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| This page is about all those stupid stories you hear about tattoos and piercing. Some are hilarious, and some are just down-right dumb! We hope you find this information useful. For more info on this subject visit SNOPES and Association of Professional Piercers |
| Number 1: You can bleed to death from a bad tongue piercing or genital piercing. FALSE It doesn't matter what you do, you won't bleed to death from an ampallang, apadravya or tongue piercing. Too often I hear of piercers telling someone they can't have their tongue pierced because there are too many veins, or they can't stick their tongue out far enough. There's nothing wrong with admitting you can't do a piercing, but don't lie and say it's dangerous. A veinous tongue CAN be pierced, but it takes careful placement. Even if the veins are nicked, you will not bleed to death, just for about a minute or so! A short tongue (well, one that's held inside the mouth by a frenulum that goes to the tip) CAN be pierced, but you usually will have to have it pierced on the sides called "viper bites". Piercing the genitals is no different, some piercers try to avoid the cavernosum (the part that fills with blood), operating under the delusion that if they nick it, you could bleed to death. The body just isn't that badly designed. Even if you pierce straight through it, it will eventually heal with a bit more bleeding during your healing time. |
| Number 2: You can paralyze your face or do massive nerve damage from facial piercings. FALSE There aren't surface nerves with the capacity to do this -- if there were, you could pinch your ear or eyebrow and incapacitate yourself. Yeah, I know a friend of a friend had it happen to them. But they didn't. It doesn't matter what you do, you're not going to cause any serious damage from a little piercing like this. |
| Number 3: Getting pierced by a piercing gun is safe. FALSE Getting pierced with a piercing-gun is very unhealthy for your body. A piercing-gun inflicts blunt force trauma to the body (sort of like trying to punch a hole through your arm) which increases the chance for infection and an unpleasant healing process. ALL piercings should be performed with a hollow, surgical steel tribevel needle. This will alleviate the problem of "blowout" (having a volcano-like build-up of flesh around the exit hole of you piercing) and decrease chances for infection. The first such problem is the risk of contracting disease. Most guns have plastic parts which cannot be properly sterilized, giving rise to the possibility of spreading bacterial infections, such as those suffered recently by a group of people in Oregon after getting pierced at a mall, or more serious blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis B and C. The second problem has to do with the shape and composition of the jewelry itself and the force applied by it to the earlobe (or any body part), making healing difficult. These guns were first manufactured to tag livestock, and inflict unnecessary blunt trauma to the tissue. The studs used by the guns have clasps which trap bacteria and which, when combined with the too-short post used by the jewelry, compress the tissue. This does not allow for any swelling, makes cleaning the site difficult, and reduces the availability of oxygen to the wound. In addition, the metal used for most of the gunned jewelry is of inferior quality and may inhibit healing by causing contact dermatitis or nickel allergies. The best and safest option for any piercing, including earlobes, is to patronize a professional body piercer. These individuals have the proper training to perform safe piercings, unlike most physicians, and certainly unlike the poorly trained clerks piercing people in malls. Professional piercers observe proper sterile procedures, use a single-use, sharp needle which does not damage tissue, and good quality body jewelry made specifically for safe and speedy healing. |
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| Number 4: If I get my navel pierced it may damage my stomach, uterus, or some veins. FALSE Not possible. Your stomach and uterus (if you are female, of course) are well protected by your abdominal muscles. Any half-decent piercer would never pierce your abs (which is impossible when using forceps to clamp the skin). as for veins, the navel is not a vascular area of the body. This is one of the the primary reasons why longer healing periods normally accompany navel piercings. So, there is no reason to fear a punctured stomach, uterus, or vein when getting your navel pierced. |
| Number 5: Drinking soda or other carbonated beverages will reduce swelling FALSE This one is just dumb! Soda has many additives and preservatives that can be harsh on your piercing. Just don't do it. If you drink soda, rinse with saline after to clean your piercing. |
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| Number 6: Turning jewelry randomly throughout the day during the healing process is a must. FALSE Contrary to popular belief, physically rotating jewelry in a piercing three or more times a day does nothing more than disturb the tissue as it heals. It breaks the tissue, forcing the healing process to start all over again. The APP notes that the only beneficial time to rotate jewelry within a piercing is when cleaning it twice a day, but it should not be turned at all during the first several cleanings. |
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| Number 7: If a piercing becomes infected, you should remove the jewelry immediately FALSE If you want the skin to close up over the infection, resulting in an abscess (a localized collection of pus surrounded by an inflamed area), then this is the way to go - otherwise, this is not a good idea. Once an abscess occurs, the infection will have to be surgically removed. The APP warns against taking out the jewelry of an infected piercing unless under the direction of a physician, and with the aid of antibiotics. |
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| Number 8: Piercing yourself is perfectly safe. FALSE Leave it to the professionals. Problems associated with this practice include the lack of adequate sterilization, a clean environment, and the proper tools. Self piercing can result in severe infections such as Staph or Hepatitis. Piercing is not something to take lightly, it is considerd a surgical procedure. |
| Number 10: The best way to get a tattoo is to find the best price FALSE Go home. If you're shopping price, it's a safe bet you're getting tattooed for all the wrong reasons... it's cool, my friends have one, I'm expressing my individuality, it'll piss mom off. If you're serious about getting a tattoo, get exactly what you want, even if you have to save up for it. Always choose a reputable shop and an artist by the style you want. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. |
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| Number 11: My tattoo was messed up so the guy who did it should fix it. FALSE Bad idea. Odds are that if his first attempt is botched, so will his second, and his third... steer clear. A professional may be able to fix-up that blotched job, but if you keep going back to the butcher, you'll probably end up with an even darker, uglier tattoo that requires a cover-up... much larger and much more expensive. |
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| Number 12: Put lots of ointment on your tattoo to heal it faster FALSE Wrong again. Keeping it "wet" will actually delay healing. The ideal environment for healing is just "moist". When your tattoo starts feeling dry or tight, add just a small amount of ointment to moisturize the skin. If it rubs your clothing, wrap it in plastic to keep it moist. |
| Number 13: Using Vaseline or Preparation H will speed the healing of my tattoo FALSE Wow, this is a good one. The only reccomended ointments for tattoo aftercare are those made for tattoo aftercare or bacatracin ointment. Vaseline will not let your tattoo breath and can trap bacteria. Preparation H main ingredient is yeast cells. Can you say Yeast Infection? |
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| If you have anymore questions about tattoos or piercing, contact the shop. |
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| Tragus pierced with a gun. Click to enlarge. |
| Number 9: You must clean your oral piercings with Listerine or Gly-Oxide for them to heal properly. FALSE Using products that kill bacteria more than twice a day can cause a serious yeast infection called Candidaisis, otherwise known as Thrush. You should only use a pure saline to cleanse your tongue or other oral piercings after you eat, drink or smoke. Avoid contact lens solution, it has preservatives not good for your piercing. |
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| Candidaisis caused by over-use of mouthwash. Click to enlarge. |
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