Category Archives: healing

healing, standards

NIPPLE PIERCINGS

Posted on by The collective
23
Jun

Nipple piercings

Offering body piercings as a service, is a very humbling career. We all have hang-ups about some part or other on our bodies and its a wonderful thing being able to help people like themselves a little more.

With that said, unfortunately not everyone can actually have every piercing. Our individual anatomical variations have a big impact on the method, jewellery and healing care for our piercings. Especially when it comes to nipple piercings. 

ANATOMY

The most common variations

1

A-Typical

In a resting state, your nipple is forward. It doesnt need encouragement and the edges are clearly defined. You can pinch the nipple between your fingers easily.

2

Flat

When encouraged this nipple is more pointy but at rest can flatten. Making the edge between nipple and areola a little less obvious.

3

Inverted

Occasionally referred to as ‘shy’ because within the inverted variation there are different levels  to which the inversion sits. Many can be teased forwartd but not all.

DIFFERENT METHODS OF PIERCING

The first two anatomical variations are relatively standard as far as piercing technique are concerned. There may be a slight difference from piercer to piercer but the results will be the same position, jewellery and aftercare These variations will enjoy a very easy healing experience when preformed by a skilled piercing practitioner.

Inverted nipples

This grouping of nipple form requires more specialist and experienced piercing techniques. If you suspect this may be the requirement for you we would ask you to book in for the ‘inverted nipple piercing’ selection in our menu.

Amidst the description of inverted nipple, there are different grades. An individual anatomy check will be preformed by your piercer to discuss you unique circumstances and ability to be pierced or not.

Grades of Nipple Inversion
  • Grade 1. The nipple can easily be pulled outward, and will sometimes stand out on its own with cold or stimulation. 
  • Grade 2. The nipple can be pulled outward, but it quickly goes back to its original shape. …
  • Grade 3. The condition is most severe.
Can I still be pierced?
  • Grade 1. Absolutely, you may need to call back for an extra check up and have your jewellery adjusted during the healing but yes.
  • Grade 2. More than likely, however the jewellery you are pierced with will almost certainly need altered during your healing.
  • Grade 3. Possibly, we would ask you to book in a free consultation to discuss your options and what your healing journey may look lik eif you proceed.

Typically around 6-8 months is the most common.

All piercings need infection control, nipple piercings require patting dry after any form of bathing and spray cleaning with sterile saline once daily – unless your piercer dictates otherwise. 

READ OUR AFTERCARE HERE

That’s OK

Book in for a free consultation by calling 01912313089 and we can do an anatomy check with you to learn when you can be pierced again and/or discuss any issue you have had in the past.

Absolutely, but we would advise removing the piercing long before you are due. Pregnancy can make nipples tender at the best of times and while you are feeding/pumping the piercing will need to be removed anyway.
Attempting to insert and remove the jewellery repeatedly is likely to cause problems and become and painful. You can always be pierced again in the future (3 months after cessation of feeding)

What does it all mean?

In short it means we care.
We wont simply pierce you and see what happens.
We wont treat every nipple although its the same as every other, that simply isn’t the case.
We may even turn you away for your own sake. Which is never easy to hear and we would always carefully explain why. 

BOOK HERE
age, healing, jewellery

KIDS PIERCINGS, SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Posted on by The collective
17
Jun

School holidays

Seems like the right time to get their piercings? However there are still lots of things to consider before taking the plunge with your youngster.

Are they over 14 years old?

 

Do you
both have
legal ID?

Do they
play lots
of sports?

Consider the following healing related issues before taking the plunge and booking your teenager in for a piercing….

Have you asked at school?

While we absolutely agree that your little human is still more than capable of learning while wearing earrings and has free will plus a right to adorn their ears in a safe and appropriate way.

School can still have the final word 🙁

Repeatedly removing piercings can lead to the channel becoming very irritated very quickly. If your bairn attends a school that will remove the jewellery at school, its not advised to get piercings at this time.

How long do earlobes take to heal?

Most earlobe piercings take around three months to be considered healed.

HOWEVER
They shouldn’t be left ’empty’ without jewellery for 12 months.

We recommend cleaning morning and evening for the first three weeks. As well as patting dry after bathing.

After your piercer says its OK.

We ask you to come back around three weeks into healing so we can ensure you’re healing the way we want.

If the beginning of the healing went without a hitch, they can typically be switched out to alternative earrings after month three. If your not sure you can always pop back for us to confirm you are healed enough.

Check with the school. Plasters could be worn over the earring at three months or they could be switched to retainers at this time. But the piercing channel will likely become irritated if they are repeatedly removed during the first year.

At the age of 14 or over with a parent or legal guardian present, you can get your lobe and helix pierced. With experience our piercer’s may be willing to consider slightly more complicated piercings such as Tragus or Conch. But these will not be offered as your first ever piercing.
At 16 years old a few more services open up to you. 
Please remember both parent and guardian need to bring legal I.D to the appointment.

At what age will you pierce?

We require your youngling to be 14 years old or over to be pierced in our studio. We also need their parent or legal guardian present. Both need legal I.D to proceed with our services.
You need to be 16 years or older to have a navel piercing.

BOOK HERE

Why we say 16 for navel piercings

A lot of youngsters want their navels pierced when they get to secondary school but we all too often see older children visiting the studio with navel piercings that have ‘grown out’ or are hanging on by a few millimeters of skin.

This migration is more often than not caused simply by growing, a process referred to as ‘nesting’ and is more predictable when the piercing is preformed on a more grown individual.

While it may not migrate to the point where it begins to reject and break the skin, it can cause an unhappy piercing that may not sit quite right or end up healing where it is hanging on by an unattractive snippet of skin!
Occasionally the scarring caused by this can sometimes mean that when they are older and done growing, they can be unsuitable for piercing again as the scar tissue will be too weak to hold the piercing in, and again will grow out.

time.

Piercings facts we sometimes forget

Although rare its important to be aware that their piercing may have ups and downs

Dont twist them

Gone are the days where jewellery is so tight the post needs twisted to stop the swelling engulfing the stud

Migration

When pierced young, navel piercings are prone to slow migration over several years. 

Closing up

Removing the jewellery during the first year can cause the piercing channel to close up

Say no to Silver

This material is not appropriate for long term wear and is considered ‘dress’ jewellery. It can stain the skin permanently.

Sleeping

For the first few weeks you’d want to be in a controlled environment. Ideally not staying with friends.

Infection

Honestly they are rare but…Warmth, moisture and curious fingers can cause issues during healing.

Whatever you decide we are here to help

When the moment comes to getting pierced the appointment steps will be explained as will the aftercare and the follow ups, you will both have ample opportunity to ask any questions.

We hope to see you soon

age, healing, jewellery

PIERCINGS & HOLIDAYS

Posted on by The collective
17
Jun

Going on holiday soon?

While a holiday is a wonderful thing, it may not be the ideal time to get a new piercing. Sun sea sand and fun don’t often mix well with an open wound. Small though it is.

PROS……

  • A break from your regular routine of life can offer some a wonderful opportunity to be more careful and allow a piercing to heal.
  • Increased blood flow can actively encourage successful healing.
  • Looser clothing can be easier to manage, avoiding snag’s and pulls that slow or irritate the healing.

CONS……

  • Going on vacation weather home or abroad can interrupt the healing process and leave you in a position where help isn’t available.

  • Sweating, sun cream, pools and saunas are a few commonplace summertime irritants to piercings and may even cause infection.

  • Wearing hair loose increases your chances of getting a new facial or ear piercing caught.

Planning a trip?

How would you manage following these care instructions while trying to enjoy your vacation?

Read our aftercare here

CARTILAGE

Upper ear piercings take a lot longer to heal than you’d think. Being away from home and having a complication could be tricky to deal with.

LOBES

Earlobes need cleaned twice daily and don’t take well to being wet too often, making them potentially very problematic on holiday.

NOSTRILS

These little piercings are wonderful healers but do not like sweat or make up at all. Not ideal for warm vacation weather.

Piercings like to be left alone during their initial healing period (varying with each body location and individual circumstances) 
Sleeping in a new bed, swimming, applying suntan lotions, playing sports, eating or drinking differently, being more mobile with hobbies….. All these fun activities would be problematic for a new piercing.

Staying home……

New in store only range of summer jewellery

Whenever you decide to be pierced, our team will always be with you every step of the way. Home or abroad, we are only ever a message or call away. Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to us 🙂

healing, jewellery

THE IMPORTANCE OF DOWNSIZING

Posted on by The collective
17
Jun

Just for this piece, we are going to talk about cartilage/ear piercings as this is the most common issue we most frequently see with our clients when offering advice at reception.

Room to grow

Once you have been in for your new piercing with our piercers, they cover a lot of things when it comes down to healing your new piercing. They talk about aftercare and the importance of choosing quality jewellery. Something that often gets forgotten by clients is the step of downsizing your jewellery. This is critical to the overall healing of your piercing.

Most cartilage piercings at first require jewellery that is slightly longer in length, or wider in diameter to allow for the swelling that usually arises. Yes, this length may be slightly irritating, its a necessary evil to prevent jewellery from embedding into the tissue.

The initial jewellery may look rather long in the pictures above, but we took those straight after the piercing took place. 2 or 3 weeks later the flat back of that labret was flush against the tragus tissue and the rook was rather plump!

After being pierced

You are often invited back for a ‘check-up’, at this point we can see how your piercing is healing. We see if we can help you fix any minor issues that may have arisen that you may not have noticed and all importantly change your jewellery to something shorter if its needed.
This visit is just you walking into the studio for us to see you and your piercings overall health. We would then book you in for an appointment at an appropriate time to get the jewellery adjusted for the rest of the piercings healing time.

We have established that longer jewellery is needed, but overly long jewellery can cause problems as well. It is more likely to get caught on clothing, hair or snagged, causing the piercing become to be irritated and upset, thus making the already lengthy healing time of cartilage even longer. This is another reason why its important to see a reputable piercer.

With many cartilage piercings, longer jewellery being left in too long can cause the piercing to migrate. (A shift in the piercing channel which makes the piercing wonky)

So what do I do?

Some people are ready sooner than others, we give the most ‘average’ figure for our check up invitation. Usually after a few weeks to a month is adequate time to change a helix piercing. Don’t leave it longer, this leaves a window of opportunity open where you are more likely to catch your piercing and then go through all the swelling again and delaying your downsize. Don’t forget, most cartilage piercings take around a year to heal, so after this change, its really important you leave it in until it has fully healed!

After all this being said, when can you actually come to change your jewellery to something that is a good, snug fit?

This is where it starts to vary from each client/piercing to the other. Your piercer would have worked this out with you and wrote it on your care sheet to take home with you.

 

A high polished curved bar in a new rook piercing

You will of course have to pay for your shorter jewellery, getting a piercing is a project. It takes time and a little dedication towards its healing and care. Aesthetically pleasing piercings are worth a little bit of hard work. Good piercings ain’t cheap, and cheap piercings ain’t good!

Thanks for reading, we feel better for sharing this with you 🙂

healing

THE STAGES OF HEALING

Posted on by Nici Holmes
23
Apr

The healing process of any body piercing is remarkable and complex, and it is also susceptible to interruption due to local and systemic factors, including moisture, infection, and maceration (local); plus age, nutritional status, body type (systemic).
However when the right healing environment is established, the body works in wondrous ways to heal and replace devitalized tissue.

HOMEOSTASIS & INFLAMMATORY

(Swelling and redness)

It’s unlikely for your piercing to bleed, but immediately after being pierced and the next 24 hours are when it’s most likely. This is a natural reaction from the body and is necessary to clot the wound. Apply pressure with a clean tissue for a few minutes and dry after, just don’t over clean and knock the scab away as this will cause more bleeding.

The inflammatory stage peaks around 24 to 48 hours after being pierced. This stage of healing allows the body to flush the area of debris and facilitates growth factors and proteins that attract immune cells to facilitate tissue repair. 

PROLIFERATION

(Dry skin or crust)

This stage consists of 1) filling the wound; 2) contraction of the wound margins; and 3) covering the wound (epithelialization).

During the first stage, shiny, deep red granulation tissue fills the wound bed with connective tissue, and new blood vessels are formed. During contraction, the wound margins contract and pull toward the center of the wound. In the third stage, epithelial cells arise from the wound bed or margins and begin to migrate across the wound bed in leapfrog fashion until the wound is covered with epithelium. The Proliferative phase often lasts anywhere from four to 24 days.

MATURATION

During the Maturation phase, the new tissue slowly gains strength and flexibility. Here, collagen fibers reorganize, the tissue remodels and matures and there is an overall increase in tensile strength.

The Maturation phase varies greatly from piercing to piercing, often lasting anywhere from 21 days to two years.

When this stage is complete, know as the total heal time for your piercing as advised by your piercer. THIS is when you can begin to change your jewellery over as regularly as you wish.

 

 

healing, standards

100% NITRITE GLOVES

Posted on by Nici Holmes
a tattooed lady in a white vest putting on black gloves
25
Jan

While there is a price difference between the standard use examination gloves and the safer Nitrite or non-latex gloves we will be using. There is a clear difference in safety. We hear of so many lovely clients suffering from this common allergy and having to remind health care workers, partners and dentists on a regular basis to take caution.

We decided since there is such a straight forward solution, an easy alternative: we are making the permanent switch.

latex-imgIt’s understood that numerous people have an allergy to latex and many more are sensitive to it, resulting in possible skin complaints and discomforts or worse.

We discussed at the end of the last year the option of going fully latex free throughout our store. Both to prevent ourselves from developing issues and furthermore to stop and incidents regarding yourself, our client.

 

However the journey has not been easy, with all new equipment there can be a trial and error stage of finding suitable suppliers in strength, quality and availability as well as the many things a piercer loves: stretchiness, comfort, grip etc

 

But it gives us great pleasure to announce that now and forevermore all services undertaken in Blue Lotus will be made with Nitrite examination gloves or similar. Never latex

There is no cure to a latex allergy, those with it can only avoid contact with latex