A New Self Expression - Genital Piercing

A New Self Expression - Genital Piercing

Each era has its own special brand of self-expression, long hair; tattoos, heavy makeup, extremely short hair and body piercing have all spent time on the top of every parent's nightmare list. Today, it seems that genital piercing has entered the arena, though it is probably a bit more than a simple statement of rebellion especially when you consider that few people will ever see it. You may even be thinking about the pros and cons of this type of piercing yourself, if so you are in the right place.

Historic Significance

There are rumors a plenty about the origins of genital piercing there is little evidence that there is any truth to them. There are a few tribes that have practiced piercing male genitalia, but nipple piercing and other genital piercings are largely a western invention. The first genital piercings were done around the 19th century, with the Prince Albert emerging as the most popular. Many myths surround the this piercing, including reasons why Queen Victoria's husband would have needed this type of alteration. However, the veracity of the claims cannot be substantiated.

Around the 1970's the practice began to really gain prominence in the United States, first in various subcultures and within a short time in the mainstream. Today there are more and more parlors that will perform this type of piercing and even more ingenious methods of piercing.

Where

A good number of people will first get their nipples pierced, before moving south. However, there are just as many who never have any other type of piercing or body art performed. This leads to the question of why anyone would partake of piercing that particular area of the body. For a number of people the motivation is sexual. Your average married couple is simply looking for ways to spice up their love life. By all accounts this is a very good way to do just that, some women report their first ever orgasm after having the vaginal clitoral hood pierced. Of course, the availability of extra skin that will hold piercings has a lot to do with the location you choose.

Risk

Studying the risks associated with genital piercing is not an exact science, it is difficult to follow up and track potential side effects. However, as more people partake of this type of piercing the data will become clearer. As of today, the most well known side effect of genital piercing is secondary infection. This can often be prevented with good after care and appropriate hygiene. That does not mean you should treat the chance of infection lightly, infection can occur, spread rapidly and cause severe medical problems.

Nose Piercing Tips

Nose Piercing Tips

The first thing that is recommended is you are thinking about having your nose pierced is to find a professional with experience. You may come across random vendor at flea markets and the like, however choosing a person who has experience and in many states, the needed license for performing piercings is highly recommended. You may pay a bit more, but it will certain by worth it.

On e of the most important nose piercing tips is to choose which side of your nose you wish to have the piercing on. There is no particular meaning given to either side with one exception. In India, either the left or right side symbolizes which part of India you are from. In other countries it is simply a matter of preference. For those with other facial piercings, you may find it helpful to look in a mirror and see which side will best balance your other jewelry. For example, if you have your left eyebrow pierced, it may be a good idea to balance this out with a nose piercing on the right side.

Once you have decided on the side and have located a professional who is licensed and uses sterilized equipment, you will then choose the exact positioning. Many people who have this done report little to no pain.

In the scheme of things, the most important of nose piercing tips is to take proper care of both your nose and the jewelry during the healing process. Because the nose is made of cartilage, it can take quite a while to fully heal. Small amounts of fluids may discharge from the area and you will need to set aside time for at least two cleanings per day to keep the entire area clean and dry.

Nose piercings begin to heal at the surface and then slowly heal inward. For this reason, while it may appear healed when looking in a mirror after just a few days, your piercing will not be healed inside. The piercings should be cleaned with hot water and a mild soap. Antibiotic cream or solution is usually not necessary unless you have a confirmed infection. If soap seems to irritate your piercing, you can switch to just hot water with some salt mixed into it.

History of Piercing

History of Piercing

Around the world, people have viewed the human body as a unique canvas for decoration and embellishment. Throughout human history, body piercing has been practiced by many cultures. From septum piercing in New Guinea to navel piercing in ancient Egypt, piercing is an integral part of many culture's physical and spiritual identity.

Our earliest evidence of body piercing dates back to 9th century BC; a stone relief from Nimrud, Iraq shows a male with a pierced ear. Evidence isn't just limited to artistic depictions. The world's oldest mummified body, proven to be over 5,000 years old, had an ear piercing from 7-11 mm in diameter.

Cultural significance of piercings
The reasons for body piercings are as diverse as their cultures. Mayan nobleman performed ritual tongue piercing and bloodletting to facilitate their communication with gods. In Tibet, a particular gold earring worn in the left ear identifies a man as a high government official. New Guinea warriors wore large tusks through the septum to produce a fierce appearance.

Examples of cultural reasons behind piercing include:

- Indicate affiliation to a clan or tribe
- Indicate status, success, or social ranking
- Indicate a rite of passage
- Ward off evil and illness
- Attain magical powers
- Appear fierce to enemies
- Enhance sexual stimulation
- Enhance appearance/ attractiveness

Ear piercing
A woman from the Aleutian Islands had 10 sea lion whiskers pierced into each ear before she was given to her husband in marriage. Sea lion whiskers were valuable trophies that indicated successful hunting. The piercing indicated that she was marrying a good hunter.

Septum piercing
Septum piercing is quite popular among warrior cultures in Irian Jaya, New Guinea, and Solomon Island. Warriors wore tusks through their septum to appear more fierce and intimidating. In Iria Jaya, the most prestigious septum tusk was a large bone plug (from the leg bone of a pig) that could be as thick as 25mm!

Nose piercing
Nose piercing is a common sight in India today, but nose ornaments arrived in India only sometime in the 15th or 16th century. Although the most common type of nose piercing seen today is a stud, special mention should be made of the "bulak." This u-shaped ring is worn between the nostrils by local Dogra woman. Covering most of the cheek and mouth, it is the largest nose-ring worn in the country. Brides in North India also wear this type of nose ring- which must be lifted up to eat!

Labret piercing
Labret piercing was a common practice among the Mesoamerican people from 600-900 AD. They practiced ritual piercing of the bottom lip- up to 1 inch in diameter. These blood-letting ceremonies gave men a higher status within the community. By cutting the ear, they were opening it to hear the gods' revelations and by cutting the tongue, they would be able to communicate. An ornamental labret plug was worn after the ceremony. These were quite elaborate- solid gold carvings, jade with inlaid gold, and crystal with gold, bone, and turquoise.

Navel piercing
Navel piercing does not seem as common throughout history as nose, ear, or lip piercing.
It seems to be a relatively modern trend- popularized by Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Records of belly piercing do date back to ancient Egypt, where the royal family had pierced belly buttons and wore gold rings in their navels.

Body Piercing Problems

Body Piercing Problems

Body piercing is very popular among men and women. A lot of areas in the body are used for piercing like ear lobes, ear cartilage, nostrils, nose bridge, eyebrows, lips, cheeks, nipples, navels, and genitals. These are the most common areas used for piercing.

Most people who have body piercings do not develop any problems, but some do. When piercings get infected, it is a horrible sight, and sometimes, they smell awful, too.

The ears are the most common piercing site, especially among women. Earlobes heal relatively easy without any problems. Ear cartilage, on the other hand, takes longer to heal, harder to clean, and has the highest risk of getting infected. Because they take a longer time to heal, your chances of acquiring infectious diseases greatly increase.

Each of the body part that is used for piercings have their own healing time. Some heal longer than others. Aside from having their own healing time, they can also present a different set of potential problems. Home treatment of the wound may speed up the healing process and may prevent infections, but there is no guarantee. A dirty hand or poor hygiene may still cause problems to the wound.

The common problems that may develop from body piercing are as follows:

oInfection of the wound - the risk of infection increases if you have other health issues such as diabetes. Infection of the tongue or lips may cause speech, chewing, and/or swallowing problems or swelling that can impede the throat. Infection of a nipple may scar the breast tissue and limit the capability to breast feed.

oSplitting or tearing of the skin - this can trigger the formation of scar tissue and may cause permanent skin damage.

oAllergic reactions - some people develop allergies to a certain metal used in the jewelry. Make sure that you
use jewelry specifically designed for your piercing site. Use only non-allergenic jewelry. Other types of jewelry you should use include surgical stainless steel, platinum, gold, titanium, and niobium.

oProblems caused by the jewelry - jewelry in the mouth may cause cracking or chipping of the teeth, gum problems, and difficulty chewing or swallowing. Jewelry in the navel can get caught in clothing and rip the skin. Jewelry in the genital area can cause injury to you or your partner when having sex.

Those are just a few of the problems you might be facing when you have a body piercing. If the piercer is inexperienced, he can damage underlying blood vessels and nerves. Now, that is a high price to pay, just to look cool. Is it not? Whatever your reasons are for getting a body piercing, just make sure that you handle the wound with care. Bacteria thrive on open wounds, so be careful.

The best thing to do is to look for a certified professional body piercer; one who knows how to handle you and the situation with extra care.

Lip Piercing 101

Lip Piercing 101

Lip piercing is practiced by many ancient tribes. The Dogon tribe of Mali, for example, regards the piercing of the lip as a way of commemorating the way their ancestor spirit, Noomi, gave them the power of speech. In the society of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans, a man who has a lip piercing is a member of the higher caste and he usually wears jewelry made from gold and jade. Today, a lot of people, including some celebrities, wear lip rings because of the way it allows them to express themselves.

Although it may give you the bad girl or bad boy appeal that you would like to portray, do take note that going through lip piercing is no joke. It is a decision that involves facing risks and consequences that might cause you to regret your actions later. Also, you have to remember that a lip piercing isn't something that you can just remove after you have grown tired of it. So, if you're still up to getting a lip piercing, here are some things you need to take note of before going through it.

Who and Where?

Ask around and pick an artist who is well-recommended. Make sure that he has a certificate from the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). This is an organization of piercing artists that make safety rules that prevent you from incurring health risks due to piercing. Also, pick a piercing salon that is clean and has artists who sanitize their hands before doing a piercing. You should also make sure that they use sterilized needles in sealed packages and not a piercing gun. Remember that piercing guns cannot be sterilized and if they use one on you, you're bound to get an infection from your piercing.

The Placement

Since you will be living with it for the rest of your life, you should know where you want to have your lip piercing done. Putting a lip ring on your lower lip is very much recommended because it doesn't have any contact with your gums and wouldn't cause any damages in this area in the future.

You can also have a labret stud on the area below your lower lip. This is also called a labret. Because the flat disk is squeezed between the back of the lip and the gums, the placement of this lip piercing is very important because it can hurt your gums.

If you're feeling adventurous, it is also possible to put a labret stud above the upper lip. Because it is related to the placement of Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark, it is called a Monroe piercing. And, if you are a very daring person, you can also opt for Angelbites, which consists of two upper lip piercings on both sides of the lip. Only labret studs can be used for this type of lip piercing. Snakebites, on the other hand, are just like Angelbites. The difference is that Snakebites are found on the opposite sides of the lower lip and both rings and studs can be used for this type of lip piercing.

Before choosing any of these placements, it would be a good idea to imagine what it would be like to have them on your mouth. After all, you wouldn't want to get a lip piercing that would affect the way you speak, eat or drink.

Tragus Piercing

Tragus Piercing

This is the piercing of the small cartilage that is at the end of the ear tunnel. Though it is not as common as ear piercing, it has gained popularity over the past few years. What is done is that you go to a professional piercer and with a special piercing needle and scissors he gets your tragus pierced while you are either sitting or lying down. A small rubber is place at the other end of the tragus while it gets pierced. This part of the ear usually has some thick flesh and so a little bit of pressure is usually used to get the needle to the other end.

It is normally a painful process since bleeding is also involved but the pain gets away after a few days.The gauge of the needle that is used to get your tragus pierced is also very important as this will determine the size of rings, studs, labrets and barbells that you are going to put on thereafter. After this a special ring is then inserted into the hole and this will only be changed after it has healed.

You have to choose the jewelry carefully because you will have it on for quite some time about 8 weeks to even 3 months. You also have to take good care of your pierced tragus daily to ensure that it heals properly and failure to do this can make you get infections. You will have to clean it daily using saline solution or any other kind of a disinfectant solution as advised by your piercer. Put some solution on a small piece of cotton wool and clean it gently from the outside going to the inside and twist the jewelry ring a bit to ensure that solution gets into the hole. Do this with a clean hand to avoid any contact with bacteria.

You will also have to sleep on one side during this period to avoid getting hurt and also to ensure it heals within the appropriate time frame. You can get both of your traguses pierced or only one depending on your choice since different people have different tastes.

Tongue Piercing

Tongue Piercing

A tongue piercing is a type of body piercing that is normally done directly through the center of the tongue, and is one of most popular body piercing sites in the western world following the ear.

A tongue piercing is accomplished by first determining the placement of the piercing which is marked and a clamp is then applied. The first jewelry is usually longer than is ultimately required, which allows for swelling, which is normal after a piercing. Within 2 days following the piercing of the tongue it can swell to twice the size it originally was. This can be painful when eating and speaking, but it is not permanent. Piercers frequently recommend chewing on ice and drinking cold beverages in order to help reduce this swelling.

As a result of the tongue's exceptional healing ability, a tongue piercing will usually close rapidly. Some piercings will close up in a few hours while other holes that have been stretched larger may take a few days to close. The amount of time it takes for a piercing to heal differs greatly from one person to another. There are some people who have piercings that have larger stretched holes that are able to fit jewelry in their piercing sometimes after years. It is usually recommended that people who are not able to take care of their recent piercing avoid piercing procedures.

A traditional tongue piercing placement is in the center of the mouth along the midline of the tongue. It is frequently about 3/4 "back from the tip of the tongue. It is usually placed with the top a little further back than the bottom, which permits the top of the jewelry to lean back slightly and away from the teeth which puts it more towards the upper part of the palate since there is more room in the person's mouth there.

Long term or permanent tongue piercing has become extremely popular in modern western society. With high quality surgical steel readily available, barbell style jewelry is usually associated with the emergence of this piercing in the 1980s. It is also noteworthy that the this piercing is not specific to a particular gender and was not developed specifically for just a woman or a man. One of the most common names for tongue piercing jewelry is a tongue ring, which is a misnomer since tongue rings are rarely used in tongue piercings.