What is a piercing ? The importance of knowing what it is about, and choosing your body piercer.

We hear the word "piercing" everywhere, we see "piercing" signs on every street corner, and we all know at least one person with a piercing around us. Yet, do you really know what a piercing is? And are you aware of what it entails to get pierced?

Let's start with a little vocabulary. It's common to hear phrases like "I'd like to change my piercing," when in reality, what the person wants to change is... the jewelry!

Don't panic, this confusion is common (we've all been there, we promise!), but here's an opportunity to clarify things:

• A piercing is the canal created in the body (basically: the hole/wound)

• The jewelry is the object inserted into the canal (the hole/wound)

Now that you have the explanation of what a piercing is, you begin to understand that a piercing is ... a wound! So it is a wound, but not quite classic: it is an abnormal wound. The body is asked to heal in an unusual way, around a piece of jewelry. Logically, when we hurt ourselves, the body tries to close the wound as quickly as possible. Here it finds itself confronted with an object that prevents it from doing its job properly. It will therefore take much longer to heal and create a channel all along the jewelry, and this will take at least 6 months (earlobes), up to 12 - 18 months on cartilaginous areas. Patience is therefore required, and to have good healing, it is important to put as many chances as possible on your side.

Piercing, an act that has been overly normalized:

I often hear that people take a lot of precautions when getting a tattoo: choose a good, skilled artist who knows how to draw and trace lines, uses quality inks, and also performs the tattoo in perfectly hygienic conditions. And that's great! It's a break in the skin, and a design that will remain ingrained in the body for life. So always be careful to choose an artist who knows their craft, especially in today's world where so many "scratchers" are flooding the streets.

But when it comes to piercings, I still hear these comments far too often: “I did it on a whim,” “Oh, it’s just a hole!”. We sometimes tend to downplay this act because earlobe piercings are very common, even on children, which is obviously not the case with tattoos. But in reality, a piercing is much more invasive than a tattoo because it penetrates all the layers of the skin and creates a much deeper wound that will take much longer to heal (at least 6 months, and it can go up to 12 to 18 months depending on the area).

So let’s be clear: getting a piercing deserves just as much care (if not more) than getting a tattoo.

Piercing : a technical act:

One thing is for sure: piercings are now part of everyday life! But behind the ornamental aspect, as you're beginning to understand, lies a far more technical act than it seems, because it involves the body and health, with all the risks that entails.

Yet, the practice of piercing is often trivialized, and we see offers of "free piercing with the purchase of jewelry" popping up everywhere, or people performing piercings without really having the skills or knowledge...

Unfortunately, few people are truly informed about what constitutes a well-done piercing, under what conditions this procedure should be performed, and what skills the person performing the piercing should possess.

So, what are the optimal conditions for a piercing to heal properly?

A piercing is, by definition, the act of intentionally piercing a part of the body in order to insert jewelry. It is therefore a bodily breach, penetrating all living tissue, creating a wound, and must be performed under very strict hygiene conditions, requiring the body piercer to be rigorous, precise, and possess anatomical knowledge. Several factors influence the quality and healing of a piercing:

• Being pierced with a needle is essential; piercings with a gun are dangerous (read the article on needles versus guns).

• The quality of the jewelry used: Jewelry must be made of safe materials and have impeccable finishes (read the article on jewelry quality).

• Perfect hygiene during the piercing process goes far beyond simply wearing gloves and using a sterile needle!

• Having a body piercer who has knowledge of anatomy, but also a modern, atraumatic piercing technique, and who uses quality equipment.

• Appropriate aftercare: For example, a professional will not give you any disinfectant, cream, or other antiseptic or alcohol-based products. For a piercing performed under ideal hygienic conditions, only saline-based aftercare is necessary (not saltwater soaks, but simply physiological saline solution in a bottle or spray).

The role of the Body Piercer:

As professional body piercers, our role is not limited to “making a hole.”

We must assess the person's anatomy, advise on the optimal placement, suggest and insert suitable jewelry, and provide follow-up and support during the healing period (few of us do this, yet this follow-up is extremely important). It is a technical profession, based on knowledge of hygiene, anatomy, and managing complications… but also on listening and teaching skills.Getting a piercing isn't just about placing a jewelry; it's about supporting someone through a process of body modification that deserves care, expertise, and respect for their body.

So, what's next?

This article may have given you a new perspective (and perhaps raised a lot of questions). I myself wanted to delve much deeper into the subject, but I'll address the remaining questions in future articles to provide clear and in-depth explanations.

If you also have questions or would like me to cover specific topics on this blog, you can always contact me by email or through social media (Instagram or Facebook).

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See you soon,

Sélina.