1. Does it hurt?
2. How long does it take to heal?
3. How do I look after it while it is healing?
4. When can I change the jewellery?
5. How can I insert my new jewellery?
6. Why do I have to be pierced with surgical steel or titanium?
7. When is it safe to stretch my piercing and how can I do this?
8. Is it safe to breast feed if I have my nipples pierced?
9. Will a piercing heighten sensitivity in the area of the piercing?
10. What if the people in the studio are rude when I ask questions?
11. What if the studio does not appear to be clean and the people there have a bad attitude?
12. I have heard about piercings migrating, What does this mean and why does it happen?
13. I would like to get a piercing through the cartilage of my ear but I'm worried about having a hole in my ear when I take the jewellery out, will the hole close without the jewellery in it?
14. Piercings and Anesthetic

1. Does it hurt?
There is a little pain when you get pierced but it is not nearly as bad as you envision it to be. The actual pain from a piercing is only felt for a second and then it's over. It may be sensitive for a few days or so after you've had it done but it's nothing anyone can't handle. Most people comment on how it was not nearly as bad as they thought it would be and leave with a smile! The anticipation of getting a piercing is far worse to endure than the piercing itself, as most people tend to fear the unknown! back to top

2. How long does it take to heal?
We can only give the average time a piercing takes to heal as everybody heals at different rates. For example, some people's bodies tend to heal a piercing quicker whereas others tend to take a little longer. Different piercings heal at different rates for example a tongue piercing takes 4-6 weeks where as a navel takes 6 months to a year to heal. So here is a list of average healing times for various piercings: Navel, 6 months to a year; Labret/Lip, 6-8 weeks; Cartilage (ear), 2 months to a year; Earlobe, 4-8 weeks; Nostril, 2 months to a year; Septum, 6-8 weeks; Eyebrow, 6-8 weeks; Tongue, 4-6 weeks; Nipple, 2-6 months; Prince Albert, 4-6 weeks; Clitoral Hood, 4-8 weeks. back to top

3. How do I look after it while it is healing?
Treat your piercing like a wound until it has healed completely. Follow your piercer's instructions carefully and if you are ever uncertain about anything in the healing process do not hesitate to speak to them about it. Basically treat your piercing gently and do not put pressure on it. Keep it clean and do not touch it unless you have to, scrub your hands with antibacterial soap first. For more in-depth information on healing please go to piercing aftercare. back to top

4. When can I change the jewellery?
Jewellery should only be changed after a piercing has completely healed. Due to the fact that healing periods vary slightly from person to person you should wait until your piercing is no longer sensitive in any way. At this stage you should be able to `play' with the piercing without experiencing any discomfort or tenderness. If you change your jewellery before this time you risk rupturing the fresh layer of tender skin that forms as your piercing is in the early to mid stages of healing. This will extend your healing period and it will require close attention and intense aftercare so as to avoid an infection of any kind. back to top

5. How can I insert my new jewellery?
Most studios in South Africa will do this for you free of charge, so I do recommend that you visit the studio and ask them to do it for you, as we have seen some scary things people have done to themselves and their jewellery while attempting to change it at home. If you insist on doing it yourself, that's fine, just please make sure you know what you are doing before you start to play around. back to top

6. Why do I have to be pierced with surgical steel or titanium?
These are the best materials for the initial piercing as less than 5% of people on the planet would have a reaction to these materials, as opposed to say stainless steel or silver. These would cause a reaction and irritate the wound causing it not to heal and creating discomfort for you. For those of you who wear gold body jewellery there are places that will pierce with it, but this is something we are not too keen on. We feel 24ct gold is too soft for most piercings, although 18ct gold is relatively pure it still contains a slightly higher content of other metals that you could have a reaction to. With regards to gold, we recommend that you heal the piercing up with surgical steel or titanium and once healed change to the gold jewellery that you desire. All this requires is a little patience and once a piercing has healed you can have fun wearing all sorts of different jewellery to suit your individual style. back to top

7. When is it safe to stretch my piercing and how can I do this?
Stretching a piercing up requires patience. You don't want to do this too fast as it can damage the piercing and all your time spent looking after it while it was healing will be in vain, as you'll start the aftercare process all over again. You should wait about 2 to 3 times the healing period before you start stretching; if you wait longer it's not a problem at all. The best way to have your piercing stretched is by your body piercer. They will have all the right equipment to do this as well as the experience and knowledge, so as not to stretch too far and damage the piercing. I've heard a story of a studio that stretched a piercing from 1.6mm to l0mm flesh tunnel in one go using a local anesthetic, this is not a good way to do it AT ALL! Be patient it is well worth the wait. back to top

8. Is it safe to breast feed if I have my nipples pierced?
For a man this is a little difficult but for a woman you should have no problem providing the piercing is fully healed. You don't have to remove the jewellery while the baby feeds. If you choose to remove jewellery during feeding barbells are best suited for this as they are easy to remove and insert. If you leave the jewellery in, keep the position of the piercing in mind and have jewellery that is not going to interfere with the babies feeding (if the piercing is at the base of the nipple the jewellery should not matter at all). If the piercing/s are not fully healed you can take them out or use a bottle formula should you not wish to lose the piercing/s. back to top

9. Will a piercing heighten sensitivity in the area of the piercing?
Yes there will be heightened sensitivity in the area of the piercing. Some are more sensitive than others such as your nipples and genital area. The sensations felt vary from person to person but are generally described as "sensual" and "orgasmic". back to top

10. What if the people in the studio are rude when I ask questions?
Leave! As a customer you deserve to be helped to the best of the studios ability, be it answering of questions or helping with a problem. They should always be friendly and helpful, there is no reason to be rude and there is no reason for you to put up with it. There are plenty of good friendly places to choose from - don't settle for rude people with huge egos. back to top

11. What if the studio does not appear to be clean and the people there have a bad attitude?
Leave immediately! Hygiene should always be a top priority in any studio. As a client you should always be aware of a studio's hygiene and feel free to ask questions with regards to their hygiene and sterility. If they are rude to you and have a bad attitude, just leave! Your piercing experience (nerves aside) should be as pleasurable as possible and your piercer friendly and helpful. Don't put up with bad attitudes and studios, you may also find they are a bad piercer and unprofessional. Be careful when choosing a studio and body piercer, don't settle for an inferior piercer and studio. back to top

12. I have heard about piercings migrating, What does this mean and why does it happen?
This (migration) is when the body rejects a piercing. You will notice the holes getting closer together and a slight scar behind the holes; the piercing may also be tender and the skin pink, but not an infection. This can take weeks, months or years to happen. It happens for various reasons and is more common in certain pirecings (eg: eyebrows, navel, guiche and surface piercings) than in others. More often than not, rejection is caused by a backpressure caused by the jewellery choice or the body not accepting the piercing. Any piercing that undergoes enough trauma and irritation, such as being bumped a lot or tight clothing covering it constantly, will at some stage reject. You could also have an allergy to the material used and this would also cause rejection. If a piercing is too deep (eg. an eyebrow) it will migrate without rejecting until it is at a comfortable depth. At times a piercing may migrate slightly until it is in a more `comfortable' position, again this would happen without the piercing rejecting. back to top

13. I would like to get a piercing through the cartilage of my ear but I'm worried about having a hole in my ear when I take the jewellery out, will the hole close without the jewellery in it?
Yes it will close over time, providing there are no complications in the healing process and very little to no scar tissue. There will be a slight discolouration of the skin where the hole is/was but this too will fade over time. back to top

14. Piercings and Anesthetic
"Do you use a local anesthetic?" This has to be one of the most frequently asked questions from piercing clients. It's a question we often hear more than once a day. Another frequently asked question - right after we've said "No" - is "Why not?”. So, these are the reasons we do not and will never use any anesthetic and why no professional piercer will ever use them:

• Any injectable anesthetic should only be used by a trained anesthetist (I do not know of a piercer in this country who is a trained anesthetist).
• There are people who have allergic reactions to injectable anesthetics. They can have severe reactions to the anesthetic regardless of how small the dosage, this, to my knowledge, can cause heart attack. Injectable anesthetics defeat the purpose of using them as they often hurt more than the piercing itself. I have also found through my own personal experience as well as the experience of others that it seems to hinder the healing process, causing the piercing to take longer to heal (keeping in mind that people do heal at different rates).
• Freeze sprays can cause frostbite which encourages sores and blistering. Creams and gels are non-sterile and therefore contaminate the skin area before piercing and all piercings need to be performed in hygienic environment using sterile instruments.
• Last, but not least it is our feeling that piercer's and the studio's professionalism comes into question when using anesthetic. It is unnecessary, as the piercing only lasts a second and is less painful than a local anesthetic injection!

For more information on other piercings healing periods please feel free to email, call or stop by the studio to talk.