3.1 What To Look For In A Piercer
Description
This article is from the Piercing FAQ, by Anne Greenblatt with numerous contributions by others.
3.1 What To Look For In A Piercer
Consider first visiting the studio without intending to get pierced so
that you are not under pressure or too nervous to be aware of the
quality of the services.
The best way to judge a piercer is to look at his/her work. If
possible, talk to customers about their experiences. Ask to see a
portfolio, specifically photographs of the piercing you are interested
in and preferably photos of successfully healed piercings.
While attendance of a piercer training seminar or class should be
considered an advantage, it does not guarantee a piercer's level of
skill or experience. Ideally, a training seminar serves as a
well-rounded introduction to safe and responsible piercing.
The facility should be clean, orderly, and well-lit. All Instruments
utilized during the procedure should be sterile. Disposable items such
as gloves, needle, cork, towels, cotton swabs, and gauze pads should
all be new and sterilized if possible.
The piercer should answer any questions before and after the piercing
is performed. You should feel comfortable and at ease, not rushed. The
piercer should review the piercing procedure and give both oral and
written aftercare instructions. S/he should discuss the risks and
possible complications associated with the piercing, which may include
infection, migration or rejection, scarring, allergy or sensitivity to
the jewelry, allergy or sensitivity to the aftercare products, and
suggest a course of action in case a problem does occur.
A responsible piercing studio will require that you complete a waiver
form which describes the limits of piercer liability as well as what
you should expect before, during and after the piercing procedure. The
waiver serves to protect both the piercer and customer. It is your
responsibility to inform the piercer of any medical conditions which
may be exacerbated by the piercing procedure or of conditions which
may interfere with the healing process.
The piercer should practice aseptic technique which includes
appropriate sterilization of instruments and jewelry, disinfection of
surfaces, and avoiding cross-contamination. Every instrument which
comes into contact with your body or with the jewelry should come from
sealed sterilization packets with sterilization indicators. The needle
and jewelry should remain in sterilization packets until they are
used.
Jewelry, as it is received from the manufacturer, should be assumed to
be non-sterile. Ideally, the jewelry should be sterilized in
individual autoclave packages which are opened in front of the
customer so that there is no question that the jewelry has been
sterilized. Jewelry which has been bulk sterilized must be stored and
handled responsibly. Jewelry which has been stored in a display case
or handled with bare hands should be re-sterilized. Jewelry which has
previously been worn should be sterilized.
The piercer should wear new, disposable gloves throughout the
procedure and should change gloves when appropriate to avoid cross
contamination. Cross contamination occurs when a clean or sterile
item comes into contact with a contaminated item. Cross contamination
also occurs when a clean or sterile item is handled with contaminated
gloves or gloves that have been worn to handle contaminated items. To
prevent cross contamination of sterile instruments during the piercing
procedure, the piercer should change gloves if s/he touches anything
that is non-sterile or unsuitably contaminated (ie. handled with bare
hands or used instruments that have not been sterilized). After the
piercer completes the piercing procedure, s/he should change gloves
before handling items that will not be disposed of or autoclaved.
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