In this article I will try to stress why you should never “play” with your piercings.  Nothing good comes from constant movement of the jewelry and failure to leave your piercings alone can cause nasty scars and complications.

By constantly moving a piercing, weather it’s healed or not is counterproductive to the healing process.  Jewelry should not be moved while healing and the more you irritate the surrounding skin the easier it is for infection to creep up on you.  In the same aspect jewelry should never be changed before the healing process is complete and when replacing jewelry the process should be completed as quickly as possible to avoid closure of the hole which can happen rapidly.

In the event that you don’t take my advice and insist on playing with your new piercing.  When your piercing starts to become irritated or infected you will need to either treat the affected piercing or remove it.

From The Association Of Professional Piercers

What is Normal?

• Discoloration
  • Can be reddish, brownish, pinkish, or purplish
  • Can remain for many months with certain piercings, such as navels
• Swelling/Induration
  • Localized
  • May be significant with oral piercings such as the lip or tongue, and may last several days immediately following the initial piercing
• Excretion
  • Exudate of plasma, dead cells, etc.
  • Should not be copious in quantity, malodorous, or green
  • Will form a small amount of crystalline-appearing cruston the jewelry at the openings of the piercing

Things to consider when treating a troubled piercing or considering jewelry removal from a piercing:

The majority of troublesome piercings can be resolved without the piercing being lost.

• Advice to simply “take it out” is likely to be met with resistance from the piercee, and if infected can lead to the formation of an abscess (see below)
• Changes in aftercare and/or jewelry size, style or material may resolve the problems for the piercee/patient
• Inappropriate placement can also be the cause of problems. In this case removal is often required, and if done timely will prevent further problems
• Even momentary removal of jewelry from a healing piercing can result in amazingly rapid closure of the piercing, and make reinsertion difficult or impossible

Infected Piercing:

• Problem: Piercing has been contaminated by pathogenic microorganism(s)
• Causes:
  • Most Common: Piercee has touched piercing with dirty hands or otherwise contaminated piercing (exposure to bodily fluids, dirty water, etc.)
  • Piercing done with inappropriately sterilized tools, needles, jewelry
  • Piercing done with unclean, ungloved, and/or contaminated gloved hands
• Indicators:
  • Piercing exudes thick, green, malodorous pus
  • Piercing and surrounding area is warm/hot to the touch (more so than other skin)
  • Piercing site is swollen, red, and painful
• Treatment:
  • Increased mild sea salt soaks (for minor infections)
  • Oral/topical antibiotics, as prescribed by a physician
  • Removal of jewelry in the presence of an infection may result in an abscess. In the event there is a localized, draining infection, quality jewelry should be left in place to allow for passage of matter to the surface
• Complications:
  • Abscesses are usually site specific. An exception is the chest where the duct system can result in the abscess being formed inches away from the piercing site

Many complications from a piercing can easily be avoided by leaving the piercing alone. Don’t cause undue trauma to your body by using your piercing as a time killer. Not only will you make your new piercing look like hell, you are running the risk of further permanent complications.

Types Of Regulation

There are several different types of restrictions the government imposes on tattoo and body piercing shops.  There are basically two categories these regulations fall into; regulations on tattoo artists, and zoning regulations on tattoo shop locations.

Tattoo Artist Regulation

Many existing and proposed laws regarding the tattoo industry focus on the actual person applying the tattoo.

In Iowa… A tattoo artist must be certified by the state (nothing more than another fee) and have completed either high school or have a GED.

In Hawaii… A tattoo artist must be licensed which requires a test at the local health department consisting of roughly 70 questions, including questions on microbiology, sanitation, and definitions for terms that they provide.  There is no real test of tattooing procedures, so as long as you get the answers correct, you’re a tattooist.

In New Jersey… The Tattoo And Piercing Regulation Bill is 18 pages long and requires, among other things, that a tattoo artist have at least 2000 hours of experience, submit 10 photo’s of tattoos they have performed, and provide evidence of completion of a blood borne pathogens course.

In Maine… You can become a tattooist with only $100, the only restriction is that your shop will be inspected once a year.

As you can see, with the exception of New Jersey, that most of these regulations don’t tell you a thing about the prospective tattooist and the only real difference between being a hack job and a real tattooist is a piece of paper that funds more government.

Tattoo Shop Restrictions

Mercer County, IA banned tattoo shops completely when tasked with inspecting them.  When the state mandated the inspections Mercer County’s answer was to just do away with the service completely.  What would happen if they needed to start inspecting day care facilities or churches?

Many municipalities throughout the United States have regulations on tattoo shop locations.  Some require tattoo shops not exist within X amount of feet from a school, church, etc.  This restricts “Joe Tattooist” from opening a successful business that is in no way illegal or immoral.  He would be paying taxes just like Kinko’s down the street and adding to the diversity of the neighborhood, not bringing it down.

My Personal Thoughts

Thomas Jefferson once said “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” I’m a strong believer in that statement and I don’t think that tattoo artist or tattoo shops should be restricted because they are not mainstream enough for lawmakers.

The industry polices itself quite well and has since it’s inception.  A poorly skilled tattoo artist will soon run out of customers and the guy down the street that is actually engulfed in his job will pick up that clientele.

I don’t see a problem with requiring a tattoo artist to have a blood borne pathogen course or something similar, but the general direction of these laws is simply money.  Fees for licensing and permits feed government pork.

We don’t need more laws and we shouldn’t restrict a small business because it’s not “Chucky Cheese”.  If you don’t like tattoo shops, don’t walk in the door.  We don’t hunt “mainstreamers”, plus we only come out at night…

The suns rays are one of the most harmful things to a tattoo.  UV rays will break down your colors in as little as one sun burn.  Some colors will fade others can change shade rapidly, creating a tattoo that has lost its luster.

Lisa Gets A Tan And Sees The Light

Don’t believe me?  How about a little show and tell.  The tattoo of the female holding a skull included in this article belongs to my dear friend Lisa.  The tattoo is less than a year old.  This is her first color tattoo that has really been affected by sunlight, but as you can see there is a definite difference in the tattoo within just  a few months.

As you can plainly see the colors have faded and seem to bleed into each other.  Notice how the contrast has virtually disappeared?  This loss of contrast makes the tattoo look flat instead of retaining the origional textured look.

Compare the before and after photo’s and you will see the obvious differences, particularly in the hear, clothes and hair textures.  The tan in her skin makes the yellow that was applied to the tattoo almost invisible.

Luckily my friend Lisa has seen the light and now applies sunblock to her tattoos religiously.  Sadly the damage to the tattoo may have already been done.  With as little as one bad sunburn or dark tan certain tattoo colors can become forever damaged.

Yellows and blues will loose their “brightness” quicker than others, whites can become yellow, reds turn brown and the crispness of your shading will be gone forever.  It may seem like a hastle but it is essential that you keep your tattoos out of the sun.

Highlight Your Tattoos

I have also included some photos of my tattoos which I apply sunblock to religiously and never ever tan them.  I do get some sun but I make sure that my tattoos are always covered with clothing or sunblock.

I think that tattoos look the best during the summer if you use sunblock.  They actually jump off your skin due to the natural contrast your untanned skin gives compared to your tanned skin.  The whites and bright colors will contrast even better against the background of your tanned skin.

In these trying times it’s a welcome sight to find a publication offering relevant content for free.  If you want to keep yourself current on the latest trends in tattoos and piercings then you need some Prick.  Don’t let the price fool you, Prick is on the same level as other top tattoo magazines that are not free.  Every month new issues are published featuring top tattoo artists, convention reviews, celebrity interviews and anything tattoo or body piercing related.

You don’t need to wait for your Prick.  Every single issue of Prick magazine is available online in PDF format for immediate download.

You can also get the magazine sent directly to your doorstep.  The magazine is free but sadly the postage is not.

Go Ahead, Get Your Prick On!

How Many Tattoos Have You Done Before?

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of tattooing is the ability to accurately apply a design to skin. If you’ve never tattooed before I can guarantee that your first tattoo will look like crap. Every tattooist’s first tattoo looks like crap even with the best equipment available. If you plan on tattooing yourself and you’ve never done it before be prepared to have a horrible looking tattoo for the rest of your life.

Homemade tattoo equipment is also generally of poor quality and the chance of seriously damaging tissue and creating scars is a real possibility. If you decide that your tattoo was a bad decision later in life and get it removed by laser, scar tissue does not go away. You may be left with a perfect scar of your previous home made tattoo.

Doing tattoos yourself with substandard ink could also cause your tattoo to prematurely fade leaving you with a blurry picture or a tattoo that looks old well before it’s time.

Risk Of Infection

Now that I’ve explained why you can’t tattoo yourself Ill try to stress the factor of sterilization and disease.

You need an autoclave to sterilize equipment properly. Do you have an autoclave? If you answered no, mark another check in the column for why you shouldn’t be trying to tattoo. Without an autoclave you can not guarantee complete sterilization of equipment. If needles are used more then once you risk contracting any virus the person who was tattooed before you possibly had. This means AIDS, Hepatitis, or one of a thousand other afflictions that could be present or grow on unsterilized equipment.

If you do manage to avoid contracting a life threatening virus you’re still at a high risk for developing an infection in your new tattoo. Infection can come from virtually anywhere and you should do everything you can to reduce the risk of contamination. Homemade tattoos are much more likely to get infected then a professionally applied tattoo in a sterile work environment.

My 2 Cents

I’ve seen tons of homemade tattoos and can honestly say I’ve never seen one that was really good. Even tattoos with a unique feel and design can be made into a horrible abomination of body art when someone decides to take the tattooing process into their own hands.

In hopes to broaden my own knowledge as well as providing even more relevant content here at Pounded Ink, I have added a forum to the site.

The forum contains several sections to discuss any form of body modification. There is even sections where you can upload pictures of your own modifications for the world to see.

Registration is free and only requires confirmation of your e-mail address to activate, so you can start posting right away.

In time I hope to build a strong helpful community devoted to every aspect of body modification. No procedure is too extreme to talk about.

What are you waiting for? Click here to see what all the fuss is about.. Stop by, say hello, and tell the world what you think. The more the merrier. See you on the forum!

Who Is Performing This Body Modification?

There are numerous claims on the internet by noted cosmetic surgeons, most notably the claims by Dr. Lajos Nagy who claims that pointed ears aren’t just for cosmetic reasons but will also help your hearing.

Here’s an excerpt from Dr. Nagy’s website.

Why are pointed ears more sensitive?

“One of its reasons is rather simple: pointed ears focus sounds in a better way, which, in the case of animals, is supplemented by the fact that they can orientate themselves towards the source of sounds without turning their heads, by moving only their ears.

The other reason is the own frequency of the pinnae, as being solid objects themselves, which changes together with their shape. Pointed ears resonate with sounds at the frequency of around 8 kHz, thus they amplify sharp sounds instead of the intermediate frequencies. This is the reason why, amongst other things, dogs are sensitive to ultrasonic sounds, which are imperceptible for human ears.

Although turning the pinnae still remains impossible for human beings according to its anatomic features, the advantages of pointed ears can be enjoyed once again with the help of a simple, routine operation.

Be the next to sharpen your hearing!“

Now, there have been absolutely no scientific studies that prove pointed ears improve hearing.  Dr. Nagy has also received plenty of negative press as all his before and after photos of this procedure are obviously photoshopped, which can be seen in the picture above.  Notice that the hair styles in both the before and after are identical, including the miscelanious hairs slighly out of place.  I personally don’t believe Dr. Nagy has ever performed any pointed ears cosmetic surgrey.

Not All Elf Ears Are A Hoax

Several real  body modification professionals do actually perform this modification, including Russ Foxx from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Here you can see that Russ Foxx actually offers pictures of each stage of the healing process proving that Elf Ears are an entirely possible body modification. There are several other qualified body modification professionals providing this body modification throughout the world.

Is The Process Reversible?

Sadly, this is a one and done procedure. Once you modify your ears and remove the excess tissue there is no way to repair your now pointy ears without extensive plastic surgery, which will no doubt cost many folds more then the original process cost.

Aaron Cain – Tattooing since 1991, Aaron Cain has developed the biomechanical tattoo style like few others.  Taking inspiration from the top tattooist and artist in his field Aaron Cain has risen to the top of the custom tattoo spectrum.  Cain’s tattoos can be distinguished by thick lines and hard edges amid the cluster that is biomechanical. Not only is he on the top of the tattooing field Cain produces a full line of custom tattoo equipment.

Paul Booth – The name Paul Booth immediately brings images of death and mayhem to mind.  An established tattooist and artist Booth is well known in the tattoo industry for his almost lifelike portraits of everything evil. After devoting nearly twenty years of his life to the art of tattoo, where his is revered for his efforts to elevate the medium into the realm of fine art, Paul Booth has become a household name. His unparalleled dedication to the evolution of his craft has garnered him numerous awards around the globe, top tier magazine features (among them, many cover stories), public and television appearances including CNN, MSNBC, DISCOVERY, A&E, TLC, MTV and more.

Nick Baxter – Nick Baxter is well known for his gorgeous large scale color tattoos.  “Tattoos are an exciting and especially rewarding medium to work in, as the personal interaction and displaying of the work is a large part of it. However, there are some visual limitations to working on skin, but a lot of the challenge and fun for me is to figure out effective ways around these, to try to push the genre to new heights and possibilities.” Baxter Says.

Ryan Dearringer – Ryan Dearringer is an award winning, custom tattoo artist at Sacred Ink, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is among a new breed of tattoo artists, who attempt to blend art, in all its wonders and splendors, into the world of tattoo. He pulls inspiration for his tattoo work from all styles and influences of art, and attempts to push the boundaries of tattoo to new levels. Whether it be Portraits, Old School tattoos, New School tattoos, Graffiti style, or Fine art tattoos, Ryan has a way of making it work in an innovative manner. He believes that the core of what makes a tattoo artist great, is that they are an artist first, and a tattoo artist second. He approaches each and every tattoo design he creates in a similar manner.

Carson Hill - At just under 30 years old Carson Hill is a biomechanical master.  “My goal as an artist of any kind is to improve. To further understand dimensional reality, light and shadow and how it plays with all things, the complexity of simplicity, the depth of infinity, and so on, and interpret it into my work. To further define my subtle message through each artwork I bring into manifestation.” Hill says.

Mike DeVries – A rather young addition to the ever competitive tattoo market, Mike DeVries has stood his ground as one of the top color tattooist in the country.  DeVries continues to create ultra realistic color tattoos that look as though they will jump off the skin at any minute.  Hoping to expand his abilities, to achieve the utmost realistic pieces on skin. “Portraits, animals and pin-ups are my favorite things to do; anything that is real.” Mike says.

Jesse Nesse – Specializing in cover up tattoos as well as world renowned custom color tattoos, Jessee Nesse has risen to not only the top tattooist in Nebraska, but to the rank of top tattooist in his field.  Nuclear Ink Custom Tattoo first opened in the summer of 1999 located in South Omaha.  In 2000, it moved to it’s current location just north of 72nd and Dodge Street in Midtown.  The shop was started out as a shop exclusively for custom tattoos.

Bob Tyrrell - Bob Tyrrell started tattooing at the tender age of 34, already a student of art, Tyrrell has risen to the top of the tattooing field with his insanely realistic black and grey portraits.  If you are in the market for a wickedly realistic tattoo then you should look no further then Bob Tyrrell.  The finished works of this tattooist look like they are ready to jump off the skin and join in conversation.

Brandon Bond - Brandon Bond is one of the most successful, published, and award winning tattoo artists in the world. He is the owner of the thriving All or Nothing Tattoo empire in Atlanta, Georgia. He also owns a publishing company called Stranglehold which sells movies, books, clothing, artwork, and other tattoo related products. After 15 years of compulsive workaholism, Brandon still tattoos constantly, staying booked about a year in advance. Last year Brandon opened a second studio Anti Art Elite. Located northwest of Atlanta, GA.

Guy Aitchison - Guy Aitchison is at the top of the biomechanical tattoo field.  He has produced some of the best large color biomech tattoos I’ve ever seen.  Torn between painting and tattooing he has created numerous works featured in top art and tattoo magizines. Guy believes tattooing is a very critical type of commercial art, where success or failure of any given project has very deep implications for the client. This forces an extra degree of dedication and flexibility on the part of the artist, and the clients’ participation helps maintain a flow of fresh ideas and images into the artist’s bag of tricks.

If You’re Sick, Reschedule

If you feel run down or under the weather in any way, it’s a good idea to reschedule your tattoo appointment.  When you are sick your natural immune system is not performing at it’s peak.  Adding the undue stress of a new tattoo to the list of things the immune system needs to deal with is not good for your general health or the healing of a new tattoo.

If you are feeling sick your best bet is to put your new tattoo on hold until your bug has completely subsided.

Don’t Get Tattooed If You’re Pregnant

Most tattoo shops will not tattoo you if they know you’re pregnant.  The reason for this isn’t that your body can’t take the tattoo but it will cause unneeded trauma to the unborn baby which could  easily cause complications.  A woman’s body also goes through many physical changes during and after pregnancy which could potentially affect the look of a new tattoo.

It’s Not Good To Be Drunk

Not only is it a bad idea to drink the day of your new tattoo, you’ll want to quit a few days before in order to assure that your blood is not thinned out.  Alchohol is a natural blood thinner and besides bleeding more, it will take your new tattoo longer to heal with a build up of alchohol in the body.

It’s also a good idea to avoid using asprin or pain relievers for a few days before your new tattoo, which also thins out the blood.

Load Up On Vitamin C

Vitamin C will not only make you healthier, it will also benifit your new tattoo. Vitamin C will give your body more energy allowing it to heal quickly.

If you don’t like orange juice, a muti-vitamin will do you good.

I came across this handy tattoo pain chart yesterday and I must say it’s very accurate when I compare it with my own personal tattoo experience.

My Own Experience

I’m rather tattooed and have been tattooed on quite a few places extensively.  Here’s a list of where I’ve been tattooed and how much I think it hurt.

Outer Arm -  This is one of the least painful places to get a tattoo.  Expect to feel some burning but it’s nothing you can’t grin and bear. If you can’t handle a tattoo on you’re outer arm, don’t try to get a tattoo somewhere else as it will surely be more painful.
Inner Arm – The inner arm isn’t the most pleasant area to have tattooed and it does hurt considerably more then the outer arm.  I would say it burns considerably.  If you are just going around the arm it seems to hurt much more then if you are getting the inner arm tattooed exclusively for a few hours.
Ribs – I’ve heard horror stories of the pain of rib tattoos but in my experience, it’s not so bad.  Just like any dicey tattoo the longer you sit the more tolerant you are to the pain.  Getting your ribs tattooed burns and occasionally you will hit a nerve, sending chills throughout your body, but is not unbearable.
Abdomen – Getting my abdomen tattooed was one of the most excruciating tattoo experiences I’ve endured.  I have a large piece across my entire right love handle and I must say, It hurt like hell.  For a time during the outlining process I had to be physically held down to the table by one person while my tattooist worked on the tattoo.
Upper Back – It’s been so long since I had my back tattooed I barely remember it.  My very first tattoo was on my upper back. From what I can remember it wasn’t too bad.  It certainly burned and when a nerve was hit all kinds of things would tingle from my arm to my legs.
Outer Thigh – The outer thigh is not a painful place to get tattooed.  Many areas of my thigh didn’t hurt at all, although the closer to my ass cheeks we got the more it hurt.  Second to the outer arm, this is least painful place I have been tattooed.
Inner Thigh – The inner thigh, much like the inner arm, hurts more then the outer thigh.  The skin is more tender therefore it burns considerable more. Far from unbearable, but certainly not a comfortable spot to be tattooed.
Knee – I have only been tattooed as close as an inch to my knee.  I can say that the closer the tattoo got to the kneecap the more it hurt.  Eventually my tattooist was physically holding me down as the tattoo further approached the knee.  This is one of the most painful areas I have ever been tattooed.
Armpit – As you can probably imagine getting your armpit tattooed hurts like hell.  Not only does every stroke of the tattoo burn intensively, the wiping and stretching make the tattoo almost unbearable after a few hours.  My last session was entirely my armpit and although I booked 7 hours of tattooing I threw in the towel after only 5 hours.  There’s nothing fun about getting your armpit tattooed.
Finger – The webbing of my finger hurt pretty bad each time it was tattooed, the only saving grace is that there isn’t much room for a large tattoo so even though it hurts almost anyone should be able to take the 5-10 minutes it takes.  The fingers aren’t the best place to get tattooed.  It took me 4 separate sessions to get a single teardrop to stay in.