Since opening in 2001 we have seen and heard of many odd piercing myths. These myths can spread by word of mouth, or through uninformed internet articles. In this post, we will go through the most common myths we hear and explain how they are false.
1) “twisting and moving your jewellery is helpful for healing and keeps your piercing from getting stuck”
Twisting and moving a fresh piercing is actually harmful to the healing process. Our hands are never truly clean and twisting repeatedly re-opens the wound, inviting bacteria and germs to enter. Instead, you should just leave the piercing alone as much as possible, while giving it a gentle saline soak two times a day.
2) “A piercing is healed once you can sleep on it without pain.”
Piercings should never be slept on until the jewellery has been downsized and has had the appropriate amount of time to heal. Sleeping on a long bar will put pressure on the area and will cause all kinds of problems.
3) “Piercing guns are an appropriate way of piercing”
Piercing guns are not safe for any kind of body piercings.
Not only do they cause blunt force trauma to the area and risk shattering cartilage, the guns themselves are made of plastic so cannot be properly sterilised. Wiping the gun down with an antiseptic wipe risks spreading diseases around, which can then survive on the gun until the next person is pierced. The jewellery inserted is too tight, too thin and not made of implant grade metals.
4) “You should clean your fresh piercings with Alcohol or TCP”
Alcohol and TCP are far too harsh to be used on a fresh piercing as they are just meant to be used to wash out a wound one time only, and not to repeatedly clean an area. All you need to clean a fresh piercing is a small pinch of 100% natural rock salt diluted in warm water. Alternatively, you can also use a pre- made sterile saline spray to clean your piercings- both options are perfect for the upkeep of healing and healed piercings.
5) “Infections are common.”
Infections are not common at all- in most cases it is just irritation that is mistaken for an infection. Infections always come from an outside source; the most common being swimming pools, touching the area and changing the jewellery in an unclean environment.
Real infections often have very noticeable symptoms, such as feeling poorly, having extreme swelling and rashing to the area and the area itself smelling bad. Never take out a piercing you are worried is infected, as it traps the lymph in the area and doesn’t leave an exit hole for it to drain from.
6) “You have to be a certain weight to be able to have a navel piercing.”
Navel piercings look great on every kind of body!
7) “If I take out my jewellery it will always stay open”
At the end of the day, piercings are additions to your body that aren’t natural, so your body will most likely try to close up the piercing hole to avoid letting infections into the area. Some piercings are more likely to stay open than others, but all piercings should close up eventually. The amount of time it takes for a piercing to close up after removal varies from person to person, although some piercings are far more likely to close quickly; such as noses.
8) “The side you choose to get pierced has a meaning.”
Although it is true that in certain cultures the side you choose for specific piercings can have religious or superstitious connotations, it isn’t true when it comes to the belief that “Getting your right ear pierced means your gay.” A piercing cant, and wont, determine your sexuality simply based on which side you choose. Instead you should choose your piercing side based on which side you’re more likely to sleep on, etc.
9) “I can sterilize needles / jewellery at home using a flame or alcohol.”
You cannot sterilise anything at home effectively using these techniques. You also should never attempt to pierce or re-pierce your body at home as it is incredibly dangerous.
10) “You can’t talk properly when you have your tongue pierced.”
While its true that it can feel a little odd to talk immediately after having your tongue pierced, it is actually pretty easy to talk normally when you try- usually it’s more of a mental block that makes us talk odd, as we aren’t used to it being there and are nervous to accidentally knock or bump it.