5 Things to Think About Before Getting Pierced

Ruben Martinez has been piercing people out of Alien Modification Professional Piercing in San Diego, Calif., for over five years. In that time Martinez has learned what people should be looking for—and more importantly what they should look out for—when they are considering a piercing. Here are the five things you need to think about before getting pierced.

1. Your Profession. Although the tattoo and piercing industry is growing everyday and becoming more “acceptable” to the public some career fields won’t allow visible piercings. Always ask your employer if a piercing is allowable and use common sense; if you’re working in the food industry having a facial piercing that could possibly fall into the meals you prepare would be a problem.

2. Can you take care of it. Like oil to a car, or lotion to a tattoo, body piercings need maintenance (aftercare). Ask yourself, “Will I have time to clean it,” and “Am I willing to pay the few extra dollars to buy aftercare for it?” I always say if your piercing is done by a REPUTABLE professional using high grade materials the outcome of the piercing will ultimately be in the hands of the piercee. In simpler terms; if you don’t take care of it, it won’t heal. There are aftercare companies out there that have made it easier to take care of your piercings—such as H2Ocean’s bottled sea salt spray—which I recommend for all my clients to use.

3. Your anatomy. We are all perfectly imperfect, with that being said some piercings may not be suitable for your anatomy. Don’t worry you’re not a freak, it’s common that a client isn’t suitable for a certain piercing but BEWARE! Unfortunately there are people in this industry that only care about your money and not your health that will pierce you even if it is unsafe for you. Remember to always research your piercer and I personally only recommend internally threaded jewelry.

4.Your lifestyle. Are you in a position to be “able” to get pierced? Have you recently had a baby that can possibly snag your piercing? As referenced in point #1 you have to consider if you are always around something that can effect the outcome of your piercing or prohibit you from getting one? Are you allergic to certain types of metals?

5. Last but not least: Research! Research! Research! After going over all the points I’ve talked about, my main advice would be to research your piercer. How long have they been piercing? Is their portfolio up to par? Are they licensed and have they done a specific piercing you want? If you have any questions make sure to ask. You should be able to ask your piercer an unlimited amount of questions referring to a piercing and they should be able to answer your questions. Ask to see spore tests, sterilization indicators and so forth. Check local review websites such as Yelp and City Search. It’s also good to get recommendations from friends. Remember there are people out there that care about your money and not your health so don’t shop around for the cheapest place. Like they say, good work isn’t cheap, cheap work isn’t good, and you get what you paid for.