Even after your piercing is completely healed, it will take some time before the new skin inside the piercing will be ready for daily removal. From the moment you remove your jewelry, your piercing begins to shrink, and how long it can stay out will have to be experimental on your part. Never force your jewelry back in if it doesn't want to go. Come see a professional re-insert the jewelry.

There are great many questions which people have about piercing and there are many misconceptions and horror stories also. All the information presented, comes from extensive medical research. Yes, but the pain is minimal if performed by an experienced Body Piercer.

If your nose piercing is too swollen to get the earring backing back on, then that in itself is the source of your problem. 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. See what others thought of their piercing experience. Read their personal thoughts on the process, pain, and healing.

It really depends on alot of variables as to how long it takes a piercing will take to shrink to the point that reinsertng jewelry is problematic. In general, the following factors will tend to decrease the amount of time that you can safely leave the jewelry out of your piercing: The larger the actual length of the piercing itself, the shorter the time it can be safely left without jewelry.

There are two stages in healing a piercing. After the initial healing time, the piercing will be healed enough that you will be able to have your piercer change the jewelry, at which time he/she can instruct you on how to change it yourself in the future. However, it takes significantly longer for the new skin inside the piercing to toughen up enough for you to safely remove your jewelry for extended periods of time. The hole will begin to shrink down as soon as you remove the jewelry.

It depends. Before the jewelry can be changed, the piercing needs to be completely healed. Everyone's body heals differently, so you should check with a piercer before you change the jewelry.

This depends. Each piercing has a different lifespan without jewelry. Bottom line, if you have to remove your jewelry, contact your piercer about retainers. This will prevent any chance of losing the piercing. And retainers are made with clear lucite, flesh colored or clear acrylic ends, and other styles of "hideable" accessories. So hiding your piercing shouldn't be an issue. And for athletes, a flexible material can be used such as Tygon.

If you've stretched a piercing but want it to shrink back, there are a few things to consider to figure out whether or not that is possible.

Stretching a piercing is a process that requires patience, especially if you goals are lofty. Ideally, if you wait a reasonable amount of time in between stretches and listen to the limits your body sets on what can be comfortably done, stretching feels like a mild stinging or burning sensation. Yes, you can force jewelry in fast and get your piercing to be many times its original size quickly, but we have seen the negative results of this time and again.

All piercings above the neck must be a minimum of 1mm and below the neck must be 1.6mm. Piercing jewelry must be made of Platinum, Palladium, 316L Grade Stainless Steel, or 24ct & 18ct Gold. Silver should never be used as it oxidizes in the wound and can cause allergic reactions. Surgical Steel rings must be highly polished and must have been passivated, which is an acid cleaning process.

Yes, but it will take an investment in tools and supplies. To be perfectly honest, it would be cheaper to just buy. Don't consider making your own jewelry unless you're doing it because you enjoy it. To make body piercing jewelry you will need first of all access to high quality materials -- even very slight deviations in the grade of stainless steel for example can have a monstrous effect on reactions.

All piercings have a different amount of time required before jewelry can be changed. Ask your piercer about your specific piercing.

No. We cannot use jewelry bought at the mall or discount stores because it can be of a lower grade metal that can affect healing or cause irritation after the piercing has healed. Back to top

The rate at which your body piercing heals varies greatly from person to person. Some piercings can take up to a year to heal properly. Even after the piercing has healed, reinsertion can be difficult and sometimes impossible. You should not change your body jewelry during the initial healing period. The initial piercing healing time is usually about 2-5 months. Be sure to always wear appropriate jewelry in your piercings, even when fully healed.

The whole process usually takes about 10 minutes, most of which is to prepare the instruments and supplies and for the ice to work. The actual piercing takes only 1 second and it causes a very small sharp pain, equivalent to getting a needle from a doctor.

It's a good idea to wait at least 3 times as long as the healing period before attempting to stretch. This is only a General Rule, so sometimes you can go faster, sometimes slower. It's always a good idea to let your piercer do the stetching as the right tools for the job make it a lot easier. Patience is a virtue, stretch at a normal pace...when your body wants you too. We also suggest 6-8 weeks in between each streatch.

The time it takes to heal a piercing not only varies with the type of piercing, but also from person to person and the type of care it is given. Touching a piercing with dirty hands, rough treatment, the use of cleaning agents that are not recommended or your body is sensitive to, including your own body fluids, can lengthen the healing time required. By following Avant-Garde's aftercare, you will shorten your healing time and minimize the risk of problems.

Unfortunately, no. Since we use only titanium jewelry for initial piercings, we will not use any jewelry for a piercing that we cannot guarantee the quality of. It is impossible to tell the quality of the jewelry or what metal it contains by looking at it. Even if the person who sold you the jewelry originally told you it was titanium, we cannot guarantee this to be true.

In accordance with healing, this time period can vary from person to person. There are two things to consider: the initial and full healing periods. The initial healing period is that time when the body creates a nice layer of skin between you and the jewelry. The full healing period is when the new piercing is entirely healed. Now, when deciding how long to wait before changing your jewelry you have to remember that you don’t want to reopen the wound.

This depends. Each piercing has a different lifespan without jewelry. For example, I removed my second tongue barbell to go to the dentist and after an hour and a half the hole closed up. On the other hand, I've kept my earlobe jewelry out for days without having my holes shrink or close-up. Bottom line, if you have to remove your jewelry, get a retainer. This will prevent any chance of losing the piercing.

It helps if you have an early night the day before, if you do go out try not to drink too much, it can make you nauseous after a piercing and increases bleeding. Have something to eat approximately 1 hour before the piercing. Drinking a 250ml bottle of Gatorade or Lucozade, or eating something sweet (cake or chocolate) beforehand will help you feel better.

It's a good idea to wait at least 3 times as long as the healing period before attempting to stretch. This is only a General Rule, so sometimes you can go faster, sometimes slower. It's always a good idea to let your piercer do the stetching as the right tools for the job make it a lot easier. Patience is a virtue, stretch at a normal pace...when your body wants you too. Please check out our online stretching guide and our body piercing stretcher kits.

Your piercer should give you full aftercare instructions before you leave, but the general rule is to KEEP IT CLEAN. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before you touch the piercing, and wash it with an antibacterial soap 2-3 times a day, until it is fully healed. Yes, sort of! Tattoos are most commonly referred to as a slight burning sensation by most customers.

All removed piercings will leave a mark or scar. However, everyone scars differently, so some will be more noticeable than others.

YES. Piercing needles are brand new and autoclaved also. So is the body jewelry used in a new piercing.

Do not remove the jewelry until the piercing is healed. Even then, the holes may close quickly. It can take over a year for the piercing holes to have any kind of permanency. For a light heal (no pain or discoloration, but not a full skin tube completely healed), please wait at least 6-8 weeks to change your jewelry. If you need to remove the jewelry for a specific reason before this time, contact us so that we can look at all the options.

Please consult with a piercing professional. Most piercers recommend that the piercing heal completely before changing the jewelry. We feel that body jewelry should always be first changed by a professional in a sterile environment.

That is the simple answer. Non Piercing Body Jewelry is like other mainstream jewelry styles - how you wear it, and what you wear it with, determines how other people see it. A simple, medium-sized cross necklace is the perfect example: if you dress demurely, the cross will look innocent; but that same cross can look devilish if worn with a goth outfit; put it on a rapper, or a nun, or even Mr T, and it has a different look each time.