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Body piercing is a distinctive and artistic method to showcase your personal style and individuality. This beauty practice has existed for over 5,000 years, offering a variety of options. Whether it's ear, nose, eyebrow, tongue, navel, or lip piercings, the best approach is always to consult a professional piercer. However, if you're determined to do it yourself at home, there are ways to ensure the process is hygienic, pain-free, and as safe as possible.
Steps
Cleaning and Preparation
Wash your hands and the area to be pierced. Thoroughly clean your hands with antibacterial soap, then dry them with a clean towel. You will clean the piercing area after washing your hands. Pour some alcohol onto a sterile gauze pad and wipe the skin clean. Alcohol wipes also work well. To prevent recontamination, avoid touching the area after disinfecting.
- The easiest piercings to do at home are earlobe piercings. Nose and navel piercings can also be done at home with low risk. For piercings near the mouth (like tongue or lip), near the eyes, or on the upper ear, it's best to visit a professional piercing studio. You risk permanent scarring, bodily injury, or even disfigurement. Don't take the risk.
- If possible, wear sterile gloves after washing your hands to prevent infection.
Sterilize the piercing needle. Using a brand-new, unused piercing needle is ideal. Only remove the needle from its packaging once everything is prepared. If you only have an opened or previously used needle, you must sterilize it thoroughly. The more carefully you sterilize the needle and the skin, the lower the risk of infection.
- Use a piercing needle specifically designed for this purpose, not sewing needles or other types. Piercing needles are sharp and appropriately sized for the task, while other tools may cause unnecessary pain or skin damage.
- You can purchase piercing needles on Amazon.
Karissa Sanford
Body Piercing Technician
Body Piercing Technician
Follow all hygiene precautions and ensure the use of specialized products! While professional piercing studios are often the safest due to their sterile environments, it doesn't mean you can't create a near-professional standard at home.
Choose your jewelry. It's crucial to use high-quality jewelry to minimize the risk of infection, irritation, or allergic reactions. Professionals often recommend surgical steel, 14k or 18k yellow gold, 18k white gold, niobium, or titanium. Avoid cheap jewelry to cut costs. Invest in quality pieces to wear immediately after piercing; you can switch to more affordable options once the piercing heals.
- Clean the jewelry with rubbing alcohol.
Mark the spot where you want the piercing. Use a pen to make a small dot on the desired location, ensuring it looks aesthetically pleasing. For ear piercings, ensure symmetry. Check from all angles to confirm the mark is precise. This dot will guide the piercing needle.
- If you're unsure about the placement, use a marker to make a dot and leave it for a few days to see how you feel about it when looking in the mirror. This helps you decide if you truly want the piercing.
- For navel piercings, pinch the skin above the navel and mark a dot on the fold. When piercing, start from below, pushing the needle upward through the fold and aligning it with the dot.
- Marking the tongue is clearly challenging, which is a sign that you shouldn't attempt tongue piercings at home. While saving money and time might seem appealing, it's not worth the risk for a body part essential for speaking and eating.
Piercing
Align the needle with the marked spot. Ensure you can hold the needle firmly. Position the needle at the angle you want the jewelry to sit. In other words, the needle should follow the same path as the jewelry would through the ear or navel. If you pierce at an unusual angle, it will be difficult to wear jewelry later, so take your time to align the needle properly.
- If desired, you can apply a numbing gel to the area before piercing. Wait a moment for the gel to take effect.
Take a deep breath and push the needle through. Your motion should be quick and smooth. If you hesitate and push slowly or stop midway, the skin may tear. A smooth motion creates a clean piercing that heals faster. Push the needle through until it reaches the midpoint. Leave the needle in place for about 20 minutes to ensure you can insert the jewelry after removing it.
Remove the needle and quickly insert the jewelry. After leaving the needle in for 20 minutes, you can now replace it with something more attractive. The piercing hole will close quickly, so have your jewelry ready before removing the needle. Insert the clean jewelry into the hole. You may need to apply slight pressure to get it through, but avoid pressing too hard.
Cleaning the Piercing
Clean the piercing with a saline solution. While alcohol is suitable for sterilizing tools and skin before piercing, it can dry out the wound afterward. A saline solution is gentler and won't cause dryness. You can buy saline solution at a pharmacy or make your own. Try soaking the pierced area in a bowl or cup of saline solution. If soaking isn't possible, use a cotton swab to apply the solution to the piercing.
- If making your own saline solution, use fine-grain, non-iodized sea salt. Some grocery stores sell this alongside regular table salt, or you can purchase it online.
- Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a cup of distilled or bottled water. Reduce the salt amount if your skin feels dry.
Avoid touching the piercing. After getting pierced, you might be tempted to twist or play with your new jewelry, but this significantly increases the risk of infection. Try not to touch it except during daily cleaning. Never touch the piercing without thoroughly washing your hands first.
Keep the initial jewelry in place while the wound heals. Even if you have a stunning collection of high-quality jewelry, changing it before the piercing heals raises the risk of infection. Depending on the body part, healing can take anywhere from 1 month to 1 year.
- You can learn more about specific piercing locations by searching on Google.
Understanding the Risks
Be aware that piercings can bleed. The tongue has blood vessels and a large vein near the tip that can bleed heavily if punctured. Avoid piercing your tongue yourself. While the tongue is the most prone to bleeding, other areas can also bleed. Again, it's best to visit a professional piercer who can minimize bleeding.
Understand that scar tissue may form. If you pierce yourself, the risk of infection and unsightly scarring increases. Even if you remove the piercing later, the scar may remain permanently. Consider this before deciding to pierce your nose, ear, eyebrow, lip, tongue, or navel. Visiting a professional piercer may take time and money, but it's worth avoiding the worry of scarring.
Be aware that serious infections can occur. Piercing wounds can lead to severe complications. Untreated infections may result in sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, or blood poisoning. It's crucial to understand the potential consequences before deciding to pierce yourself.
- Whether you pierce yourself or go to a professional, anticipate possible issues. If the wound discharges fluid, seek medical attention. If redness, pain, and swelling persist for more than 3 days, consult a doctor. If anything seems unusual, don't hesitate to get it checked immediately.
