My Findings on Body Art and Modification

“I like pain, I love pain,” Elaine Davidson, the world record holder for most piercings on a woman, once said.

Davidson is originally from a Brazil but now resides in Scotland and is a former nurse. Since 2000 she has been examined by Guinness World Record Officials 5 times and as of January 2009 she had 6005 piercings, most of which in her genitalia areas. She never removes her piercings and sleeps comfortably with all of them. It is also said that she does not drink alcohol, take drugs, or smoke cigarettes.

When piercings get infected it doesn't always start as a big gross mess. At first it will be red and painful, not green or yellow.  Some people might not know when their piercing is infected, especially when its new. Or what to do when they get an a infected piercing.

Infected piercings will have redness around the hole, pain, prolonged bleeding during healing, yellow or green pus, and feeling hot to touch.

If your piercing becomes infected and it is still in the early stages of infection don't take the jewelry out. The holes will heal with the infection still inside. Use sea salt mixed with water (about 1/8 of teaspoon mixed with a cup of water) and soak the area a few times a day. If it doesn't start to clear up in a few days call your piercer. If that isn't possible and it just gets worse see a doctor.

These days it seems being Eco friendly or “green” is more popular than ever. From automobiles to home improvement there are ways of going green in almost every part of life. Organic jewelry is nothing new, jewelry first started as organic in ancient times and tribes. But now has caught on outside the tribal world.

For those with piercings, especially gauged ears, looking for a greener alternative than using steel there are lots of unique, creative options. Organic plugs are widely available and made out of a variety of different materials, such as bamboo, wood, amber, bone, tusk, horn and stone, but most often wood, bone or stone. Organic body jewelry is also available in hangers, labrets, septum's, spirals, and probably more.



Like with any way of going green there are pros and cons involved. Organic jewelry allows your skin to breathe unlike metal jewelry. Also, it is good for the fistula, the tube of skin inside the body that connects the two holes of the piercing. It allows the fistula grow thicker making it stronger and stay cleaner and not get gunked up. Also, the jewelry tends to be more original than regular metal or plastic jewelry. And, of course it is organic and natural.



Then there are the cons of organic jewelry. First, it is much more fragile and prone to breaking. It can easily crack, warp, and weaken especially if in high heat. It can trap bacteria which can sometimes, but not often, lead to infections. The jewelry is also very sensitive to chemicals, disinfecting may be rough.

Then there is the ethical debate of the jewelry. Some of the materials come from endangered animals, such as tusks and horns. Should these be taken for jewelry purposes?




All Images from http://www.organicjewelry.com/

In one of my earlier posts I talked about surface piercings. If these sounded interesting to you but the idea that they have a high rejection rates, 80% I just found out, you could try a much safer alternative, micro dermal piercing aka surface anchor.

A surface anchor only has one hole and can be done with a regular piercing needle but is suggested to be done with a micro dermal punch. Like any out of the ordinary piercing make sure your piercer has experience with the piercing you want, and ask to see pictures of some they have done.

The procedure is said to be quite simple. The skin is pinched and the punch (type of needle used) is inserted then removed. Then the base of the jewelry is put in place. The jewelry resembles a foot almost. The base has small holes on it for tissue to grow into to anchor the jewelry in as the piercing heals, thus giving piercing its name, surface anchor. The heel of the jewelry is put in carefully. Then an attachment either being a bead, gem of some sort, cone or other attachment, (a wide variety are available) is screwed into the part that sticks up from the base. The jewelry used is 14 gauge, the same as most nipple and tongue piercings.





While Surface Anchors will bleed more than normal piercings after they are done, they only have a 2% rejection rate. The hole takes about 1-3 months to heal. Popular places are at the sides of eyes, but can be done almost anywhere. The attachments just screw in and out easily and do not need to be changed by a professional, but if you decide to remove the piercing all together have it completely removed by your piercer.

Surface Piercing is something not a lot of people may have heard of. Chances are a lot of people have seen it and been confused. When I first saw it I was shocked, freaked out, and slightly intrigued.

Surface Piercings are piercings where the entry and exit holes of the jewelry are on a flat piece of the body, unlike a piercing that requires a body part that sticks out like your ears.

One popular surface piercing is the corset. This is where a person has a number of surface piercings which are laced together to act like a corset. It is usually on the small of a persons back or on the sides of their stomach like a corset would be

Another popular place for them is on the back of the neck.

Surface piercings are not always the most successful though. They are at high risk for rejection, when the body rejects and pushes out a foreign object being the jewelry.

Make sure if you want a surface piercing do research first. Find a piercer that is experienced in surface piercing. if they can show you pictures of the surface piercings they have done that have healed that is good. A good place to look for a good piercer near you http://www.safepiercing.org . It is the website of the Association of Professional Piercers. It will also tell you a lot about piercing in general and what you should know also general aftercare instructions.