Of all the piercings, navels tend to grow out the most. Placement has a lot to do with the success of any piercing, so you can increase your success by being pierced by an experienced piercer and following the aftercare instructions. Wearing tight or restrictive clothing can cause a piercing to move or grow out.

The Navel (Belly Button) is by far the most popular, mainly for women; it's unusual, sexy and gives you another place to wear jewellery! Tongue piercing is the new craze, why? Because it heals in 2 weeks and it's fantastic for sex! Nipple piercing is the 3rd most popular, it looks sexy and makes your nipple very sensitive.

Depending on the intensity of the piercings and the experience level of the piercee the absolute maximum number is four although we recommend no more than two. The piercee should allow at least two weeks between piercing sessions so that his/her body can have a chance to heal.

Most of them, especially when performed by a professional. There are some areas of the body that can be severely damaged if not pierced correctly. A professional piercer has to know how to avoid harmful mistakes. They also understand the weight of the responsibility when they take another's life into their hands.

The anticipation of pain is worse than the actual split-second of time that a piercing takes. Mori numbs the area being pierced as much as possible by use of a topical or ice. This decreases the associated pain of piercing by up to 80%.

You may have as many piercings as you desire, however 'post piercing trauma' (shock) is a reality and while some piercing aficionado's and record setters have had as many as 200-300 piercings in one sitting, it is not recommended. But many clients get between 6 and 15 in one sitting with no trauma at all. This is dependent on the type of piercing and is best discussed on a one-on-one consultation for the best advice possible.

All piercings are done using sterile, single use needles. Some piercings require the use of forceps (otherwise known as clamps) to hold the area securely. These may provide a feeling of numbness as it momentarily cuts off circulation. Other placements require the use of a receiving tube which "catches" the needle as it exits the piercing site and prevents the needle from puncturing any other areas of the body.

No, Acupuncture Shiatsu or Acupressure all work by stimulating pressure points and re-aligning the energy meridians of the body. However, if you cut your leg off and it's sewn back on the meridians still work because the body realizes it's a wound and re-routes the energy accordingly. A piercing is a wound and therefore it doesn't affect the flow of energy.

piercing becomes more common, some piercers become more willing to perform riskier piercings due to the increasing demand for them. While some piercers may succeed in a few and still others may offer legitimate advances in techniques, the vast majority of those offering such things are usually inappropriate, unsuccessful, dangerous, or even possibly fatal.

Below is a very rough guide to the kind of sizes you may expect your piercing to be. However, if you are unsure please measure your piercing with either some vernier callipers or a ruler. Earlobes/rims - if wearing 'normal' ear piercing jewellery usually 0.6mm - 1mm stem thickness, if wearing barbells or body rings without stretching usually 1.2mm - 1.

Definately!. It all depends on how many clients come into the clinic. It very much depends on the weather and other factors like the time of the year. Trainees have been known to do between two and about fifteen!

Three piercings in one appointment is not uncommon. Having many more than that can be a bit too stressful for your body to cope with and can prolong your healing time.

This varies according to the location of the piercing and the jewellery used. It is not uncommon for tongue piercings to 'heal' in a week or two, neither is it unknown for nipple piercings to take many months. Remember though, that it takes much longer for the piercing to be truly healed and it should always be treated with care.

Flexible materials are not a suitable substitute for hooks or other rigid structures. Materials such as rope will tighten around the piercing, causing the skin to be pulled to one point and rip. More rigid items such as hooks are definitely better choices unless the goal is to tear free (for example in a ball dance or Sundance-type ceremony). In addition, doing this would result in major contamination of the rigging system, on top of the fact that there isn't really any way to sterilize rope.

It is in theory possible, but realistically, NO, and there is certainly no particular advantage to doing this.

The piercing gun is widely used in mall and department stores - and professional piercing artists want to see it BANNED. Why? Find out why the gun is so dangerous and how the needle compares.

Well, let's see...The uvula (the little bat hangy-down thing in the back of the throat.) for starters. If that gets infected and occludes your airway, you're kind of in trouble, eh? A few others would be any of the frenula, or webbing, in the mouth...like the smiley or the webbing under the tongue. They aren't very safe to do.

Lars - "I have a lot of peircing in my ears and my left nipple is peircing but not anything below." - Lars Ulrich Yes, and then the headstock broke, so he had to switch to his back up guitar, the Explorer. He realized he liked it better and stuck with it. At the time he was using a Gibson Explorer, but later changed to his well known ESP Explorers.

See your piercer for this. Going to fast or just shoving jewelry in could cause a lot of damage and possibly make it harder, or impossible, to stretch again. Getting pierced with a piercing-gun is very unhealthy for your body. A piercing-gun inflicts blunt trauma force to the body, which increases the chance for infection and an unpleasant healing process. ALL piercings should be performed with a hollow, surgical steel tribevel needle.

Navel jewelry may be left in place; some women leave jewelry in during their entire pregnancy and delivery. If, during your pregnancy the piercing becomes uncomfortable, you can replace the jewelry with Tygon or PTFE, which are inert plastics (something like thick fishing line). These will bend and flex with your changing body, be more comfortable, and are safe to wear. Once your pregnancy is over, you can return to the jewelry.

Obviously very rough sexual activity should be avoided until and genital piercing is fully healed. Gentle or normal sexual activity should be avoided for at least 3-4 days even when condoms and dental dams are used. If you opt not to use such protection, sex should be avoided completely for 3-4 weeks.

The nipple secretes milk through a system of hundreds of milk ducts, so the process of breast feeding will not be affected. However, if the piercing were infected, the milk would become contaminated and therefore harmful to the baby. It is strongly recommended that the mother remove her jewelry or replace the jewelry with barbells until breast feeding is no longer necessary. Also, at Avant-Garde we will not pierce a pregnant woman's nipples

The (almost) complete guide to body piercings - includes information on proper names, locations, starter jewelry recommendations, expected healing times and answers to the most common piercing questions. There seems to be some confusion about just how much a piercing can actually enhance the sexual experience. Part 1 of this mini-series addresses female genital piercings and how they may or may not affect sexual stimulation. Male genital piercings may or may not enhance the sexual experience.

There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that you never see to give you what you want. Needle making, sterilizing, cleaning, book keeping, etc. Then there is the cost of maintaining a Professional Studio. License fees, training, continuing education, supplies, building lease/mortgage, utilities, taxes, etc. Last but certainly not least is the fact that you are paying the Artist for their Talent and expertise. Getting a Tattoo and/or Piercing is not a bargain shopping experience.

an adolescent, your body is still growing and it is inappropriate for adolescents to have any piercings other than their ears. As children grow, their bodies change, so navel, nipple, and genital piercings will most likely reject (not mentioning the legal ramifications of piercing a minor's genitals). Also, bear in mind that keeping piercings clean and germ free is important in healing any piercing.

Earlobe: $25; Healing time: 3-4 weeks. One of the most common body piercing, it is usually not given the attention to placement appropriate to its location. Lobe piercings can be angled to match existing piercings or can be placed perpendicular to the plane of the lobe. This piercing is quite often done with a piercing gun, an archaic and dangerous piece of equipment that cannot be autoclave steam sterilized. AVOID THE USE OF PIERCING GUNS ON YOUR BODY. Ear Rims: $25; Healing time: 3-4 months.

Please see on online Body Piercing Stretching Guide as well as our Body Piercing Stretcher Kits. The kits include everything you'll need to safely stretch your body piercings. (back to top)