Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Cleaning and preparation
• Part 2 of 4: Piercing
• Part 3 of 4: Cleaning
• Part 4 of 4: Understanding the risks

Piercing your body is a beautiful and unique way to express your personal style and individuality. Body piercings have been around for more than 5,000 years and there are many different options. Whether you are going to pierce your ears, nose, eyebrow, tongue, belly button or lip, it is always best to have it done by a professional. However, if you want to put the piercing on yourself, there are some ways to make it as hygienic, painless and safe as possible.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Cleaning and preparation

1. Disinfect your hands and the area you will be piercing. Scrub your hands well with an antibacterial soap and dry with a clean towel. When your hands are clean, you should then clean the area you are going to pierce. Put a little rubbing alcohol on sterile gauze and clean the skin thoroughly. Alcohol wipes are also great for this. To avoid contaminating the piercing area, do not touch it again after cleaning.
   • The easiest places to get your own piercings are your earlobes. Nose and belly piercings can also be done by yourself with minimal risk. For piercings near your mouth (such as tongue or lip), near your eye, or at the top of your ear, consult a professional. You can end up with permanent scars, damage to the body part and even deformities. Don't take any chances.
   • If possible, you can wear sterile gloves after washing your hands to prevent infection.
2. Disinfect the piercing needle. Ideally, you use a needle that has never been used. Do not remove it from the packaging until you actually start using it. If you have a piercing needle that has been opened or used, you should still disinfect it first. Soak the needle in rubbing alcohol before using it for piercing. The longer you disinfect the area and needle, the less likely you are to get infection.
   • You must use a piercing needle for this and not a sewing needle or any other type of needle. Piercing needles are the right size and sharpness for this job, and other needles can cause unnecessary pain or even damage your skin.
   • You can buy piercing needles on Amazon or Bol.com.
   EXPERT TIP

   Choose your jewelry. It is important to use a quality piece of jewelry to reduce the risk of infection, irritation or allergic reaction. Professional piercers recommend choosing jewelry made from surgical steel, 14- or 18-karat yellow gold, 18-karat white gold, niobium or titanium. Don't buy cheap jewelry in an effort to cut costs. Invest in a decent piece of jewelry to use right away when getting your piercing, and once you heal, you may be able to tolerate lower quality jewelry.

   • Clean your jewelry with rubbing alcohol.
3. Mark your skin where you want the piercing. Use a pen to draw a small dot where you want to put the piercing, making sure to pick where it looks best. When piercing your ears, make sure the holes are symmetrical. View the marker from all angles and make sure it is in the exact place you want it to be. The mark is used as a guide for the piercing needle.
   • If you are not completely sure about the piercing or the position of the piercing, use a permanent marker and keep the marker on for a few days. Pay attention to how you react when you see it in the mirror. This will help you determine before you take the plunge whether or not you like what the potential piercing will look like.
   • If you're piercing your belly button, pinch your skin just above it. Draw your dot on the top of this fold of skin. When you actually start piercing it, it is best to do it from the bottom. In other words, pass the needle through the created skin fold and align it so that it goes through the dot you drew beforehand.
   • Drawing a dot on your tongue is of course difficult. Take this as a sign that you really shouldn't pierce your own tongue. It can be tempting to try to save money and time, but it's not worth it when it comes to the organ you need to speak and taste.

Part 2 of 4: Piercing

1. Align the needle with the dot. Make sure to hold the needle firmly. It should be at the same angle you want your jewelry to go. In other words, the needle should go through your ear like an earring, or through your belly button like a belly button piercing. Take the time to properly insert the needle - it will be difficult to put any piece of jewelry through the hole if you've pierced the skin at an odd angle.
   • If you prefer, you can apply a little numbing gel to your ear before getting your piercing. Make sure you give it enough time to settle in.
2. Take a deep breath and press the needle. It should be a fast and smooth movement. If you push a little and stop and push a little again, and so on, you are more likely to tear the skin. One smooth puncture will make a smooth hole and also facilitate the healing process. Push the needle in until it is halfway up your ear. Leave it in for about 20 minutes to make sure the hole remains open long enough for an earring to be inserted when the needle is removed.
3. Remove the needle and quickly replace it with the jewelry. After the needle has been in the hole for about 20 minutes, it's time to put something much nicer in it. The hole heals quickly, so it is important to have the jewelry ready before removing the needle. Insert the clean piece of jewelry into the new hole you made. It's okay to apply a little pressure to get the jewelry through your skin, but don't force it.

Part 3 of 4: Cleaning

1. Clean your ear piercing with a saline solution. While it was appropriate to clean your piercing supplies and skin with rubbing alcohol before getting your piercing, the alcohol could now dry out your new piercing. A saline solution is softer and will not dry out the hole. You can buy a saline solution from the drug store or make your own. Try to physically soak your pierced body part in the solution, such as in a shallow bowl or cup. If that is not possible, use a tissue or cotton swab to apply the solution to the piercing.
   • If you choose to make your own solution, use non-iodized and fine-grained sea salt. At some supermarkets, this will rank alongside regular table salt, but you may need to buy it online.
   • Mix ¼ teaspoon of salt in a cup of filtered or bottled water. Reduce the amount of salt if your skin gets dry.
2. Don't touch your piercing. It may be tempting to play with your new jewelry, but this significantly increases the risk of infection. Try not to touch it at all unless you are doing one of your daily cleanings. Only touch your piercing when your hands have been thoroughly washed.
3. Keep the original piece of jewelry in the piercing while you heal. Even if you have a whole collection of beautiful and high-quality jewelry, changing your jewelry while the hole is still healing will increase your chances of infection. Depending on where you pierced, this can take from a month to a year.
   • You can learn more about your specific piercing site by doing a Google search.

Part 4 of 4: Understanding the risks

1. Know that your piercing can bleed. The tongue contains blood vessels and a large vein in the front that will bleed excessively if pierced. Don't pierce your tongue yourself. Although the tongue bleeds the most, other areas are bound to bleed as well. Again, it is best to go to a professional who can make sure that blood loss is kept to a minimum.
2. Understand that you may be getting unwanted scar tissue. Piercing yourself puts you at higher risk for infection and scarring. Even if you remove the piercing later, the scar can remain forever. Think about this carefully before going with a needle in your nose, ear, eyebrow, lip, tongue, or belly button. It takes time and money to go to a professional piercing studio, but the risk of permanent scarring will always remain.
3. Be aware that serious infections can occur. Serious complications can arise from a piercing. Piercings can cause all kinds of nasty infections. Infections left untreated can lead to sepsis, toxic shock and septicemia. It is extremely important to know the possible consequences before piercing yourself.
   • Whether you've pierced yourself or got it done professionally, it's important to know what issues to look out for. If your piercing is causing discharge, you should see a doctor. If your piercing is red, painful, and swollen for more than three days, you should also see a doctor. If something seems to be wrong with your piercing, don't wait long to get it checked.