✨The Piercing Truth: Why Flux Will Never Use a Piercing Gun ✨
At Flux Piercing Studio, we believe every piercing should be a safe, clean, and empowering experience. That’s why we want to take a moment to explain the real differences between piercing with a needle vs a piercing gun – and why we have always been and will always be a needle-only studio. Piercing professionals do not use piercing guns, ever.
Let’s break down, why:
💉 Piercing with a Needle
A needle piercing is the only professional body piercing; meaning piercing guns have no place in this industry.
Here’s why:
✅ Sterile, Single-Use Tools
Our piercing needles are individually packaged and sterilized using medical-grade autoclaves. They are never reused. This ensures your safety and drastically reduces the risk of infection.
✅ Clean, Precise Entry
A piercing needle is incredibly sharp and hollow, creating a clean incision that removes a tiny sliver of tissue. This controlled method minimizes trauma, swelling, and discomfort, and allows the body to begin healing immediately and properly.
✅ Trained Professionals
All of our piercers at Flux are highly trained in anatomy, hygiene, and advanced piercing techniques. We take time with each client to ensure proper placement, jewellery fit, and aftercare understanding.
✅ Only the Best Jewellery
We exclusively use mill certified implant-grade titanium and solid 14kt or 18kt gold – materials proven to be biocompatible and a lessened risk from nickel or harmful alloys. This promotes safe healing and long-term comfort and minimizes the risk of irritation or rejection.
🔫 Piercing Guns (Why They’re Never Safe)
Despite their common use in high street retail stores, some salons and jewellers, piercing guns are not safe or suitable for body piercing. Here’s why:
❌ They Cannot Be Properly Sterilized
Piercing guns are usually made of plastic and cannot be autoclaved (please see our previous newsletter from 05/08/25 for more information on this equipment – if you haven’t received it and would like to please email us for a copy), as the heat would cause them to melt. That means bacteria from one person can be transferred to another, putting you at serious risk of infection.
❌ Blunt Force Trauma
Piercing guns force a blunt stud through the tissue, literally tearing the skin. This causes more trauma, bruising, and swelling – and often results in longer healing times, scarring, or misaligned piercings. The tearing effect creates an irregular and jagged piercing channel (or fistula), rather than a clean incision, which can trap debris and bacteria more easily. This makes the area far more susceptible to infection – particularly in younger individuals who are more likely to touch the piercing with unwashed hands, introducing additional germs into the already-traumatised tissue.
❌ Low-Quality, Unsafe Jewelry
Gun piercings use cheap, one-size-fits-all studs often made from mystery metals or low-grade stainless steel. These can cause allergic reactions, irritation, or poor healing.
❌ Minimal Training Required
Gun piercings are typically performed in retail environments by staff with little to no formal piercing education. This leads to inconsistent placement, poor hygiene, and incorrect aftercare advice – all of which increase your risk for complications.
❌ Inaccurate Placement & Poor Angles
Piercing guns offer little control – it’s a “point and shoot” method that often misses marked spots due to the device’s bulky design. This lack of precision can lead to uneven or crooked piercings, especially when comparing lobe to lobe. Guns also don’t allow for angle control, which is essential for jewellery to sit correctly and comfortably. Piercings are a form of self-expression, so they should be done with precision and respect for both anatomy and aesthetics.
❌ Outdated & Unsafe Aftercare Advice
Shops using piercing guns often give outdated advice, like twisting the jewellery during healing – a practice that causes micro-tears and delays recovery. They also tend to upsell branded aftercare solutions full of harsh or unnecessary ingredients that can irritate the piercing. In contrast, professional studios offer evidence-based guidance and recommend safe, simple products like sterile saline for optimal healing.
Why Training Matters – And Why Piercing Guns Can Be a Problem
Many places that use piercing guns – high street retail stores, some salons and jewellers – often lack proper training in safe piercing practices. Staff may receive only basic instruction, sometimes just a short manual or a video, rather than in-depth education in anatomy, cross-contamination, hygiene protocols, and aftercare.
This means that while they can perform the piercing itself, they often don’t have the medical knowledge or experience to help if something goes wrong – like an infection, reaction, or improper healing.
Here’s What You Should Know:
🔹 Limited Training:
Piercing gun operators are often not trained piercers. They may not understand proper placement, tissue types, or how to handle complications.
🔹 Lack of Sterilization:
Most piercing guns cannot be fully sterilized between clients, increasing the risk of cross-contamination and infection.
🔹 No Support if Issues Arise:
If you experience swelling, irritation, rejection, or other post-piercing concerns, these facilities typically aren’t equipped to help you – and may refer you to a professional studio after the fact.
Professional Studios Are Different
At a professional piercing studio, piercers receive extensive, hands-on training, often over months or years. They understand:
✅ Skin anatomy and safe placement
✅ How to use sterilized, single-use needles
✅ How to select high-quality jewelry
✅ Proper aftercare and troubleshooting
And most importantly, if you have a problem – they know how to help.
🌿 The Flux Promise
At Flux, we’re committed to setting the highest standard in professional body piercing. That means:
- ✅ Needle-only piercings, always
- ✅ Medical-grade sterilization and practices
- ✅ High-quality, body-safe jewelry
- ✅ A calm, clean, professional environment
- ✅ Fully trained and experienced piercers
We’re not just giving you a piercing – we’re giving you an experience grounded in safety, knowledge, and care.
Want to Learn More or Book Your Next Piercing?
We’re always here to answer your questions and help you make informed choices about your body.
Your safety. Your body. Your story.
The Fluxy Girls