FAQ

NO – this is against the law.   In Victoria, it is illegal for any piercer to pierce the nipple or genital of anyone under 18 years of age.   We started to write letters to Health authorities and government bodies in 1995 and finally in January 2009 with the advice of  Body Pleasure Piercing and a few other piercing studios, government brought in legislation making it Illegal to Pierce the Nipples or Genitals of anyone under the age of 18 years.   Just as you can’t get your drivers licence the day before you turn 18, you also can’t get an intimate piercing of any kind until you are over 18yrs of age.

Health and Safety – there is evidence that damage to the breast while developing can lead to breast cancer.   Though there is no evidence that Nipple piercing itself can contribute to breast cancer.  However,  if a nipple piercing develops an infection, this infection can travel back into the breast tissue and can cause major problems.  Damage to Breast tissue while developing can contribute to breast cancer and therefore it is not worth the risk to get your nipple pierced under the age of 18yrs.   Anyone willing to do it is probably not registered or safe and so the risk of infection is even greater.

Sexual Assault –  Piercing the nipples or genitals of a minor (anyone under 18 years of age) could also carry a sexual assault charge.  At Body Pleasure Piercing, we are not willing to jeopardise our staff or our customers.   Anyone who is willing to do this needs to have their motives questioned and is probably not registered or safe to be around.

PHOTO ID – To respect this law for the protection of all involved we require Photo I.D. before doing any piercings especially of this nature.

Parent Permission –  Some people ask if they can get these done with parent permission and the answer is still NO.  You can’t get your drivers licence or go to a night club and get drunk even a day before you turn 18yrs with parent permission.  It is the law and you have to be over 18 years of age with no exemptions.

Silver is not good to leave in the body as it releases nickel and toxic elements into your body.   However,  some people will say the only thing that healed the ir piercing was putting  silver jewellery in to it and so they conclude that they are allergic to titanium.    This is incorrect,  silver has strong antibacterial properties and so if a piercing has a mild bacterial infection then changing to silver may in fact clear the problem because It will kill the bacteria however, it will still be allowing toxic ellements into the body and should not be worn long term.    Once healed the jewellery should be changed back to  a sterile titanium item.   The problem was never an allergy to titanium. 

When you walk in, you will be greeted by one of our friendly staff. Each of us is eager to help you achieve the piercing you want. However, we value professionalism and we respect our customers and their wishes. We will not pressure you into anything you do not want.

Our staff is trained in safe technique and will advise you on what is the best jewellery and placement for your chosen piercing. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have. There are no stupid questions!

If you are over 16 years of age, you are legally allowed to sign for any basic body piercing. This includes Dermal Anchors and surface piercings.

It is illegal for anyone under 18 years to get a nipple or genital piercing.

The paperwork at Body Pleasure Piercing is done for your protection. We have a system of sterilisation which cross-references all of the equipment used to the sterilisation cycles. This assures peace of mind for our customers and ensures that nobody can cut corners. Your safety is important to us.

The paperwork also contains information that ensures that you are of the correct age and provides us legal coverage with the Health act.

Your information is confidential and is not shown to anyone without your permission. It is entered into our confidential database and filed away for your safety. This means if you do have a problem, we can look up details about your piercing in order to help you.

Unfortunately, when getting a new piercing, this is not an option. We go through a great effort to make sure the jewellery we use is safe for you. Using the correct jewellery for your new piercing is important and there are many factors to consider.

> Brand-new, smooth jewellery with no impurities
> Sterilisation to ensure no contamination
> Correct sizes and design to promote healing without causing stress to the piercing site
> Medical-grade material that is purchased from reputable manufacturers

Jewellery you bring in from elsewhere may have microscopic scratches or impurities. It is difficult to determine whether or not it has been used and may not be safe. We will not know the metal analysis of your jewellery or where it was made, or whether it is medical-grade Titanium and it may not be the right size or design for your piercing. Therefore, in order to keep you safe, we only use our Titanium jewellery in new or unhealed piercings.

A healed piercing is much stronger and does not have the problems that a new or unhealed piercing may have. Once a piercing is fully healed, you can change your jewellery with far less risk. We still recommend using good quality jewellery and cleaning it before changing it. Seeing your piercer before changing jewellery would also be wise to make sure it is ready to change and that the jewellery you have is appropriate.

We use a local anaesthetic ointment on the needle. That way, when the piercing is inserted, it lubricates the needle and numbs the site. This makes insertion of the jewellery and cleaning of the site pain-free.

You will feel a small sting, the same as you would with a local injection, and then the area goes numb.
Many clients claim that the local anaesthetic injections used to numb an area prior to the piercing hurts more than a piercing itself. The local injection may also cause swelling in the area, leading to an inaccurate or crooked piercing.

We use a stronger anaesthetic liquid for genital piercings, which is applied to the area first. This is because the tissue and mucous membrane in these areas absorb the (lignocaine) numbing agent more readily and work better in these areas. You’ll find that genital piercings performed by our team generally hurt less than ear piercings.

While some penis piercings require an erect measurement to make sure jewellery will fit, you do not need an erection during the piercing process.

Most people find that when the piercing is complete, it initially heightens sensation significantly. Over time, the body will accept the piercing and this ‘newfound sensation’ subsides. However, this is not a loss of sensation; it’s just your body’s way of accepting the piercing.

I like to explain this to people by comparing the feeling to putting on a watch. If you have never worn a watch and you place one on your wrist, you are aware of it and notice it a lot. After a while, you may even forget that you have it on until you look at it. It is still there and you can be aware of it when you want, but it is your choice.

Even though piercings go through areas that are sensitive, the risk of nerve damage is very minimal; it may actually increase sensation in the pierced area. I have female customers who have lost sensation in their nipples due to surgery and piercing them has actually increased their feeling.

No. You are welcome to come in or contact us at any time after your piercing to get us to check it or just to ask for our advice. Remember, there are no stupid questions.

We hold check-ups to see how a piercing is healing. We can also give you the opportunity to ask questions and to make sure you understand that piercings are not only a one-off procedure but an ongoing commitment to healing.

We like to check the tongue after four days. That is when the swelling should be reduced and we can see if there are any possible problems.

For all other piercings, we schedule check-ups after two weeks when they will have settled and reduced in swelling. At this stage, we can often see if your piercing is healing well or if you are likely to have any healing complications.

It’s not a keloid. Most times, lumps beside the entrance of a piercing are not a keloid or hypertrophic scarring.

These small lumps often occur on the nose or ear because small amounts of dirt, hair or makeup that get into the piercing site from your hands, hair or bedding. The tiny particle of dirt, fluff, hair or makeup is foreign to your body, just like a tiny splinter. Your body can react by forming a protective layer around the particle, which eventually grows into a lump.

It is not a keloid, hypertrophic scarring or infection. Oral antibiotics will help, but will not typically get rid of these lumps. We have found that mild antibiotic ointments, such as Chlorsig (an eye ointment) or other prescription ointments, applied two to three times a day for up to four weeks will get into the lump and break it down, causing it to disappear completely.

If your piercing was completed using a cannula needle, the lump may be caused by a small amount of uneven tissue that developed because of the needle design. We don’t use these needles because they generally cause a small flap of skin to form at the edge of the piercing.

These needles are designed to go through small amounts of tissue into a vein or artery to insert a drip. When the drip is removed, this small flap closes the hole and stops the bleeding. Remember that blood test where you had to put pressure on the site to stop the bruising? That slows the blood so this flap can block the hole.

When the flap is used to insert jewellery, this little bit of skin dies off and causes a lump or it is rammed into the piercing and dies inside. This causes the same effect as an ingrown hair that is rejected by the body, which forces the piercing to the surface.

If the lump is small and treated early with antibiotic ointment, it may heal. But, if it is inside the piercing, it may cause the body to reject the piercing.

In lucky cases, your body will eventually get rid of it on its own. If the skin is inside the piercing site, your body will reject the piercing. Once the piercing has migrated to the surface or it has been removed, it will subside and leave a small scar.

If left untreated, the lump can get larger and harder and eventually become a keloid (an excessive growth of scar tissue). This is much harder to treat or remove, so we recommend seeking advice at the first sign of a lump.

Our prices include everything you need for your initial piercing. Unlike some places that give you a piercing price and then add on the jewellery and the extras, we give you one total price so you know exactly how much to budget for. The price will cover all of the following:

> Any necessary paperwork
> Written healing information and certificate
> The highest grade of titanium body jewellery
> Topical Anaesthetic
> Our safe, gentle and sterile piercing procedure
> A healing kit (when applicable)
> Ongoing advice and free checkup