Piercing Procedures by Richard Story
Whether you are a new pierce or a season veteran, you will want to have a consultation with Richard, to know the facts about body modification as well as safety and after care. I will consult with you in person and explain the commitment to progressing with these kinds of procedures. Once you've deiced on what type of piercing you wish to have, you will be given a consent form to fill out. Included is a form with aftercare. Remember, Richard will not pierce you if you are with illness, or are not completely comfortable with the procedure.
Various Ear Piercings
There are many piercing styles, locations and types of jewelery that can be used in these areas. It's up to you to decide where and how you wish your ears to be pierced.
Earlobe
The human earlobe is composed of tough areolar and adipose connective tissues, lacking the firmness and elasticity of the rest of the pinna. Since the earlobe does not contain cartilage it has a large blood supply and may help to warm the ears and maintain balance. However earlobes are not generally considered to have any major biological function. The earlobe contains many nerve endings, and for some people is an erogenous zone.
An Earring is a piece of jewellery attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings are worn by both sexes, although more common among women, and have been used by different civilizations in different times.
Eye Brow
An eyebrow piercing is a vertical surface piercing, wherein a twelve to eighteen gauge cannula needle is inserted through the bottom of the eyebrow and exits through the top of the eyebrow to permit insertion of jewelry. Those performing the piercing may use a Pennington clamp to better guide the needle through the skin. A curved barbell is the most common jewelry inserted post-piercing.
A horizontal piercing of the eyebrow is known as an anti-eyebrow piercing
Nipple
A nipple piercing is a body piercing, centered usually at the base of the nipple. It can be pierced at any angle but is usually done horizontally or, less often, vertically. It is also possible to place multiple piercings on top of one another. Death due to complications resulting from nipple piercings may have occurred, as have serious infections resulting in the removal of a breast after getting a nipple ring, but typically, a nipple piercing will take two to four months to heal fully. Some people have noted that they can take up to a year and a half to heal fully. It is recommended that if stretching a nipple piercing, the piercee waits at least the healing time of their piercings between stretches.
Various Lip Piercings
Lip piercings can be placed anywhere around the mouth, but the surface of the lip is not typically pierced itself, except for horizontal lip piercings and canine bites. Piercings in specific positions have certain names. Monroe piercings, for example, are labret studs worn on the upper lip where Marilyn Monroe had her famous mole. Medusa piercings go through the center of the upper lip (the philtrum), perpendicular to the tissue. Labret piercings are pierced with a labret stud and can pierced in the center or off-center. A variation of this is the lower labret. Vertical labret piercings go through the center of the bottom lip, parallel to the tissue. The variation is called the vertical labret, which starts inside the mouth between the lower lip and the teeth and travels straight down, exiting on the lower edge of the jawline. Horizontal lip piercings are very rare, and include a horizontal bar on the lower lip that goes through the lip surface. Another variation of the labret is known as the dahlia piercing. The piercings, placed at or very near the corners of the mouth, are named in reference to the murder of Black Dahlia, in which the victim's mouth was cut along the same horizontal line along which these piercings are placed.
Labret
A labret is one form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the facial lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. It is sometimes referred to as a "tongue pillar."
Tongue
A tongue piercing is a body piercing usually done directly through the center of the tongue, and is the most popular piercing site in the western world after the ear and nostril. Tongues are pierced with straight barbell style jewellery. Because of the frequent movement of the tongue, jewelry size and comfort is especially important. Barbells that are too thin are prone to migration, causing discomfort and irritation. Tongue piercings can often be easily stretched to accommodate larger jewelry. Because of the tongue's exceptional healing ability, piercings can close very fast. Even completely healed holes can close up in a matter of hours, and larger-stretched holes can close in just a few days. The length of time for the hole to heal varies greatly from person to person – some people with larger-stretched holes (greater than 4 g (5 mm)) can still fit jewelry (albeit smaller) in their piercing after months or even years. It is generally recommended to avoid piercing in bodies under development or in people not capable of taking care of a recent piercing.
Helix/Rim
The helix piercing is a perforation of the helix or upper ear (cartilage) for the purpose of inserting and wearing a piece of jewelry. The piercing itself is usually made with a small gauge hollow piercing needle, and typical jewelry would be a small diameter captive bead ring, or a stud.
Tragus
A tragus piercing is the perforation of the tragus, which projects immediately in front of the ear canal, for the purpose of inserting and wearing a piece of jewelry. The piercing itself is usually made with a small gauge hollow piercing needle, and typical jewelry would be a small diameter captive bead ring or small gauge post style piercing jewelry. A related piercing is known as the anti-tragus piercing.
Nostril/Bridge/Septum​
Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry; among the different varieties of nose piercings, the nostril piercing is the most common. Nose piercing is one of the most common varieties of piercing after earlobe piercing.
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Bridge piercings are inserted through the small flap of skin at the top of the nose, between the eyes, though never through the bone. Curved barbells and straight barbells are the most commonly used in this piercing, while seamless rings are less common. However, bridge piercings generally have a high rate of rejection and thus are less common than any other nose piercing.
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Nasal septum piercings are less common than nostril piercings. The nasal septum is the cartilaginous dividing wall between the nostrils. Generally, the cartilage itself is not pierced, but rather the small gap between the cartilage and the bottom of the nose (sometimes called the "sweet spot"), typically at 14ga (1.6mm) although it is often stretched to a larger gauge (size). The nose has many nerves running through it and as a result, nose piercings can be painful, although it varies by individual. This piercing heals within a month and a half to three months also depending on the individual.
Upper Navel
A navel piercing (also referred to as a belly button piercing or an umbilical dip piercing) is a type of piercing located in, or around, the navel. It may heal very quickly and with no problems, like an ear piercing, or may heal more like a surface piercing with the associated extended healing time. Healing usually takes less than six months, and as long as it is cleaned, it will heal nicely. Although, if it becomes infected, serious complications may result, including permanent scarring. Unlike most body piercings, this is one of the few that do not normally reject, although the rejection rate is higher than non-surface piercings, such as ear piercings.
The actual navel is not pierced when a navel piercing is performed. The most common form of navel piercing is through the upper rim of the navel. A true navel piercing requires the person being pierced to have an "outie" navel to some degree, and is getting more popular these days. This kind of piercing is popular with, but not exclusive to females.
Cheek or Dimple
Cheek piercing is facial body piercing through the cheek. The most common variation of the cheek piercing penetrates the facial tissue into the oral cavity. The usual placement is symmetrical on either side of the face, either penetrating or imitating dimples. The piercing can cause the wearer slight nerve damage and will result in "man-made dimples".
Extreme Piercings:
Single Point Piercing
Single point piercings/ surface anchors or Microdermal implants are a form of body modification which gives the aesthetic appearance of a transdermal implant, without the complications of the much more complicated surgery associated with transdermal implants.
Surface Anchors or Microdermal implants can be placed practically anywhere on the surface of the skin on the body, but are different from conventional piercings in that they are composed of two components: an anchor, which is implanted underneath the skin, with a step protruding from (or flush with) the surface of the surrounding skin, and the interchangeable jewellery, which is screwed into the threaded hole in the step of the anchor.
Longevity?
Microdermal implants were and are marketed as a more desirable alternative to surface piercings, claiming that they are 'permanent' and provide less scarring when removed. However, on average, most implants last less than a year as they are entirely susceptible to outside damaged (tugging, pulling, catching) which move the implant closer to the surface of the skin, as well as the fact that the body is designed to reject foreign objects and so it is crucial for the piercings to go as deep as possible. In order to combat these effects constant modification to the jewelry is being made, the latest utilizing large holes in the anchors to encourage tissue to grow through to hold the jewelry in place.
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