Tips & Hints about Body Piercing

First Some Common Questions...

What's it made of?

Surgical Steel - our surgical steel is 316L grade. What the heck is that? If the buttons on your jeans irritate your stomach or metal necklaces redden your neck then there is a good chance you have an allergy to nickel. 316L surgical steel contains less than 0.01% nickel. Essentially "nickel-free".

Body Jewellery and Gauging?

It is important to know what gauge your piercing is.  If in doubt, ask your piercer.  Remember, body jewelry is non-returnable so if you buy the wrong size you now have a birthday present for your buddy.

This list is some of the most common gauges for a piercing:

Belly Button - 14G Marilyn - 16G Nipple - 14G Tongue - 14G

Eyebrow 14G to 16G (usually 16G) Labret - 14G to 16G (for lips) Nose - 16G to 18G (usually 18G) Ear - anything is possible

Thickness conversion from Gauge to mm

1mm = 18g 1.2mm = 16g 1.6mm = 14g 2mm = 12g 2.4mm = 10g

3.2mm = 8g 4mm = 6g 5mm = 4g 6mm = 2g 8mm = 0g

We have compiled a little list of "aftercare" tips for those of you who currently possess or are planning to obtain a new piercing in the near future. We have included these tips as a PDF document so that they can be printed out if you wish. You must have the free ADOBE ACROBAT reader to access this file.

Click here for Piercing Aftercare Tips

Body Jewellery Tip #5 (NOVEMBER)

Which piercings are more prone to "migration"?   Surface piercings tend to migrate more than a deeper piercing would. Surface peircings are those which are pierced through only a small amount of surface skin. Because there is less skin to hold the jewelry firmly in place, it has a higher chance of migrating.

The two most common surface piercings are belly button and eyebrow. But the piercings with the highest chance of migration are sternum, nape, Madison piercings and Christina piercings. Even a well established piercing can migrate.

Body Jewellery Tip #4 (OCTOBER)

What is “migration”?   Migration is when the body “pushes” the piercing out of your body.  The main cause of migration is your body rejecting the jewelry.  This is a “foreign object” that you have placed inside your body and if your body deems it a threat to your health….it will try to push it out.  Like a sliver. Tight clothing rubbing on your jewelry (Or goofing around where your jewelry is catching or snagging) can also irritate it ,causing your body to want to “push” out that foreign object.   It is unusual but not unknown for the migration to push the jewelry right out of your skin.   Even a well established piercing can migrate.

Body Jewellery Tip #3 (SEPTEMBER)

Remember to keep an eye on your balls (or spikes). Check everyday to make sure they are tight. The number one place people lose their jewelry is in their bed. Make sure all threaded jewellery is tight and avoid the pangs of loss.

Body Jewellery Tip #2 (AUGUST)

Always wash your jewelery with a cotton swab or cotton ball.  You want something that you can throw away afterwards. When you use a washcloth, bacteria can get trapped and spread to the next use.  YUCK!

Body Jewellery Tip #1 (JULY)

Always wash your hands with an anti-bacterial soap before you clean your piercings. But be aware of which soap you buy. you want an antibacterial soap without fragrances. Fragrances can sometimes cause allergic reactions and irritate your piercing.

Look for our next body jewellery tip in October and don't forget to sign up to our newsletter and have your name entered in our monthly contest.