by Seema Susheel

Body piercing is a way of beautifying the body. Man from the prehistoric times is lured by the idea of beautifying himself with decorations and ornaments. In many tribes people have permanent tattoos covering the whole of the body and mind blowing piercing ideas. For many body piercing is a way of putting in beautiful jewelry, for others it’s an attitude they want to flaunt and get noticed.

Body piercing is body modifying

The age of elaborate ornamenting is back again and body piercing is a fashion that’s fast catching on. From the youth in America and Europe to teens in Asian countries body piercing is a fad that’s here to stay. Girls or boys all are going under the gun to get noticed and be talk of the town. Though everyone has to undergo the pain most are satisfied later by the way they look and the difference it makes in their lifestyle. Piercing in the ears, nose, tongue, eyebrows, lips, navel, nipple and also the private parts is a common thing.

Young girls and boys want to go in for piercing but have to take optimum care as to follow certain important guidelines before and after the piercing to avoid any painful and messy complication.

Pre- piercing care and tips

First of all prepare your mind for the piercing. Decide where you want to have the piercing done. Surely you would have a friend who has got a piercing then you can gather information from her. Remember your body; lifestyle is different from others so you might not necessarily experience the same as everyone.

Find a good piercing studio which gives cleanliness and quality the topmost importance. For you your safety and health should be the first concern. The studio should have experienced piercing artists who could lead you on this painful journey in a jiffy and clean environ with sterilized gadgets.

Go by the popularity, the more popular the studio is the much better the service. Don’t compromise on the price as you can be never sure that you will get a safe piercing in a low budget place. You might have to shell out much more if the piercing turns out complicated.

Inform your parents and take their consent in case of emergency they are the only ones who will be there for you. Take on a piercing that you will be comfortable with. A mark on the face is something that you can’t hide if you plan to get pierced near your brows, chin be sure you can carry it off with pride. To get something done and later regret won’t patch things hear as a hole on the face is permanent, even if the jewelry is removed the hole still stands testimony.

Take care that you are not suffering from any other ailment during your piercing session. As a person is weak when he is unwell and it will take longer time to heal the piercing wound. Go for piercing when you are healthy.

Piercing process – a quick look

For a novice, to understand the piercing process, gives a clear picture of what they have to go through to achieve that pop diva look. Once you have decided where to get the piercing you will reach the piercing studio where in the studio artist will take a piercing gun make a marking taking care that the hole does not fall on any nerve and drill a hole. The pain will be there but most people find the noise much more unbearable. In 2 to 3 minutes the whole process will be done with the jewel a gemstone stud or ring of your choice placed in the hole.

The most important – post piercing care

Generally all piercing need certain similar care instructions. First of all never remove the jewelry until the piercing is completely healed. There is no residue coming out of a white substance discharge, the swelling, pain and redness has completely vanished then you have recovered and the piercing has healed. Here onwards you can keep changing your jewelry, but do not leave the piercing without jewelry as the hole might close.

There will be swelling and pain for 2 to 3 weeks after the piercing, during this time you should take optimum care that the pierced part is kept clean and is not in contact with dirt, if so it will lead to the piercing becoming septic and complicated to heal.

You can give warm soaking of sea salt water twice a day to clean the area. Use clean clothes and sheets, eat healthy, avoid drinking and smoking, get proper rest and then the piercing will heal much faster and without any other complication. Do not scratch the piercing area to remove the dried up white residue, this might lead to you hurting the already sensitive area and hampering the healing process.

Many types of piercing require extra care then the general care guidelines. For example oral piercing (tongue, chin, lips, beauty mark) need special care as the piercing is inside the mouth and any carelessness will lead to germs and infection getting in to the body and further major health problems. The first few weeks when the wound is raw you have to take care what you eat too, as anything hot and spicy or extremely cold will be very painful on the mouth. Tongue being a very sensitive area sucking on a pipe and smoking also can open the wound again. You have to wash mouth every time you eat or drink preferably with pre-boiled water. Don’t let dirty hair fall on your fresh ear piercing as the dirt and dandruff in the hair will cause infection. Remember the healthier your lifestyle the faster you heal.

Be responsive and responsible

Be responsive to your bodies needs, listen to it and act accordingly. You are responsible for your healing hence you have to take optimum care that a step towards body beautification should not turn ugly and you can get the look that you dreamt of without much hardship.