Body piercings: There are several things to consider

To look at me now, you might not think it, but I am indeed a sort of piercing connoisseur. I’ve had them done as a kid, an adult (I’m 29 now), in a shopping mall, at a tattoo shop and, shamefully, at home with a sewing needle.I’ve had holes put into my ears (lobes and cartilage), nose, lip, tongue, belly button.My fascination with alternative holes grew in my teenage years. I had my ears done a second time at a Claire’s in the Poughkeepsie Galleria and remember them taking what seemed forever to heal.A friend of mine suggested going to a tattoo parlor and having a professional piercer use a hollowed-out needle as opposed to the mall-method of shoving an earring through the ear with the piercing gun. It sounded unsavory and scary to me and needless to say, my parents weren’t thrilled. But they agreed to let me get my eyebrow done contingent on a rise in grades (which came swiftly the next semester).For this article, I made calls to several state agencies and public health offices. The state of Connecticut doesn’t have an official policy on whether the piercing gun is safer than the tattoo parlor’s sanitary needles. But here are some reasons why I will never again get a piercing done at a mall and will always go to a tattoo parlor instead.For one thing, the piercing gun used to seem like the best option because it was cleaner, safer and faster than, say, having a friend do the work in your bathroom with an ice cube and a sewing needle. But the gun is not as clean as the tattoo parlor method and here’s why: Tiny bits of flesh and blood remain in the gun. If you’re having the work done at a mall, you have no way of knowing who was pierced before you.When you go to a tattoo parlor, you are getting a fresh needle for each ear. They open the package right in front of you. And their needles don’t force the skin aside, they actually create a hole in your skin. This sounds gross but it’s actually healthier; with the hole, the new ring has more space to move and to let your skin heal without scars, bumps or infection.Some of the women in my office who had their ears pierced when they were younger were told to continually turn their new posts after their initial piercing. That advice has changed, especially when you get the needle piercing. You’re supposed to leave your post alone and give your skin time to heal.Of course, every body is different. You might not be an allergic type person (apparently, the most common allergy to earrings is to the nickel that’s found in nearly all jewelry except earrings made with surgical steel). The body is tricky and intricate. You know yours better than anyone else. Try different metals by wearing rings on your finger to see if you react.And be sure to use a cleanser, soap or antibiotic cream that’s worked for you to heal other wounds. Again, some of the women at my office recalled being told to use alcohol on their newly pierced ears. The new protocol is to use alcohol-free antibacterial hand sanitizer.The most important thing is to do your research and figure out what’s most comfortable for you —and to find the cleanest and most reputable tattoo parlor in your area.Ask around, talk to friends and find a place and piercer that are clean, sterile and that you’re comfortable with.It’s body modification that, if done properly, can be a fun decoration and expression of your personality.If you’re considering a gift for the pierced person in your life my advice is this: Don’t do it, unless you know 100 percent what type of metal they wear and any allergies they have, their style and the size of their piercings (yes, nowadays there are different size holes).A great alternative is a gift certificate so that they can pick out the piece that best expresses their taste and is the right metal for their skin.Either way, supporting a loved one’s decision to take the plunge is a gift in itself.