A Piercing Situation:
Learning to Love Needles

Desiree Mendez, staff writer

Some people do it because it can be a decoration, a way to fit in. For some, it is a sexual pleasure. As the old saying goes, “Pain is pleasure.”

There are all kinds of different piercings to choose from, including, nose, tongue, nipple, eyebrow and a few others that are unmentionable.

Piercings have been around for about 5,000 years. Some date back to Abraham and to the Mayas.

The nose piercing is one of the most common, because it is attractive and can accent the face, according to PiercingU.com.

The piercing of the tongue was a ritual practiced by the Aztecs. The tongue was pierced because they thought that it made them closer to God.

The ear lobe piercing was one of the first attempts at body piercing. They found the first pierced ear lobe on a mummified body, dating back to 5,000 years.

What does the septum piercing (middle of the nose) remind you of? Do you think of a bull or a witch doctor? This was done with most of the warriors, such as the Aztecs, Mayas, and the Incas.

The piercing of the belly button is the modern invention. When the bikini came out, it gave a sexual appearance to the stomach. This brought on the piercing of the naval, which some think adds sex appeal to the stomach.

The pain varies from piercing to piercing. The most painful piercing is the Prince Albert, while the easiest are the nose and the tongue. Among the hardest piercings are the surface piercings because there is a 50/50 chance of it healing or getting infected.

Before getting a piercing, there are a number of things that one needs to know:  

1.Make sure the needle is sterile. An unsterile needle can spread diseases, such as Hepatitis, Tetanus, and HIV.

2.Ask friends or people who you know who have piercings about the pain, cost, and the healing time.

3. You can always change your mind. You don’t have to get a piercing to belong to a certain group or society.

4. You should visit different piercers and check to see if the work area is clean.

5. Consent forms should be filled out before you get the piercing.

6. A piercing gun should not be used, according to PiercingU.com, and neither should gold-plated jewelry.

Some people might be freaked out when they think about getting a piercing. The piercing procedure involves: a hollow needle passing through the body part, followed by the insertion of the body jewelry. Some bleeding may occur.

The healing time varies from piercing to piercing. Those include: ear lobe, six to eight weeks; ear cartilage, four months to a year; eyebrow, six to eight weeks; nose, two to four months; nasal septum, six to eight months; nasal bridge, eight to ten weeks; tongue, four weeks; lip, two to three months; nipple, three to six months; naval, four months to one year; female genitalia; four to ten weeks, male genitalia four weeks to six months.

Many people wonder how to take care of a new piercing. Here are a list of steps to keep your piercing clean:

1. Keep the area around the new piercing clean and allow the body to heal.

2. Clean the piercing area with an antibacterial soap twice a day.

3. Salt water soaks up loose crust formations.  You us forth of a teaspoon of salt to one clean cup of water

4.  Don’t play with the piercing, because it could cause infection.

There are many things that can cause a piercing to get infected.  As long as you take care of the piercing and following the piercer’s instructions, it will reduce the chances of getting an infection.