Dermal Piercings with a Dangle Design

Micro Dermal Body Piercings traditionally are a single stone, bezel set design.

Now that the dermal piercing has some history, jewelry designers are getting more adventurous with the styling of the jewelry.

You can have the single stone removed (the footing will stay in your piercing) and replace it with a different design.

You can see, on this image, that our customer has 2 traditional and 1 dangle micro dermal top.

Our New Logo

Steve Johnston has finished the artwork for our new store logo.

T-shirts will be available soon. This image will be on the back of a black t-shirt

Getting Married?

We have some belly button rings that are specifically designed for your wedding day.

Something new, something blue, something borrowed & something in your piercing!

Wedding Belly Rings

Body Piercing Insurance

Before being pierced, you may want to make sure that your body piercer and the shop have insurance. This would be a sign that you are dealing with a more professional establishment and that you will be protected if an unforeseen situation occurs.

It is more difficult and expensive for a piercing and tattoo studio to acquire insurance. Insurance in these industries is considered as high risk. A fly by night establishment will not have this coverage.

Should you be an owner for a piercing or tattoo establishment, we have found that the most professional insurance provider in our industry is PPIB. Here is a link to learn more about them: PPIB

New Nostril Healing Spray by H2Ocean

H2Ocean has come out with a product that is perfect to assist in the healing of a new nostril piercing, or to help heal an irritated existing nostril piercing.

Using a sterile sea salt is the perfect healing solution for a body piercing. This new can design has a nostril sprayer, to properly hit the inside of the piercing. Now the piercing can receive more of the healing spray and allow for a more successful piercing.

If you suffer from allergies, this will also help keep any inflammation and build up down to a minimum for improved breathing. 

How to Properly fit Belly Button Rings

Getting a proper fit on a belly button ring has nothing to do with your body size, it has to do with the angle and depth of the actual piercing.

There are standards in the industry, but your Piercer may have to make adjustments for your navel type. Some Piercers may not work within the standards that are set in the industry, making it more difficult to find jewelry that will fit correctly.

The standards for a navel piercing are 14 gauge for the thickness of the barbell and 3/8" to 7/16" for the length barbell to be worn, once the piercing has healed.

Your piercer will use a longer curved barbell, or a ring for the initial piercing. This is to allow for swelling and to leave room for proper cleaning.

Once the piercing has healed enough to change the jewelry, normally 2 months, it is time to determine the correct size for your navel piercing.

Let's begin with the correct way to measure a curved barbell. With the top ball threaded all the way on, you are going to measure in a STRAIGHT line, not along the curve of the barbell. The two points will be:

#1- Where the top ball meets the barbell on the under side of the ball.(holding the barbell up and down, as if it's being worn).

#2- Where the bottom design, or ball, meets the barbell on the top side of the ball.

Measure in a Straight line from these two points. The two pionts will both be on the inside of the curve.

Metric Conversion: 5/16"=8mm, 3/8"=10mm, 7/16"=11mm, 1/2"=12mm, 9/16"=15mm.

Do not fit the curved barbell to have no barbell showing. You need to have some barbell displayed, as this allows air to the piercing and prevents the jewelry from trying to pull into the piercing. You should have about 1/4" of barbell showing.

You may need to experiment with a few sizes, to find your best fit. Here is the basic rule of thumb.

Shallow Piercings = 5/16" (8mm)

Standard Piercings = 3/8" (10mm) or 7/16" (11mm)

Deep Piercings = 1/2" (12mm)

Very deep Piercings = 9/16" (15mm)

Most shops only sell the standard length, because most manufactures only produce the one size. Our shop has a large selection of all lengths, because we manufacture many of our designs.

You can find a large selection of the 5/16", 1/2" & 9/16" length curved barbell designs Here

Nose Piercing Receiving Tube

When doing a nostril piercing a tool is required to catch the needle on the inside of the nostril.

Most Piercer's will use a receiving tube, which is made for this application. A receiving tube can be made in plastic, glass or stainless steel.

The plastic tubes are disposable, as they would melt in an autoclave machine for sterilization.

The glass or steel can be used over & over again, as they can be properly sterilized. Glass can break, if dropped, which is an obvious drawback. The steel can be more expensive but the most reliable.

Some Piercer's will use a cork to catch the needle. The cork can only be used a single time and can be a less comfortable method for the person being pierced.

Man Tattoos His Eyeballs

Some States Do Not Regulate Teenager Piercings

Here in New Hampshire we have some strict guidelines to follow for piercings on a minor.

We are required to have a parent or legal guardian present, with a photo identification. The minor also has to bring their birth certificate. We then verify that the adult photo id matches the name on the birth certificate.

New Hampshire requires that we photo the photo ID and the birth certificate for our files. The insurance provider also requires a minor release form be filled out and signed.

The parent is then required by New Hampshire to be in the room during the piercing.

Shockingly Iowa has NO regulations on teenager piercings and there are a dozen states that also do not abide by rules and regulations on age, permit process OR inspections.

Needless to say, parents are outraged by Iowa being so lax and not doing anything to protect their children from the dangers of an improperly run piercing studio (since no rules are in place to protect the public).

For a full article about the parents being up in arms please visit WCF Courier

On The Street Photo

While running around this afternoon, I ran into Joe at a hot dog stand.

He was in line, behind me, with his girlfriend. They were both fashion conscious and very hip in appearance.

I found Joe to be fashion forward & adventurous in clothing as well as in body modifications.

At first Joe had his knit cap pulled down to just above his eyes. A blue tattoo that to me looked like extended eyelashes showed under his eye.

In the light, there appeared to be two neon glowing green balls under his bottom lip.

When Joe pulled up his knit hat, there was the surprise of the blue tattoo continued above his eye.

Adding to the interesting tattoo, the eyebrow was pierced with a captive bead ring. The eyebrow piercing was not bright like the lip piercings, but still added to his overall appearance.

Thank you Joe for letting me take a photo of you!

Hooked on Body Suspension

This photo shows Kat with 4 Tuna Hooks freshly pierced into her skin. She is preparing for her 7th body suspension.


Kat's body is swimming with endorphins. Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin — she knows them by name, and she knows their effects. In fact, she’s become rather addicted to them.


In addition to the rush, Kat does body suspensions to overcome her fears.


Kat said that the first hook does not cause her pain, but her back muscles start to tighten up. This makes each additional hook harder to receive.


You can read an entire article written by Ryan Burns and see a gallery of her body suspension at The Journal 

What is a Correct Belly Button Piercing?

Measure in a straight line, not along the curve

There are industry standards for a belly button piercing, but not all Piercers concern themselves with how your after market jewelry will fit.

The standard size belly ring is 14 gauge. This is the thickness of the bar. A large selection of jewelry is available in this standard gauge. If you are pierced with a thinner or thicker needle, you will only have basic steel barbells to select from. Any professional piercer should pierce for a 14 gauge barbell.

The length is more tricky for the Piercer. The end result can be based on the distance of the piercing and the depth of the piercing. Ideally a 3/8" or 7/16" curved barbell will fit properly in a healed belly piercing.

Now, when I say the proper length is 3/8" or 7/16" (only 1mm difference for these 2 length), I do not mean for the barbell to be completely inside of the piercing. There should be some barbell showing, to allow the piercing to breathe and to provide room for sitting and stretching.

A fresh piercing will either use a circular barbell (best for cleaning the piercing) or a curved barbell that is longer than the standard, allowing room for swelling and cleaning.

Three most common problems: too shallow a piercing, a crooked piercing, or too deep an angle, making the belly ring pull into the belly button.

Dermal Piercings look Great with Tattoos

Dermal Piercings are taking the piercing world by storm.

Now you can place a piercing most anywhere on the body

The most popular use of a dermal piercing has been to accent a tattoo

Reverse Ear Gauging if 1/2" or Larger Opening

Snake Bite Piercing

Angela comments on her experience with the Snake Bite lip piercings "I never planned the lip rings I just decided to do it last minute & now I always get asked if it hurt. It did not its like a slight pinch than its over sorta like ripping off a band-aid."

Function-able Body Piercings

People are becoming creative with body piercings.

Here is a new use for a gauged earlobe

Women can easily tuck their cell phone into a purse, but men have to become creative with how to store their wallets, keys, cell phones & combs. 

Yet another reason to find the smallest and lightest weight cell phone.

Maybe this will become as popular as the Earl piercing (bridge piercing), which you can attach your eyeglasses to each side of your nose bridge.

Image provided by myinterestingfiles.com

Remember When Piercing Your Ears Was The Biggest Deal Ever? | The Frisky

Remember When Piercing Your Ears Was The Biggest Deal Ever? | The Frisky

Bridge Piercing AKA Earl

A bridge piercing is done on the loose skin at the top of the nose, between the eyes.

Typically a straight barbell is used for this piercing, as it is a form of a surface piercing.

This is not a very painful piercing, but it must be maintained for success. Be diligent about cleaning this piercing and never touch it with dirty hands to improve your odds against rejection and infection.

The name "Earl" for the bridge piercing came from the first known person to get this piercing. His full name was Earl Van Aken

What is a Venom Tongue Piercing?

A Venom tongue piercing involves two tongue rings. The piercings are done on each side of the tongue, not in the center. 

The two piercings will line up like the fangs on a snake. 

Watch this YouTube video to see this popular piercing style.

Ear Gauging

Thinking of Gauging your ears?

Be sure to practice patience and only gauge up one size at a time. Allow for full healing between each gauge and you will have a better looking and healthier piercing

.

Healing should only take 1 to 2 weeks between gauges. Be sure to clean off any crusties and wear jewelry that does not carry bacteria, such as surgical steel.

Although you can gauge your own ears, a professional will have properly sterilized equipment and will make sure your ears are ready to go up a gauge. 

You should find the price to gauge an ear piercing to be much less than the cost of a piercing.

H2Ocean or a sea salt mixture (50% sea salt - 50% water) will help your ear to heal.

(image is compliments of topicden.com )