Piercing

I received this message from a piercer on the East Coast:

Thanks for all your great articles. I always skip right to your article first thing when I get a new pain magazine. I bought the Piercing Bible last year for curiosity and I must say, I was surprised at how well written and how much content it had. Can't say I agree with everything but I respect you for your work in this industry and appreciate the information you put out there. We had to fight over your book in the shop when we first got it. When we come across questions between ourselves as piercers we use your book to get your opinion. Thanks. K.

My response:
Thanks for your message and for your feedback. I know there will be an update to The Piercing Bible eventually, and I'm interested in hearing about what other piercers disagree with. If you'd care to share an of your thoughts on this, I'd take your input into consideration during my rewrite.

And that goes for any of you readers too. I am interested in the feedback of other professionals, so don't hesitate to contact me with your perspectives. It could result in a change in the first revised edition of The Piercing Bible.

I received this message from a Health Education Specialist at a university:

Ms Angel,
I am a Health Educator at the University of Louisville and I'm trying to find some medically accurate information on genital piercings, including risks, long-term side-affects, and questions that potential pierce-ees should research before determining whether to obtain one.

Can you help guide me to this info? I see that you have some info on your website for men, but the link to info for women takes me to a promo for some events that you have coming up.
I really appreciate your help!
 
Kathleen Conte, M.A.
Health Education Specialist
University of Louisville
Campus Health Services
Office of Health Promotion and Education

I received this message from a piercer with a question about tongue piercing:

Hello Elayne,
I'm currently a body piercer in NY, I have recently returned to piercing after having been out for some time. My question is, I pierced a womans tongue over a month ago and she returned with a hard bump inside her tongue after a night of drinking she said. There doesn't appear to be any puss or leakage of any type, however, she said it is slightly tender. I have never had this situation before and I have done several tongues in the past. It is not discolored either, do you have any suggestions for this situation?..Mick

Wow! I ran across this video of a woman with lip plates drinking water. It is fascinating to see how incredibly large her piercings are stretched (both upper and lower lips). I can also see that there has been no thinning of the tissue, which often occurs when stretching is done too quickly.

It looks like drinking is a bit of a challenge, and I imagine eating is too, but I'm completely fascinated. It isn't a modification I'd want for myself, however. The little 14 gauge hole in my lip is just fine for me.

There was an article on the ABC news website about what parents permit their kids to do. It discussed matters like staying out at night, using cell phones, surfing the web--and ear piercing. Interestingly, it said that parents would let their girls get ear piercings as young as 9, and  27 percent of parents said ear-piercing is OK for girls younger than 6 – no other item scored more than 1 percent in that category. Another 20 percent say ear-piercing is appropriate between ages 6 and 11.

Knowing exactly how and where much of this early piercing takes place, I left the following comment:

Parents should know that ear piercing (while quite socially acceptable for young girls these days) is not without its own risks. Especially if the piercing is done by a gun at a kiosk or mall. According to "The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing" (Random House, May 2009):

"These gadgets were originally invented for tagging cattle and other animals, and later adapted for use on humans. The gun forces a pointy earring through the skin, which causes more tissue trauma and discomfort than the razor-sharp needle used by body piercers. The one-size post length does not “fit all” and cannot accommodate a plump earlobe or any swelling; it is certainly not long enough to be worn in a body piercing. The stud earring typically employs a butterfly-style clasp that can inhibit the healing process and increase the risk of infection by compressing the tissue, limiting circulation, and trapping secretions and bacteria."

The book then goes on to describe how disease transmission can take place:

Well, that's a little harsh. But the winter weather there is also harsh, so I'm happy to be back in the Yucatan, where the weather is literally 50+ degrees warmer than it was on the East Coast. It was between the 20s and 40s there, and here it is a breezy, but toasty 97 degrees. Yum!

My husband and I had a fantastic trip, and we were truly honored to speak at Yale University. You can see some reviews of my class on erotic piercings here and here.

While in NY, I stopped into a cool clothing store (where I found a geat pair of black leather pants) and ran into a woman who I'd met previously in my own studio in New Orleans. She's a very interesting person named Joshua Suzanne, and she did a brief interview with me:

That's the title of an article I was interviewed for that provides important information for parents about piercings their teens might get or have. The Piercing Bible was quoted and credited.

It starts off:

When done properly, piercing is safe. Elayne Angel is the author of The Piercing Bible – The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing and the Medical Liaison for the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) and recommends following standard safety precautions for a safe piercing experience:

• the piercing should be done in a hygienic facility by a trained, experienced worker
• sterile, disposable equipment should be used
• jewelry of the correct material, size, and style should be inserted
• proper aftercare instructions should be followed

Click here to read the rest of the article.

This past week I had the honor of visiting Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut to provide a lecture on Erotic Piercings for their Sex Week event. I gave an hour and a half talk to an attentive audience that consisted primarily of students (and a few professors as well!). My lecture was supported by abundant visuals (150 slides) throughout a PowerPoint presentation created especially for this event.

The focus of the class was genital piercings for both men and women, though I also covered the erotic possibilities of oral and nipple piercings, and emphasized the importance of seeking a highly qualified piercer. Graphic images of botched piercings drove that point home. I received a lot of positive feedback from members of the audience, several of whom reported that they were now considering getting genital piercings for themselves!

You can see the article here.