septum piercing

I received this message from a Facebook friend:

Hey Elayne, i just yesterday did a septum and I'm used to doing them with either septum clamps or just a needle and cork. I am not a big fan of the clamps cause I have found that they just plain hurt! So I almost always use the needle and cork method. I have heard recently that using a receiving tube for the procedure was very easy and comfortable..so I tried this method last night on a client and it was a mess..now granted its my responsibility to control my needle no matter what..

well this guy sneezed four times and moved around like a fish out of water..so the piercing was completely off and had to be redone..2nd time around he sat fine and it was still extremely off..at this point I just went back to my old method and used a cork and needle and the final product was just as it should be.

My question is this: Why is there so many good things i am hearing of the receiving tube method for septum's? Is there a secret that i am not aware of that makes it better or am i just misinformed? I have done more research and I'm still reading rave reviews of that method..does an angled receiving tube make a difference as opposed to a flat one?

My reply:

I received this message from a reader:

Elayne, the book was amazing!  I always had a feeling that the old shop I was going to was not the cleanest or most knowledgeable place in the world, and now I am certain haha!  You have really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I just didn't look at before.  I plan on enrolling in my classes soon, and hopefully with what I learned from your book I will have a bit of a head start above my competition for an apprenticeship.  Also, your aftercare section was great.  I have heard a ton of varying viewpoints, but never any reason other than "it just works."  The piercer who did my lip told me to use anti-bacterial soap and peroxide to clean my lip ring, and now I no longer have it because it wouldn't heal.  I wish I would have found your book sooner!  It probably would have been able to keep it!

Also, I found a video on YouTube after reading your book that you might be able to use as a "how not to pierce" guide.  Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bYU4fLYIVk

Any way, thanks again for everything.  You are the best.  I am going to be far more picky when I get my septum pierced and when I look for my apprenticeship.  Thank you so very much!

Alan

My reply: