What does it mean?
This means piercing a hole in a body part for adornment or decoration.
How are piercings done?
Ear piercing is often done using a piercing gun. Other piercings are done with a hollow needle.
Does it hurt?
Yes. How much it hurts depends on your pain threshold ; ). It's against the law for a piercer to give you an anaesthetic injection. They can use creams, wipes or sprays to numb the area, but this makes infection more likely.
Will the piercing go gammy?
They often do. The healing times for body piercings range from a month to a year. In that time if you don't keep your piercing clean it could get a bacterial infection. There's also a risk of scarring.
Are there any other side effects?
The most common one is regret. A permanent hole as a reminder of something we've changed our minds about. Think what you were wearing 5 years ago. Would you be seen dead in that now? Nuff said.
Infected piercings can go nasty. I've seen people with abscesses, blood infections and even needing skin grafts after having infected piercings. Genital piercings can make weeing or having sex difficult and painful. If the needle used is dirty, you're at risk from Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV.
Can I pierce myself with a needle?
Better not. You're much more likely to get an infection or scar if you self-pierce.
Where should I go?
- Shop around for a good piercing studio. A good one will look clean and hygienic and most will have a book of photos of previous customers' piercings.
- Check that the piercers wear disposable latex gloves and only use brand new packaged sterilised needles.
- Some local councils keep registers of approved piercers. Your council's number will be in the phone directory.
- After your piercing you should be given a guide that explains how to keep the piercing sterile.
I definitely want a piercing
Good, reputable piercers should refuse to pierce anyone under 16, without their parent being present. Nor will they pierce anyone on the nipples or genitals before they are 18. And no - faked letters signed "My Mum” don't work.
Further help and advice
A guide to safe piercing
More about body piercing
Written by Dr Melissa Sayer
Last updated 17th June 2007
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Rosanna, 14
i have both ears pierced twice and mii belly button nd none of them hurt. i really want my nose nd tragus (on the inside of the ear) done but my mum wont let me ): anywais i totally recommend gettin ur ears and belly pierced they dont hurt at all
sherie, 16
i had my belly pierced for my 14th birthday and i hate it now. after about a month it gets so boring. dont ever get it done because i regret doing it now.
Trishie, 16
I have six piercings in total, 2 lip piercings, 1 nose piercings and 3 ear piercings. I have 2 normal piercings in my right ear, and my left ear has been stretched to 8mm.My nose piercing was the only one that hurt because it's on a nerve, but the pain was literally seconds.My local piercer is very nice and trustworthy.:)
jack, 14
ive had my ears pierced since i was about 7 and they hev never infected or scared
Kirsten, 16
I got the top of my left ear pierced on the last day of my exams and got my lobes pierced the day my results came through. It was almost liberating because i had worked so hard for the past few months and i needed to celebrate. I still look at my cartillage piercing a yaer later and can't believe i actually did it. I will never regret it! (at least i hope i don't!)
Megan, 17
i am a complete piercing junkie. i have my ear lobes 5 times each side (10mm stretch on right and 12mm stretch on left), 2 piercings at the top of my left ear, scaffold on right ear, bridge, septum, both sides of nose, both cheeks, tongue, 3 lip piercings, medusa piercing, neck, wrist, 3 chest piercings, belly button. and im getting loads more still.
Ashleigh, 17
I had my tongue pierced a few month ago. It was totally healed after a week of having it done. When i first got it done i talked with a sessle and couldnt eat proplerly but that was just because i wasnt used to it yet. It didnt really swell or anything either. Then after a week when it was totally healed i could change the tongue bar to a smaller one and now its perfect =)
Sara, 22
I recently had my conche pierced (through the centre of my ear), and although a little painful it has been fine. Using surgical spirit to clean it stung a little but after literally 4/5 days the whole thing was pain free! I have had other ear piercings and my belly button pierced as well, and have treated them all in this way.. as long as you don't pull them around when they're fresh they will heal just fine :)
yoooz, 17
i have 3 lip piercings, my tounge, 2 navel, on my neck and septum.. piercings rule!!! my best m8 has 24 piercings.. and my bf 25, i have 20.. we always get strange looks but we dont care becoze its who we are:)
Lucie, 14
I got my ears pierced when I was 8 for the first time, but I took them out for a night once and couldn't get them back in! So a while after I went back and got it done again just next to where I got my older healed up one done last time. Its been about 6 years since I had the second one done, and I have this big lump on the back of my ear!! I don't know what it is. It realy hurts :(
Cristina , 13
I got a second hole done on my left ear about a year ago. I Had done in this not-very-nice looking sort of place, what they did was, They had this file and sharpened the earing then disinfected it and just use the earing to do my piercing, it didnt hurt much, and it didnt get infected or anything.
tessa, 13
I pierced my own belly button and it took me 2 hours to do. it got a bit infected but as it finished healing it got ripped when i was playing sport. i only got a small scar and a bit of a lump. it hurt when i did i cuz i used a safety pin and no ice but i didnt cry or faint so it was all good
lottie, 12
i had my ears dun yesterday n they look soo kool !!!!!! :)
sherelle, 17
i had my belly button and my nose done when i was 16yrs old the nose hurts more than my belly button but i recommend any1 to have it don
Lauren, 15
Piercings are a way forward when you want something new for your "look" as they're not as permenant as tattoos - you can take them out without having too much horrific scarring. I have my ears done twice on either side, my tragus and my nose. I let my nose close up and there is a barely noticeable scar. My pain threshold is fairly high so I can withstand alot, the lady who pierced my tragus was suprised that it didn't hurt me. Yeah, theres a risk of infection but as long as you clean the piercing twice a day it stays clean and the severe cases are just one offs and bad experiences :)Piercings are TOTALLY worth it!The only thing I will say is that face piercings don't give off a good impression when you go for an interview at a job, college or university. A small nose stud looks alright but when you have lips and noses and tongue and all the way up your ears, its slightly dramatic ;) x
bex, 14
I got my tragus (small bony like part of your ear) peirced about 7 months ago it wasn't sore. The feeling was wierd. I got it pierced at a good, clean studio and it was fine.But when i went back to the studio to get my earing changed three months(healing time) later by the peircer it was so painfull and sorer than getting it peirced. when I was finished i had a hoop and was so pleased but everyones healing period is different so be carefull
Rosie, 14
I had my belly button pierced about... 8 months ago..I'd wanted it for ages and so when it got a bit infected I found that I didn't really mind. I cleaned it with salt and water, and some teatree-type oil they gave me at the piercing place.It got infected again about... 6 months later because I put a non-sterilised belly bar in.. and that one was quite bad.. but it cleared up.I think that if you really want a piercing you should definitely get it, cause they are a great expression of your personality, but you have to be prepared for infection, 'cause it can happen.:)
Sally,14, ,
I am going to get my ears pierced in a few days.I'm really exited but I hope it doesn't nurt too much or get infected!
victoria, 14
I have my ears pierced and my cartlidge pierced just a few days ago they both dont hurt that much and i look after them both well so they dont get imfected
Sophie, 13
I had my first hole in my ear done when i was 2 then my second hole done when i was 10 then my third hole done when i was 11 and my cartilage done a few days ago..none of the piercings hurt and im hopefully getting my nose and tongue done in a few weeks..:D
Katie, 15
i got my belly button done 4 years ago And it was fine, untill a few months ago the skin started gettin thinner then one day the skin all disapeard and i have 2 little lumps on my belly button now
Julz, 13
My friends keep asking me why I don't have my ears pierced. They all got it at like the age of three! I see earrings and I think "oh, they're nice. I wish I had my ears pierced", but I'm scared of having them done in case it gets infected. I'm also scared because I quite like my ears and I think "okay, once the six weeks are up, that's it, I have holes in my ears." Worried! (:-(
jade, 15
i got my ears pierced when i was 9 and my bellybutton when i was 12, but my belly button went manky so i let it heal up and got it done again when i was about 13. it hurt loads more the second time but this time i knew to be more careful with it really. but if you're thinking about getting a piercing, really consider if you want to do it to yourself cos i know people with eyebrow/nose piercings etc that regretted it after and were left with scars when they took them out.
Staciie , 14
ive got my ears n belly button done well had that done for about 2 years now still not infected its great get it done
andrea, 27
I wouldn't bother with piercings...I have two horror stories of which I would like to share....Firstly the 'nipple ear' incident. When I was 17 I got my entire ear pierced including the cartilage. Within two weeks cysts that resembled nipples gre at the back of my ear. I had to go to casualty and get the earrings cut out of me due to the intense pain when I tried to do it alone. The cysts remained on my ear for 6 months..how attractive. The other story concerned my tongue piercing...whooooopee doo. The bolt kept coming out of my mouth 24/7 and I was left with a loose stud in my mouth after swallowing the ball bearing twice. The piercer had the audacity to charge £40 every time for a replacement ball bearing...One day when it happened a third time I thought sod this I don't want to be Scary Spice anymore and I threw the nut and bolt into the rubbish bin. Sadly I will always be left with a scar in my tongue to remind me of how foolish I was. Nowadays I would rather stand out of the crowd with glamorous Clinique makeup!
MEGAN, 12
I AM GETTING ME BELLY BUTTON PIERCED IT'S GONNA BE SO COOL!!!
chan, 16
i had the top of my cartillage on my ear peirced lats week. didnt hurt at all but im regreting it already :(
jess, 16
i had my belly button done a year ago, i thought it hurt but its worth it because it looks so good! my friend got hers done as well but she thinks it draws attention to her chubby tummy so she has become conscious when she is waring her swim stuff. i think u have to have a nice tummy to have it done
Lauren, 17
i think piercings give people individuality, and most people are looking for that now. i liked the information given here. i have nine piercings in my ear, and also a neck piercing, i am pleased that i have a high pain threshold. :)
sam, 16
i've got my ears, belly button and nose pierced, and i love them i'm soooooo glad i got them done and i think they look fab! although they worked for me and i was lucky nothing ever went wrong because i kept them clean, people should really think carefully before having them done =D xxxxx
kerslo, 18
My first proper peircing (not ears) was my septum (like a bull-ring). It was the best decision I've made. I went to a respectable, clean looking parlour, and it has healed within a month. Just make sure you go to a decent peircer (:
Zoe, 15
when i was about 12/13 i got the top of my ear pierced and it didnt hurt i am 15 now it only hurts when someone hits me in the ear i dont regret getting my ear pierced at all i love it x
Roxy, 30+
I am a professional body piercer in Toronto, Canada and I just wanted to say I appreciate good information being supplied to the public. I have to say, I agree with this posting to the utmost degree. Piercings can be a great source of self-expression, but no ones health is worth a few bux. The nice thing is you can always take them out to suit your mood and if done properly, there is almost no scarring whatsoever.
Ellie, 11
I had my ears pierced when i was 8 it was my own decision they got infected and I used tcp which is a great disenfectant
Sophie, 13
I had my ears pierced when I was 10 and I was very scared at first cos they had two big piercing guns but it was just a little pinch feeling and it was fun choosing my first pair x
jess, 15
i hav my tongue and belly button pierced mah belly button really hurt but mah tongue didnt!!
Lou, 14
Iv had ma belly button dun for four years now and it aint gone manky once but i got ma lip dun two years ago and ended up in hospital with a lip infection and ma face swelled up and that was after two weeks and i also have ma ears dun 2x n luv it x
Lizabeth, 19
I had my belly button pierced about 6 years ago. I had it freezed and it doesn't hurt. No infected at all.
Phoebe,
I had my ears pierced ages ago and at first they were fine but they got a bit of an infection so i just cleaned it for a while until it got better!! x
Tiffany, 18
I had my belly done 2 years ago when the piercer could freeze the belly button. Mine has never become infected, I went to a good place with a good reputation. The piercing took literally seconds, it's quick and it looks nice as an end result... when taken care of properly
sarah, 15
iv had my second hole in my ears dne for about 3weeks now .. n 1 ov them relii hurts and i dont no why .. i wich i had come on her b4 i had it done .. i didnt c a book av other custumers pericins .. and i didnt hav a parent present while i had it dne .. they jus let me av it dne .. n at this moment in time i regret it alot .....
Heather, 17
ive had my belly done for about 3 months, it didn't really hurt, however mine does not like to be changed. before u get a piercing make sure u definately want it, then ask around and see where ur mates got theirs!!! :-)
meg, 16
i had my belly button pierced last year in a very clean place but it still when funny and i had to take it out plz dont get it dun the scare is mank ..x
Abbi, 15
i had my bellybutton done a couple of years ago and it didnt hurt at all i found..although now i dont see the point in having it done and i regret doing it
louise , 14
i got my belly button pierced 8 months ago and it didnt hurt . I am really scared of needles but i got it done =D. It did get infected becaused i changed it to early but then cleaned it all and put my belly bar i got it pierced with back in and it was ok, then i changed it again when i was suppose to and it hasnt got infected anymore
maria, 14
i think piercings r so cool but sum ppl like my frends go to the extreme like gettim der ankle pierced n der nipples n cleavage i think we shud jus stik wiv ears n belly buttons n noses lool
onelife
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