Personally I would never ever use silver body jewelry in piercings other than my lobes that healed some 15 years ago.

Taken from the rec.arts.bodyart newsgroup's piercing FAQ in regards to silver/sterling silver:



I rest my case.

While I did find stuff about the anti-bacterial properties of silver on Google as it's being used in several medical applications, I think the above is enough reason to not use it as piercing jewelry though.

Incidentally my aunt is allergic to silver if I remember correctly.

Lilith

Wow! A lot of people put some deep thought into my piercing experience

Yeah, other people booed and hissed at me for using steel. If I hadn't been a cheapskate 17-year-old at the time, I would have used titanium--I hear that titanium is even less reactive than gold. I did use topical antibiotic, though, and the doctor confirmed that it was a reaction, not an infection (once they woke me up and got me to stop vomiting, that is--when I react, I do it with panache). Like Lizbeth, I have about 20,000 allergies, so it wasn't a huge suprise to me or my family.

Thanks for the warning about the gun, Lilith. I had done it with a gun and I didn't know the dangers.

Since then, I've become...something between "responsible" and "boring as hell"...and I don't really care that much, so I probably won't try again. I do have neat-o rimless glasses w/ titanium arms that make me very very happy, though (mine don't have tinted lenses, btw). And a watch fetish. But that's an entirely different story.

SS

Well, for most 'normal' people Surgical Stainless Steel is just fine. My navel piercing has a SSS CBR with a hematite bead and I have had absolutely zero problems with it.

But considering SSS has nickel in it, it can cause problems for people who are sensitive to that kind of thing.

And yes, ear piercing guns are something to stay as far away from as possible as they're little bacterial/viral carriers which in this day and age can mean the difference between life and death, and especially in the case of cartilage piercings can shatter the cartilage and cause pretty horrific injuries (ever see a 'cauliflower' ear or boxer's ear? that's one thing that could happen).

I read a pretty horrific story about shattered cartilage on BMEzine which involved a lot of pain, an ear swollen so large that the skin started to tear (iirc) and antibiotics courses.

The thing also with piercing guns is that they force something with a blunt end through your flesh, whereas a piercing needle is very sharp and due to the design of piercing needles they take out a tiny bit of flesh that makes the CBR/Barbell easier to insert rather than just ramming some blunt stud through. So, a piercing by a trained piercer rather than some shopchick is a lot more likely to be a) more hygenic and b) less painful.

Lilith

Oh, trust me, I already know all about the dangers of cauliflower ear and boxer's ear, though I haven't seen any in person--note previous comment about partaking in violent contact sports. Though it was my impression that they were caused by skin being torn away from the cartilige (either by the mat or the opponent's glove), and the cartilige swelling when exposed to air for a significant period of time. Didn't know it could also be caused by infection, though I'm not suprised.

Let's see...did I learn how to quote properly? Computers aren't my strong suit...

Good grief! After looking around that site a while I don't think I'm ever gonna try piercing anything ever again!!! :O

The BMEzine is a very good site if you want information on the subject of any kind of body adornment.

Recently they added a section called "Risks" which outlines the possible risks to consider when considering a certain type of mod.

I didn't post the link to the site as a way to turn people away from doing any mods, just as a place where people can gather information so whatever it is they do they do it when fully informed. Considering you're doing stuff to your body, several things of which may be irreversable (tattoos), it always amazes me how little thought it is that people put into it, how little they consider the potential risks and benefits beyond the 'I want one now' and also the 'I want it done as cheaply as possible'. Remember, you get what you pay for.

"... I don't think I'm ever gonna try piercing anything ever again..." you mean have anything pierced or piercing yourself?

I know someone here mentioned self-piercing with (safety) pins etc. which is something I've already advised against in another post as safety pins are a lowgrade steel, which means that a) they have higher nickel content and you might start getting a reaction to that, and B) the metal has more tendency to be porous and as quoted in a post above can cause all kinds of other problems.

Lilith

Hi,

I have a few piercings, but I took most of them out a while ago... at the moment i have nipple and tongue, but i took out nose, eyebrow and six ears.

i also have a tattoo on my left breast of Tigger ..

i love my tongue ring the most, its part of my mouth now after about 7 years, and i dont imagine me without it..

Dans.

@dansy: (you had to know this was coming...) My god! You have six ears?

@Lilith: I haven't pierced anything in probably about four or five years. I guess I've just grown out of that sort of stuff. My last piercing was my nose. I already had the right nostril pierced and went ahead and pierced the other side, but it was taking so long to heal and it was always bleeding and hurting so I took it out after a month or so. I'd never had any problems before and I'd done alot of home piercings in the past.

I always just used sewing pins and safety pins, but after seeing some of the stuff on that site I don't think I'd want to try anything else unless I had a good surgical steel pin to work with.

You can build up a reaction to nickel by prolonged use, so the fact that you did a lot previously meant that maybe you'd hit your tolerance level for nickel and your body decided 'no go'.

As for needles, if I'm not mistaken you can buy piercing needles on the BMEzine website.

Lilith

dansy: (you had to know this was coming...) My god! You have six ears?

hehe,

I had to put "None, but plan on getting some".
I wish for the best quality as i can get, i mean, damn, if i'm gonna be covering my arms and hands in something as permanent as tattoos, i better damn well be getting excellent professional quality, not some schmuck who can cut me a "Great Deal", fuck that.
I've said before about tattoos in places not visable, but i want one that wouldn't be visable merely because i need a big canvas, my back, so i plan on something big and artistic to go on my back, maye chest too, not sure, heh.
And, as for the piercings, i have the same mentality.
I plan on many piercings ( Ears, nose, lip, eyebrows ) and i want it clean and safe by a trained professional.

And, to BambooSplinter. I liked "The Burning Man" pic and the cats are cool. I love cats, ( dogs too ) my cat is a little Angel ( Devil =:) ) and i believe in keeping cats indoors due to all the troubles that can go on in the outside world for little kitties.
My parent's cat goes outside a lot ( they believe the cat NEEDS to go outside ) and he caught kitty leuchemia and the vet said he was gonna die no matter what. Surprisingly, he lived ( Yay! ) but still, i don't want my baby to be opn to stuff like that or troubles such as dogs, cars, etc.
I had to beg and constantly annoy my parents to let me keep my kitty indoors, i gotta clean her litter box, but it's worth it.

'Til then.. The body stapling stuff freaked me out at first, hehe..

Take care & G'Nite,
~Luke
--,-'-,-<@

I've had my fair share of cats getting hit by cars, mauled by dogs, and catching illnesses, but in my opinion cats belong outdoors. We belong outdoors. It's just not mentally healthy to stay in all the time. All my cats love the outdoors and despite the dangers and my own selfishness, I'd never keep them in all the time.

I do keep them in at night, though. Too many dogs wandering the streets, despite all the "Leash Laws Strictly Inforced" signs everywhere. :S

None, don't plan on getting any. I don't believe in necessary pain like doctors and dentists, so I sure as hell don't believe in unnecessary pain like getting pierced.

So do you believe in the unnecessary pain of cavities?

It's not about believing in it, it's about enjoying it

Getting pierced for me was a big rush, and i've gotten to the point where i enjoy being tattooed. Not pure pleasuer, of course. More like the rush some people get from a long run.

- AX