To some, tattooing and piercing are ancient ritual practices and to others, they seem like a sudden fad. The desire to customize the body and make it how the individual wishes it what tends to separate man from the other mammals on the planet.

No other species changes how it looks on just a whim or a fashion trend. And yet for some, body art can be a deeply personal expression of beliefs and spirituality, a ritual of healing and reclaiming, or an exploration of the inner self.

The word "tattoo" comes from the Polynesian word "tatu" meaning "to strike." That culture's method of tattooing involved hitting a barbed comb with another stick to make the tattoo puncture.

People get tattooed in remembrance of partners and children, as souveniers of military tours or experiences, as rites of passage, to cover scars and reclaim their bodies, and on occasion because their friends talked them into it.

Much the same can be said for body piercing, although as a practice, that is much newer in Western culture than tattooing. From the common earlobe and nostril piercings, modern methods have allowed piercing to spread all over the body.

Piercing Aftercare

We are suppliers of Body Piercing Jewelry and although we have experienced Body Piercers working with us we do not do body piercing at Pierceoff. On our front page you will find body jewelry which has been organized into body parts to help you decide what type of jewelry will be appropriate for your piercing. It is just a guide, giving you the various options available to you.

For less common piercings please consult your professional piercer.

Please note that generally one needs to be 18 years old to be legally pierced. Some studios will allow some piercings such as ears and navels to be done at 16 years of age. You will need to speak to your piercer; they are governed by the Laws in their particular state.

Some studios may require parental consent, and that doesnt mean a note from your parents or guardian! Your parents or guardian will have to be with you when you go for your piercing.

Please ensure that your piercer is very serious about their Sterilization and Hygiene and ask as many questions as you want before you make up your mind and feel totally comfortable with the integrity of the studio you have chosen. Remember that you are the one being pierced so be sure to do your homework!

STRETCHING GUIDELINES

The Key to stretching is time and patience. Your body tissues need time between each stretching stage to adjust, heal and grow new cells. The slower you stretch the easier and more comfortable it will be and the further you will be ale to go.

If you do not allow sufficient time for tissue regeneration, your skin may tear and scar causing keloid tissue which can build up and not only prolong the healing process but will also limit future stretches.

As ear lobes get plenty of circulation they tend to heal quickly but the soft tissue is easy to injure if pushed too far too soon.

Lightly lubricate the ear and jewellery, gently pushing the stretching crescent from front to back until you feel resistance, supporting the tissue at the back of the ear.
A good time to do this is after a hot bath or shower as the warmth causes the tissue to expand and soften making your skin stretch more easily.

Water based or oil based lubricants can be used for example cocoa butter, vitamin E oil, jojoba oil etc. However, use oil based lubricants in moderation as these may make an oily film keeping oxygen out.

Remember although jewellery is measured in diameter, your body feels the circumference. The bigger you go, the greater the area you are increasing the stretch by, and the more difficult it will be, so it is more important that you do not rush these stages.

SPECIAL CARE NEEDS to be taken of a piercing immediately after it has been carried out and during the whole of the healing period. Within the trade, ideas on how to care for a piercing vary. This information aims to provide a guide to post piercing care based upon generally accepted good practice. A lot of common post-piercing complicatins can be avoided by following a regular care routine.

Before having a piercing you should read this information carefully before choosing a piercing. The information should help you decide if the piercing you are wanting is the right one for your personal circumstances.
Once you have made your choice and have had the piercing carried out, you will then be responsible for the good care of it for some time to come.

Hand washing is probably the single most effective action that you can take to care for your piercing is to wash your hands thoroughly before touching it.

Cleaning
There is much debate in the trade and between medical professionals on how best to care for a piercing. The consensus is broken into two main camps: those that advise the application of a cleaning solution and those that don't. This is simplified into 'Bottled' aftercare and 'Routine' aftercare. With both methods, cleaning of the piercing is advocated. Often a combination of both methods proves satisfactory.

Routine Aftercare
See the range of Aftercare for detailed information
http://www.pierceoff.com.au/Products.aspx?ClsID=214
Keep the piercing wound as dry as possible. When showering (once or twice daily), use an antibacterial soap to clean away any dried and crusted material from the jewellery and the wound.

Other kinds of Aftercare Solutions
There are many kinds of prepared aftercare solutions that are widely available.If you are going to use one of these solutions, it is advisable to carry out a patch test before use. Apply a small amount to a dressing and tape this to the inside crease of the elbow. Check after a few hours for any signs of irritation. If irritation occurs, do not use it. Clean warm tap water may be as useful a solution as any.

Preparations to be Avoided
Generally, solutions not recommended for use with a piercing that is still healing, include peroxide and high content alcohol-based antiseptics. These can be too strong and may cause dryness. Most ointments are not recommended as they can prevent oxygen from reaching the wound, and may possibly lead to complications.

Dressings
The continual wearing of a plaster dressing can help protect the wound from infection by outside bacteria, as well as cushioning the piercing from snagging during rigorous phyusical activities. The down side to dressings is that any bacteria already at the site of the wound will be incubated and grow much more quickly than if it had been left to ventilate naturally.

A Normal New Piercing
There is a difference between caring for a conventional wound and a piercing wound. With a conventional wound, the aim is to remove any foreign objects and then quickly re-seal the skin surface. Body piercing aims to trick the body into accepting, rather than rejection, a piece of metal jewellery. The skin forms a tunnel of flesh called a fistula around the jewellery. This takes time and, whilst the wound remains open, it is at risk from outside infections.
Typically, new piercings are tender, itchy and slightly red, and can remain so for a few weeks. A clear odourless fluid, called plasma, will sometimes discharge from the piercing. Often, when pressure is applied to a piercing from clothing or the jewellery is snagged, a whitish-yellow exudation is secreted from the wound. A crust formed from dried plasma and exudation may attach and tighten around the jewellery as it heals, preventing the jewellery from moving. The exudation should not be confused with a pus-like discharge from an infected piercing.

Swelling
Most piercings will swell to some extent. To allow for this, jewellery inserted into your piercing will be longer than the distance between the piercing holes. Occasionally, however, a piercing may swell more than is normally anticipated, and can become painful, often leading to complications.

Removing Jewellery
Many post-piercing complications can be attributed to the early removal of body jewellery. Even though a piercing may appear to have healed on the outside, the inside of the fistula can take several months to form. Replacing jewellery too early can lead to the unhealed fistual becoming damaged, and to an increased possibility of infection.

Sterilising Jewellery
To minimise the possibility of wound infection, all jewellery should be properly sterilised, using a medical autoclave, before it is fitted into a piercing. This also applies to any newly purchase jewellery. Applying boiled water or the flame from a lighter is not a proper sterilisation process.

Healing Times
The period of initial healing is called the period of epithelisation, and varies between individuals. Each piercing is different and the methods of caring should reflect those differences. The piercing wound will heal first around the outside holes, and then gradually, over several months, the centre of the fistula will form.
Here is a general guide for minimum anticipated healing periods. Piercings can sometimes take much longer to heal, occasionally taking over a year.

Ears - Lobe 2 Months

Ear and nose piercing have existed in many cultures for the last few thousands years, but it wasn't really until the 20th century that they got a foothold in Western Culture. And within the last 20 years, there's been a cultural explosion of piercing, as this body art form has moved from underground sub-cultures (fetish, outlaws) into the mainstream (pop and teenage culture).

Piercings aren't as much of an easy fashion trend as some people think, requiring a definite commitment to aftercare and healing. Part of the appeal is that piercings aren't as permanent a form of body art as tattooing with nearly all piercings almost entirely reversible just through the action of taking out the jewelry. Most of the cultures who practiced widespread body piercing did so as part of puberty rites so in a way it seems fitting that Western teenagers and young adults have embraced these forms of expression the most.

Once your tattoo is done, it's not too hard to make sure it heals the best that it can. And it is worth the few days of special care after all that cost and discomfort it took to get it.

• Whatever you do, do NOT pick at the scab on your new tattoo. If the scab comes off too soon, you run the rick of having the ink "heal out," which leaves a blank spot in the design and then you'll have to get that part redone. This can happen a little bit during natural healing, but picking at a scab pretty much guarantees it. No matter how much it itches, don't scratch it.

• You can shower with your tattoo, but don't let it sit under the spray and get soaked. Wash it gently with a mild, natural soap using just your fingertips, and try to roll or scrape off as little scab as you can. Rinse quickly and make sure when you dry off to pat (not brush/scrape) the tattooed area.

• Tattoos that are totally brand-new get a light smear of antibiotic ointment on them, until the scab forms. Once the scab starts, you will want to switch to a natural or organic, unscented lotion to keep the skin moisturized. You do not want to use anything that contains lanolin or petroluem jelly in it for healing your tattoo, as these will clog the pores and often contributed to the ink healing out. I personally tell people to avoid diaper rash creams (aka A&D ointment or bepanthen), as these very often do contain lanolin and petroluem. I've also learned that the Australian product Lucas Paw Paw Ointment contains petroleum jelly (although it doesn't say so on the label) so avoid that one too!

• While tattoos are healing, you want to avoid skin trauma. This can include clothes that rub the area too much, any activities where the tattoo would get hit hard, anything that scrapes or scratches the healing surface and heavily sweating. Sweat is how the body cools itself AND gets rid of toxins. That toxic sweat can cause your new tattoo to become infected.

• Initial healing from new tattoo to scabbed is about 3 days on average and the scab often falls off around days 7-10 but your individual skin healing can vary. The tattoo usually still has some dry skin on top (nicknamed "the saran wrap" phase by many because the tattoo can look shiny) after the heavy scab comes off and after two weeks the skin surface is often healed. The tattoo may be flat to the skin at this point, or it might take a little longer to become flush with the skin.  Until the entire surface is healed you want to avoid any swimming or soaking in a hot tub!

• Now and for the rest of your life, your tattoo needs as much sun protection as it can get. If the surface is still raw, do not put sunscreen on it, as it can can skin irritation. Keep it covered with soft clothing and out of the sun. Sunburn causes tattoos to lose colors or fade in intensity, and it can make fine lines and details turn blurry. 

Remember: your individual skin healing and reactions may vary! If you think you are having a problem, go back and talk to your tattoo artist or see a doctor!

• Tattoos can be red, swollen (raised-up), weepy/bleeding and just plain sore when they are done. The more complex a design and the longer you sat there, the greater the chances for these symptoms. If your tattooist had a really firm grip on you or if you tend to be sensitive to it, there might even be a few bruises.

• If your tattoos increase in redness, become more painful, and either the skin or the fluids weeping out become yellow-greenish in color, those are all classic signs of an infection. In those cases, either go back to your tattoist or doctor to have the infection confirmed and evaluated.

• If left untreated, infections can not only damage the tattoo itself, they can potentially lead to something life-threatening like blood poisoning.

• Some people have allergic reactions to tattoo inks or and experience adverse skin reactions. To determine this, you need to see a doctor or dermatologist.

If you have more questions about if your tattoo might be infected, Go See Your Doctor!