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voted for: yes go for it.

My wife has three earrings on each side and I think it looks great! Just do it in the earlobe and not somewhere high up in the ear where you have to pierce through the cartelage.

Bellybutton piercings are cute, unfortunately my wife won't do it Tongue piercings I just find disgusting (sorry Iltat, just my personal opinion)

edit: PS Ferret, you're having your red eyes again

Last edited by Dr. Bonke at 09-Feb-2005 06:44

Tongue piercings are ok, I've hed mine pierced for almost 4 years. Don't get it done unless you really want it because although it doesn't hurt when you're getting it done, your tongue does swell (sometimes a lot, mine did) and that's really uncomfortanble and hurts a bit. It's also a pain to take care of properly when it's healing compared to other piercings...that mouthwash gets old really fast when you're using it after ANYTHING goes in your mouth, salt water tastes disgusting and you can only have so much ice water before you explode. Some people don't find it that annoying but I wouldn't take it lightly, there are a lot of risks you need to be aware of if you're thinking about an oral piercing. You can crack your teeth on them and they're e to dangerous infection if you're not careful.

Tongue piercings can also "travel" a bit if they're not done properly, even a well done piercing will travel a bit.

Also, I have to say it, people who play with their tongue studs constantly are ANNOYING. Excessive tugging and playing with the piercing can interfere with healing too, so it's a bad idea until it's fully healed, even after the piercing has healed over, playing with it can stretch and damage the hole that the barbell is in, making it travel or whatever.

After all of that being an old fuddy duddy as whetu would say, I have to mention that I really like my tongue ring (and my bellybutton ring, and my eyebrow ring, etc. etc.) and would do it again if I had to... Any piercing is a really personal choice though, nobody else can make that for you.

Urgh. That happened to me. It was Not Fun.

Ouch LM I have a friend that got the butterfly back of her ear studs embedded in her ears and had to have a doctor remove them, by that time they were very badly infected, it was disgusting and I felt really bad for her. After seeing that I will never ever get a gun piercing ever again, my last ear piercings were done by needle.

Last edited by Sheilah Monkeypants at 10-Feb-2005 01:05

lol

To begin with, I don't play with it that way, I don't stick it out and all that stuff, I just roll it around my teeth inside my mouth...

As for infections, I've only had one that was VERY minor and that's literally because when I was changing it I wasn't paying attention and stabbed the crap outta my tongue. It wasn't bad and it was gone in a couple days (like a cold sore)...

Now as for seeing you with a tongue stud, I can't really say because most people who get one...I don't see it. They don't stand out unless you stick your tongue out or play with it outside your mouth. So actually, I CAN see you with one...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

But if you were to roll a tongue stud around _inside_ ure mouth, you could damage your teeth as well.. :-P It's a lose-lose situation.

Billy...you're hopeless.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

I wear plastic studs specifically because metal ones do hurt if I bite down on them. I've already bitten plastic ones quite a few times and the worst thing that's happened is that I actually broke one of the balls in half on one of the studs...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

interesting convo!! Ive had my tongue pierced for 2 years, never had an infection, and it hardly swelled at all! For the first 6 months i pretty annoying with it but now i forget its there. And as for the plastic ones, ive bit through them and mutilated them, no good!!

Also, I have to say it, people who play with their tongue studs constantly are ANNOYING. Excessive tugging and playing with the piercing can interfere with healing too, so it's a bad idea until it's fully healed, even after the piercing has healed over, playing with it can stretch and damage the hole that the barbell is in, making it travel or whatever.

Tryst, you hit the nail on the head.

I absolutely HATE that. I can't stand when people are talking to me and it's rolling all over their mouth so that it appears something is alive in there. That's why I don't like tounge piercings.

And Billy...c'mon. Can you REALLY honestly see ME with my tounge pierced...

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

*giggles* Bonke when are my eyes not red

Belly button is cute...too bad I have to wait to get it. It'll be well worth it in the end at least.

I really don't think I'll find piercings addicting though. Me and needles STILL aren't great friends...

EDIT:

*learns her colors*

Last edited by Ferretfish at 09-Feb-2005 13:57

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Ouch, Shannen. *puts hands protectively over chest* That would hurt! At least the only thing I've done is bump mine... repeatedly, but never tore them. *shudders at the thought*

I agree about the tongue piercing, though... Just the thought of metal through muscle... eww! I don't mind them on OTHER people so much, just couldn't even THINK of doing it to myself.

I've found piercing addictive... but I'm running out of places I'm willing to pierce.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

"Other aspects of concern include the fact that the studs are too short for some earlobes, which can result in complications. The jewelry can get completely embedded in ear lobes, even when pierced according to usual practice with a gun."

Urgh. That happened to me. It was Not Fun.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

No tongue

It's out!

The choices are EARS or BELLYBUTTON (in like, 2.5 years)

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

"won't get caught on a doorjam"

*snif*

] Not funny Bill..

It really really hurt. It tore..

*Still votes for tongue* Won't get in your way, won't get caught on a doorjam (hopefully), and makes the look you get from people so much funnier when you stick your tongue out at them

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

Sis, it's called big bandaids kind of block style, and it should cover the belly button, this way it won't get caught on anything, and should create the illusion of flatness instead of bump for the piercing! I used those on my first tat, because idiot me didn't think about trying to get "fully" dressed where I had the pansy done...go for the belly buttonI would if I couldCan't for the same reason as kitten mentionedHeidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Thanks very much everyone.

I don't think I made it clear enough with the "other" category...

There's was no chance that I was getting a piercing other than bellybutton or another on my ears.

I think I'll def. get ears, but BB is out of the question for at least a couple years. I can't take that much time out to let it heal correctly, and there's always a slim chance I may grow more. Not. Okay but yeah I realized my coach would absolutely murder me...so it's gunna have to wait till sometime after my senior year.

Three earrings it is.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Okay, as a professional, licensed body piercer/tattoo artist, let me give you my opinion and the facts all in one. First of all, it IS your body, do with it what you will! IF you decide to get your belly button done, DO NOT LET A PIERCING GUN NEAR YOU! If they even start to pull one out, LEAVE! Do not walk, but RUN to the nearest exit! Basically what a piercing gun does is rip through your flesh, pushing everything out of it's way and out the other side in the process. It does not leave a nice clean hole like a piercing needle does. It hurts FAR worse than the clean hole a piercing needle will leave, and it will not heal properly. The reason a lot of people have a hard time healing after being piercing in this barbaric way is because with everything being ripped and forced, it ONLY leaves enough room for the jewelry itself. If you have ever seen someone get pierced with a piercing needle you will know that it is hollow and the needle makes a hole just slightly larger than the jewelry itself. The body needs this extra room to grow a new layer of skin between the jewelry and the fresh hole. The other truly bad thing about a piercing gun is that it CAN NOT, I do repeat, it CAN NOT be sterilized. Sure, those little packets of earrings they stick in there come from a sterile packet, but the "gun" itself is made from plastic, and therefor CAN NOT be put in an autoclave and sterilized. All sorts of nasty things can be lurking on that gun... Hep A, B, C, AIDS... you name it! That stuff can live outside the body for long periods of time, and all it would take is for the person to touch the unsterilized gun, touch your ear, and then create a port of entry for germs to proceed into. Please, please, please DO NOT let anyone with a piercing gun pierce your navel! I do not advise it for ears either, and personally I NEVER use one. I have one on site to show people who have never seen one, but it has NEVER been used! I also keep on hand, a nice bit of paperwork for them to read which goes into some of the details I just went into above. Any reputable piercing place will NOT use "guns" and will pierce your ears OR your navel using the proper equipment.

As far as a couple of other things... I just glanced through the other posts and did not read them all, but here are a few facts for you if you do decide to get your navel pierced...

1.) DO NOT use neosporin, bacitracin, etc. Those products ARE NOT intended for use on puncture wounds. It clearly states this right on the packaging if you read the fine print. Basically what those products do on a puncture wound (which is basically what a piercing is) is trap the germs INSIDE until the next time you clean it. Bad, bad, bad!

2.) Navel piercings have one of the LONGEST healing times of ANY piercings. It CAN take up to a full year for it to FULLY heal! If you do not have a year to devote to it, then I would not waste my money!

3.) You are a bit too young for an actual "body piercing." I DO NOT pierce anyone under the age of 16 because it takes the body time to finish growing into what you will become as an adult. It is more risky on younger people, and I have girls come in with piercings that have "travelled." They got them done too young, and by the time they were COMPLETELY done growing, the extra height had caused their skin on their stomach to stretch longer and had made it look like they were pierced well above their navels.

4.) Gymnastics seems to be something VERY important to you. I would not get something that you will constantly be taking in and out (risking infection until it is fully healed), and that is going to only get in the way of your gymnastics.

My vote is wait. Wait until you are a little older. Wait until your body is all done growing. Wait until you have the time to devote to it. Wait until it wont just end up being a waste of money for you. Focus on your new 72 gallon SW aquarium, and be a happy gymnast! If you have ANY questions about piercings AT ALL, I am licensed, I work in a VERY reputable place that has been in business for almost 30 years, and I have been doing this for over two years now, with a year of training prior to that. Ask away! I am always happy to help!

I couldn't agree more with going to a professional to have anything done. (which I have also expressed to Liana). I remember having my ears done (at around 9-10) with a gun and the throbing afterwards, my helix at 18 with a gun and the throbing afterwards (lasted 2 days) then my nostril and septum (both with a needle) this summer at the ripe old age of and it didn't hurt 1/2 as bad a gun.

Last edited by doedogg at 08-Feb-2005 18:47

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

Voted: Other (It's your body do what you want)

If you do decide to get it, make sure you go to a professional body piercer and get it done with a needle, not a gun. A lot of people get piercings done with a gun but it's really not a good idea, more info here:

[link=http://www.pacificbodyjewellery.com/smkgun.htm]http://www.pacificbodyjewellery.com/smkgun.htm" style="COLOR: #FFC6E8[/link]

[link=http://tattoo.about.com/cs/psafety/a/piercing_guns.htm]http://tattoo.about.com/cs/psafety/a/piercing_guns.htm" style="COLOR: #FFC6E8[/link]

From the Association of Professional Piercers:

"It is the official position of the Association of Professional Piercers that only sterile disposable equipment is suitable for safe body piercing.

The lack of ability to sterilize the ear piercing guns is one of the issues of concern about such equipment. Blood can aerosolize (become airborne in essentially microscopic particles) and contaminate the gun. If any part of the stud touches any part of the contaminated gun, there is the possibility of transmitting a disease-causing micro organism. The Hepatitis virus can live for extended periods on inanimate surfaces, therefore transmission of such disease through this type of equipment is possible.

Further, most of the ear studs are quite dull, even if slightly pointy. The piercings are accomplished using a considerable amount of force. This is more like a crush injury than a piercing, and feels like one as well. The use of a sharper, sterile object makes for a much safer, gentler, more comfortable piercing.

Other aspects of concern include the fact that the studs are too short for some earlobes, which can result in complications. The jewelry can get completely embedded in ear lobes, even when pierced according to usual practice with a gun. Also, the piercings are difficult to clean thoroughly if too close fitting. The studs do not allow for much room even on slim lobes. Air and blood circulation are limited which can delay or complicate healing. Swelling and/or scar tissue formation can result. Also, the butterfly backing of ear studs have a configuration that can easily trap bacteria adding to the potential risk of infection.

Another problem is that the guns are very easy to misuse. Some who operate them "professionally" have little or no training. Further, many people do not stop at piercing only the lobes, and pierce eyebrows, tongues, nostrils, navels and other body parts with the ear stud guns. Such usage is warned against by most manufacturers, but that does not prevent frequent abuse of the ear piercing gun equipment. This is absolutely inappropriate and very dangerous!

Proper use of sterile, disposable equipment and sterile jewelry in a hygienic environment is the best way to prevent disease transmission during a piercing procedure."

[link=http://www.safepiercing.org/FAQ.html]http://www.safepiercing.org/FAQ.html" style="COLOR: #FFC6E8[/link]

Call me paranoid but I've had piercings done both ways and I'd never take the chance on a gun piercing again. Sure, the risk of infection and other complications with an ear piercing is really low but I just wouldn't want to put myself at risk to save 20 bucks.

Also having had piercings done both ways, needle piercing does heal a lot faster and is much less painful than gun piercing. If you get it done with a needle you don't get that annoying throbbing afterward, you barely even feel it.

As you move farther up the ear toward the cartilage the chances of infection and other complications are greater, and especially if you're getting the piercing done a one of those mall shops. Professional body piercers usually go through a few years of training, compared to a hairdresser or something that had 2 weeks or so. Call me crazy but I wouldn't risk it.

[font color="#C00000"] Of course, I'm working on 13-20 some odd piercings myself....


~*MO*~[/font]