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.

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.

As long as you have your parent's consent and proper identification, i.e. birth certificate, proper ID for parents so there is no question. Legal guardians or immancipation due to marriage is acceptable with proper proof.

Earrings, necklaces, waist bands, etc. and tattoos in good taste are acceptable. Genital jewelry is not allowed.

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.

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%.

There are no hard and fast rules on this. However, our general view is that genital jewellery must be discreet to be compatible with our aims as a family naturist club.If in doubt, please ask before booking. We are a Naturist club so, if the weather is suitable, we expect adults to be naked (naturist not masochist if it's cold) - a large T shirt or sarong is acceptable for shy first timers. If they are still not comfortable after several visits then perhaps Naturism isn't for them.

The plastic reusable ear piercing guns cannot be sterilized between uses. Often they aren't even cleaned between customers! This makes them dangerous, and highly unsuitable in terms of hygiene. Further, the guns insert studs which are not designed for body piercing. In fact, they are poorly designed even for ear lobe piercings. The studs are too short for anything other than an earlobe, and even some lobes are too thick for the studs to fit without pinching.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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