wound. Without burning the skin, a soft and hot damp towel can be kept over the surface. For frequent healing, certain medicines are recommended. Always use gentle soap to clean the pierced part and avoid the use of highly perfumed soaps.

The first few days after piercing, needs special care and thus stay away from foundation make up. It would introduce bacteria to the wound thereby increasing the chances of infection. First aid liquid like Bactine is the perfect choice to keep your piercing extra clean.

Nose piercing gained its own popularity as a fashion symbol with the use of elegant jewels. The jewelry used is light in weight and comes in variety of designs and colors.