1. Can I hire the MOBILE PIERCING & TATTOO Studio for my
Event / Party?
Click Here to find out more.

2. Does piercing hurt?
Everybody has their own pain tolerance, however most basic piercings are more uncomfortable than painful.

3. Why use a needle vs. a piercing gun?
a. A gun is a preset trigger switch which is designed to displace the tissue, which means it is just a point which pushes the tissue to the side, and in some cases causes keloids (scar tissue build up). A piercing needle removes a small piece of tissue which releases pressure and reduces tissue inflammation to provide room for the jewellery to be adequately cleaned inside and out.

b. Unlike a piercing needle, a gun can cause nerve damage, bruising, swelling and internal bleeding from the impact of this unregulated spring.

c. A piercing gun can never be sterilized as well as the studs may be new but are also not sterilized. These guns are designed to be used with what we refer to as the bottom of the barrel types of plated hypoallergenic alloys.
All piercing instruments and jewellery in any of the Westcoast Piercing outlets are sterilized in a high pressure autoclave prior to all procedures and are made with the highest quality surgical and titanium products.

4. How do you sterilize your instruments and jewellery?
All piercing equipment and jewellery is sterilized by autoclave at 250 degrees for one hour to kill all microbacterial organisms.

5. What should I use to clean it, and how often should it be done?
We recommend using an all natural cleanser such as Sunshine Mist which should be applied 2~3 times daily for approximately 6~12 weeks depending on the site. See Critical Aftercare Tips .

6. What are the normal healing times for piercings?
Ear Lobes 4-8 weeks
Ear Cartilage 3-4 months
Eyebrow 6-8 weeks
Nose 3-4 months
Tongue/Lip/Labret 2-3 months
Nipple 4-6 months
Navel 4-6 months
Male Genital (non glans) 2-3 months
Male Genital (glans) 4-6 months
Female Genital 2-4 months
Surface Piercings 4-8 months

7. I have a pinkish-purple pimple-like bubble on the side of my piercing and it doesn’t seem to want to go away. Sometimes it has pus and sometimes it doesn't. What should I do?
This sounds like a keloid. Keloids are not uncommon on wounds and piercings. Generally they are triggered by over irritation in an area where new skin cells are trying to reproduce. Click keloids to learn more on how to get rid of them.

8. What if I get an infection?
Most minor infections are treatable and do not require removal of the jewellery. See Critical Aftercare Tips.

9. I have a piece of white tissue growing on the side of my oral piercing (tongue, lip, labret etc.). What is it and what should I do?
This sounds like granuloma, which is very similar to a keloid only oral. The only way we have found to effectively decrease granuloma growth is rinsing with warm sea salt water 4-6 times a day. Use approximately 1 tsp sea salt to 4 ounces warm water. Gargle and spit in 30sec intervals 3-4 times and abstain from liquids and foods for the next 30min. Over a period of the following few days the skin should appear to be getting whiter and shrinking.

10. Can I be pierced through scar tissue?
Yes. Depending on if the nerve tissue was severed, the sensation of re-piercing may feel the same as the original piercing for some. For others it may be a little more sensitive.

11. What is the jewellery made of?
Our jewellery is made of the highest quality of 316L surgical grade stainless steel, titanium, Lucite (acrylic), gold and Italian silver, however we will only pierce with surgical steel and titanium as these products release the least amount of irritants (such as nickel, carbon and copper). For more info on our jewellery see Commitment to Quality .

12. Will my jewellery set off the airport metal detector?
I get asked this question a lot - usually by those who don't want their piercing(s) to be discovered. If you're going to an airport, sporting event or anywhere else that a metal detector is involved, you might wonder if you're going to end up setting off bells and whistles.

It's helpful, first, to understand. and the reasons they are used for security purposes. Basically, a metal detector emits an electro-magnetic field that flows until it comes across something metallic. The metal object disrupts this flow in different ways, depending on its size and the type of metal. The metal detector is designed to give an audible signal when the field is disturbed.

Security metal detectors are used to look for dangerous objects - knives, guns, explosives, etc. Adjustments can be made to the metal detector to determine how sensitive it is based on the level of security needed. If necessary, a metal detector could be set to detect a very small amount of metal.

The problem with setting metal detectors to be over-sensitive is that it causes too many false alarms. Security areas at large public events would be completely congested with people setting off the alarms with keys, jewelry, pens, etc. It would make the job of actually finding dangerous objects nearly impossible. Therefore, metal detector sensitivity is usually not set that high.

My most recent trip through airport security (September, 2006) which was extremely tight with its new rules about liquids and how many personal items you could carry on, my 8 piercings didn't cause any issues walking through the metal detector. Neither did my underwire bra. But the penny I failed to remove from my pocket was caught by both the walk-through and the wand. The wand also reacted to the metal buttons on my jeans, but not my piercings.

In general, a few piercings usually does not pose a threat of setting off an alarm. However, with today's heightened security, it is always a possibility. The risk increases with the more piercings you have or the larger gauge jewelry you wear in them.

If your piercing is new (less than 6 months) it is really not recommended that you remove your jewelry unless absolutely necessary. Even a healed piercing can close up quickly and make replacing the jewellery difficult and painful. Since your chances of setting off the metal detector are very slim, it might be best to just risk it. However, if setting off an alarm could cause serious problems for whatever reason, and removing the jewellery is your only option, please let a professional help you put them back in.

Courtesy of About Tattoo s- Karen Hudson .

disclaimer