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Why DIY Piercings Should be Avoided

Why DIY Piercings Should be Avoided

With the closure of piercing studios during lockdown in 2020, we witnessed a rising trend of attempted DIY piercings. We get it, you wanted that really cool piercing for so long and then your wait got even longer while studios were closed indefinitely. However, while it may be tempting, the dangers of DIY piercings are too extensive to ignore.

From the health and safety risks, to the difficulty of achieving the right placement as an amateur, let us break down for you all the reasons to avoid DIY piercings.

Risk of infection

No matter how well you think you sterilised that needle, you’re probably wrong. The skin around a piercing can be ‘traumatised’ from improper piercing equipment and technique, leading to redness, swelling, pain and/or pus around the piercing (signs of infection). Piercers utilise commercial-grade sterilisation chemicals and techniques, as well as precisely-sized piercing equipment, which greatly reduce the risk of infection and trauma to the skin. The sterilisation standards achieved by professional piercers far exceeds the capabilities of household cleaning solutions.

Even professionally-performed piercings, with all the right equipment, can sometimes lead to infections - this is why aftercare is so important. Don’t take your chances with a botched DIY set-up, leave it to the professional piercers with safe, sanitary studios and equipment.

Lack of expertise

Aside from the health risks associated with piercing yourself, or getting a friend to, there remains the simple fact that piercing is not as easy as it looks. “How hard could it be,” you ask yourself. Answer: very hard: it’s a skill which takes practice, patience and knowledge to master. This rings especially true for more adventurous body piercings on less common body parts and difficult-to-master areas such as the tongue. Professional piercers are trained on the correct techniques, proper handling of equipment, and specifically where on the body is safe to pierce.

Where symmetry is key, such as with both-ear piercings, a professional knows exactly how to make your piercings look the best they can in the safest way possible. DIY piercings commonly result in uneven, misplaced or incorrectly performed piercings, a detriment to both aesthetics and your health.

Limited range of motion and sight

Piercing yourself using a mirror or strange angles is extremely difficult, especially for someone inexperienced in piercing. A professional piercer has full view of the area to be pierced, as well as full range of motion for best control and handling of piercing equipment. Combined with the professional’s expertise, it is a no-brainer that they can achieve a cleaner, better-looking piercing than you can on yourself. Even if you get a friend to pierce you, they’re lacking the proper knowledge and safe environment to carry out the procedure safely and correctly.

DIY piercings come with a whole host of health issues, as well as uneven and sloppy piercings which you’d have to deal with for the foreseeable future. So, if you’re looking for a DIY project, piercing is not it. It all boils down to the fact the professionals have the training, the equipment and the experience to perform piercings - you get what you pay for. Do yourself and your body a favour, leave it to the professionals!