Hey, Awful Mods, remember when I got a sternum microdermal and it decided it wanted out after three days by sinking down and embedding into my sternum? Me too.

The scar is still really visible now, almost a year on which is a bit of a disappointment, but it’s what happens when shit hits the fan with a dermal.

Basically the piercer (who was shut down after this) punched a 3mm hole with a dermal punch. And then used a 3mm top. Meaning the swelling ate my dermal anchor for breakfast.

Fun facts.

(via awfulmodifications)

Source: hayflick

Q:Hi, can you describe (and if you can, provide pictures) the difference between an infected pierced and an irritated piercing? And how long irritation symptoms can last? My navel has been irritated since I got it, and I'm afraid it might be an infection instead.

weirdtits

Irritated piercings:

Symptoms: Sore, red, swollen, itchy, bumps developing, maybe warm. White or barely off-white colored discharge is normal. Crusties are normal, but might increase if the piercing is irritated.

Duration: Potentially indefinitely as far as I’m aware. A piercing will stay irritated until it is either removed, the jewelry is changed to a different material, length, or size, or something is done (like sea salt soaks, chamomile soaks) to reduce irritation. Things like hair products, make-up, everyday dust and dirt, clothing, smoking, you name it can irritate a new piercing.

Frankly, a piercing is going to be irritated for ___ amount of time after you got it (dependent on piercing, difficulty of healing, your body etc.). You just had someone create a wound and put something in that wound and are trying to get your body to heal around it. Your body’s natural reaction is “no, get this out of me, what is this foreign object”. Also it takes time to heal wounds. Stop touching it, be patient.


Infected piercings:

Symptoms: Very red, very swollen, painful to the touch, warm to the touch, smelling funny, oozing pus (green, yellow, or gray gunk/liquid), or even bleeding. (New piercings are prone to bleeding as they are wounds, don’t worry if you see blood the few days after getting a new piercing.)

Treatment: Go to your doctor, the ER, walk in clinic, whatever you have access to ASAP and get anti-biotics. Do not remove the jewelry (until on anti-biotics) as that might trap the infection and make it WORSE. A true infection will not go away with soaks, oils, or soap.

-Kat

“Hello, sorry to be a pain sending more than one ask today, but I want to nitpick Kat’s infection vs irritation post. It isn’t actually possible to tell the difference between a *mild* infection and irritation for sure without taking a swab and culturing it. Infections *can* go away with soaks and time if they are not too severe and if they are draining. If you think you have an infection, you should *also* continue soaking and can even apply light pressure around the wound to aid drainage.” - imperfect-illusions

This is a good point. It’s generally difficult to tell the difference between the beginnings of an infection or a very mild infection from regular irritation. However, if symptoms are getting worse instead of better OR you are debating going to the ER/your doctor/whatever, chances are YOU SHOULD GO ASAP.

extremeneedletattooandpiercing: Finally an official petition to ban piercing guns in the UK  !!! If you’re from the UK you can sign this, we need 100,000 within 12 months for it to go through any legal system.https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29485 Ban the use of Piercing guns in the UK Responsible department: Department of Health We believe it is a safety hazard and health issue to use piercing guns therefore they should be banned
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extremeneedletattooandpiercing:

Finally an official petition to ban piercing guns in the UK  !!!

If you’re from the UK you can sign this, we need 100,000 within 12 months for it to go through any legal system.


https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29485

Ban the use of Piercing guns in the UK

Responsible department: Department of Health

We believe it is a safety hazard and health issue to use piercing guns therefore they should be banned

(via nomorepiercingguns)

Source: extremeneedletattooandpiercing

How to: Find a Good Piercing Studio.

Awful Mods How To: Find a reputable piercing studio.

We get a lot of questions asking, ‘how do I know this piercing place is good?’ ‘how do I know I can trust them?’ and so on and so forth. The reality is that it can be a tricky process to find your soul mate studio.

There are two ways of going about this. The relatively easy one for those in the US, and the one that a lot more people have to work though.

Method number one: The APP method. The APP stands for Association of Professional Piercers, we talk about them a lot, well, because they’re gosh darn awesome! Now, not only is their website a bountiful treasure chest of interest and information, but they also have a handy shop finder. What’s so good about an APP shop, you ask? Well, all members have to go through a rigorous testing process to ensure they meet the APP’s high standards, be totally compliant with local governing laws, and practice safely. So, by using the APP’s local shop finder, you can find an excellent and well trusted modification shop.

Head to http://www.safepiercing.org/locate-a-member/ and enter your ZIP or postal code, and the local shops to you will pop up!

Now, the main issue for me is that there’s not one single APP registered studio in the UK. There’s basically very very few anywhere outside of the US. So where does this leave us? Or those who can’t travel 100~ miles to the closest APP shop?

I thought I’d come up with a checklist to help us find a good, reputable shop for all our piercing and jewellery needs.

Piercer, Pricing, Portfolio, Pressure, Shop and Sense.

These six things should hopefully cover everything you need to see, know and feel about a shop before committing yourself to get a piercing there. Let’s start off.

Piercer: Go in and meet the piercer. Do they have a friendly yet professional demeanour? Are they dressed appropriately? This means non-restrictive clothing with no silly frills and such that would get in the way. Does the piercer seem comfortable with any question you throw at him/her? Are they knowledgeable? Don’t be afraid to ask about aftercare and their preferred piercing methods. Is the piercer fully licensed to practice with the relevant certificates displayed? Do they look at home and are they respected by other staff members? Are they confident? If you can answer yes to all of these, then the piercer is probably a good person.

Pricing: Is the pricing reasonable? How do they price? A one-off all inclusive price or a price for the basic piercing and then add on for jewellery? Is the price really cheap, so cheap they probably aren’t making a profit? Are you comfortable paying what they’re asking? Pricing is important when running a shop. Too cheap, and that can set off alarm bells, and if it’s totally out of your price range, ask if they pierce with basic titanium jewellery.

Portfolio: There should be a diverse mix of piercings, from all over the body, displayed neatly in a book or on the walls. They should show a full range of healing, fresh and fully healed piercings. If they want to display 18+ piercings, are they in a separate book? If you’re unsure or worried about a portfolio piece, ask the piercer. Why did they decide to use this jewellery instead of another kind? If you see any huge red lights (like straight piercings in a surface bar), ask them about it. If they make up some form of rubbishy excuse, that’s probably the time to leave.

Pressure: Do you feel under pressure from the people in the shop to get something done then and there, did they pester you to buy something? Were they friendly? Ask yourself if you felt comfortable in the shop.

Shop: This one’s really quite important. What does the shop look like? Is it neat and tidy? Merchandise kept behind glass casing? If there’s any clothing or other merchandise, is it well organised? Is the shop floor totally clean? Fire exits marked clearly? No rubbish lying about? Hygiene and local licenses displayed? Does the shop have an autoclave? Ultra sonic cleaner? Do they use one use needles? Brand new jewellery? Autoclaveable clamps? Are the staff friendly? Once again, is everything clean, neat, tidy and well turned out? Basically, you need to ask yourself: Is this shop spotless? Spotless with everything, ethics, staff turnout, the floor, jewellery organisation and everything. Are you happy with how everything is? Make sure you are!

Sense: This is basically the most important one here. Your common sense and judgement. Even if everything ticks all the boxes and you still don’t feel right about it, then trust your instincts. If someone felt a little off, something didn’t feel great, then trust what your heart says.

Sometimes it takes a while to find a shop you’re happy with. Sometimes the right shop for you will be the wrong shop for someone else. I hope this guide will hopefully help someone else in the future!

-Emily

The official response to iDermal.

The APP response:
It has come to the attention of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) that a video has been widely circulated that depicts the installation of four surface anchors and immediate magnetic attachment of an electronic device to those fresh piercings.

The members of the organization have several concerns about this:
While the APP recognizes surface anchors (the preferred terminology for this form of body art) as a “regular piercing,” the procedures in the video were performed with an instrument called a “dermal punch” or “biopsy punch.” This is a medical tool that is expressly forbidden to be used by body artists in the state where the piercer was located (New Jersey).
Surface anchor procedures should be performed with the standard tool that piercers use for all piercings (an ordinary piercing needle). The video sets a bad example for others, and potentially opens the piercer to legal problems.

Though the procedures were self-done by the piercer on his own body, it is rumored that he is also offering the same service to the paying public. The Association would like to make it clear that attaching any object or device to fresh piercings is not an appropriate or acceptable procedure. There are added risks of complications from attaching anything to a fresh piercing including irritation, trauma, infection, migration, and rejection.

This is in response to this video, which has been making the rounds recently.

We must say, just because it looks cool, doesn’t make it safe or sanitary.

HOLY FUCK

x0xerika:

i just got my cartilage pierced yesterday, then again today, but the 2nd one in [like in the picture i posted].. i almost pissed my pants from the pain. not to mention the guy said that the 1st one is at a bad angle bcuz claire’s don’t know how to pierce, so he had to angle this one awkwardly. so, the 3rd piercing will have to wait 5 years bcuz that hurt so fucking bad, if my ear doesn’t fall off by then. piss. wah, i’m a baby.

Please, this is why we don’t go to Claire’s for piercings! Your professional said that ‘they don’t know how to pierce’. They are 100% correct. 

Claire’s should never be used as a place to get pierced. Ever. It’s dangerous, especially for cartilage, and should be avoided like the plague. Ear piercing guns (of all types) can cause a higher rate of infection (they cannot be sterilised), more swelling (post too short), and the studs can actually embed into the ear.

Claire’s aren’t a piercer. They are a cheap jewellery shop with no training. DON’T DO IT!

letyour-troublesfade: Took a lovely trip to the ER yesterday. Forever in the ER \m/. My belly piercing is infected. It was looking so gross yesterday, it was oozing and the area around the hole was bright red, theres an abcess in it. The doctors wanted to take it out but I’ve read a thousand times to not do that because the infection will be harbored under the skin when the hole closes up and with the ring in, the infection can make its way to the outside of the skin through the pierced hole, so i said no lol. Now I have a million antibiotics and creams and ointments. The top hole is about triple the size it should be from the infection and all the bandages are pushing the ring up so the top ball doesnt sink into the hole, but its looking better today, thank god. I’m the cutest girl ever. P.S. The picture does not do any justice as to how red and nasty the top hole really is lol Seriously, well done for going to an ER and seeking medical attention. Piercing infections are rare, but can be very serious if not caught in time. You’re also doing the right thing to keep the jewellery in, as it allows an ‘exit’ for any draining fluid from the infected abscess, whereas removing jewellery seals off this all important exit for any nasty fluid. Kudos for not letting this get any worse! (AKA well done for seeking medical attention and preventing an awful modification!)
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letyour-troublesfade:

Took a lovely trip to the ER yesterday. Forever in the ER \m/. My belly piercing is infected. It was looking so gross yesterday, it was oozing and the area around the hole was bright red, theres an abcess in it. The doctors wanted to take it out but I’ve read a thousand times to not do that because the infection will be harbored under the skin when the hole closes up and with the ring in, the infection can make its way to the outside of the skin through the pierced hole, so i said no lol. Now I have a million antibiotics and creams and ointments. The top hole is about triple the size it should be from the infection and all the bandages are pushing the ring up so the top ball doesnt sink into the hole, but its looking better today, thank god. I’m the cutest girl ever.

P.S. The picture does not do any justice as to how red and nasty the top hole really is lol

Seriously, well done for going to an ER and seeking medical attention. Piercing infections are rare, but can be very serious if not caught in time. You’re also doing the right thing to keep the jewellery in, as it allows an ‘exit’ for any draining fluid from the infected abscess, whereas removing jewellery seals off this all important exit for any nasty fluid.

Kudos for not letting this get any worse!

(AKA well done for seeking medical attention and preventing an awful modification!)