Breast Feeding and Nipple Piercings

Breast Feeding and Nipple Piercings It’s often wondered if nipple piercings and breast feeding are compatible. One of our frequently asked questions when it comes to nipple piercing is “Will I still be able to breastfeed later on down the road?” The answer to that question is what will be discussed here. To begin with, it is possible (and very likely) to still be able to breast feed with nipple piercings, but under certain circumstances, the piercings may inhibit that ability.The nipple itself is made up of not one, but many small openings. These openings are where the milk comes […]

Bad Piercer Gone Good: A Step by Step Approach to Improving as a Piercer

Bad Piercer Gone Good: A Step by Step Approach to Improving as a Piercer Todays blog post is for piercers, and apprentices. Specifically those who have realized that they are perhaps not in the best situation. This is a place I’ve been in myself, and it can be a very hard place to find oneself. Doing something like piercing that you love and are excited and motivated about. This is your dream job! And in that excitement you are hungry for more education and knowledge and so you seek to learn and grow. But sadly what you learn is that […]

Borderline Personality Disorder- Stigma in the Industry

Borderline Personality Disorder- Stigma in the Industry Content Warning- this blog will discuss mental illness, and has some mentions of suicidality. A recent interaction with some others in the industry has been sticking with me for a few weeks. In a forum for professionals someone recounted some issues they had with a previous employee- infractions, mistakes, and poor conduct. Very valid issues. But at some point it became mentioned that this employee had BPD or borderline personality disorder. This is a personality disorder characterized by unstable moods, unstable relationships, self destructive behavior, suicidal ideation, and is caused by severe trauma […]

Autoclaves- Understanding what to look for from a Clean Studio

Autoclaves- Understanding what to look for from a Clean Studio Thinking of getting a new piercing? Awesome! When going to get pierced, most folks know that its important to get pierced in a clean environment. Most even know to ask if needles are single use, and ensure gloves are worn by their piercer. These things are all great, but how do you actually know everything is clean and sterile? Are there other things you should be asking to see? If you were interested in knowing more in depth about cleanliness when piercing, this article may help. We will be going […]

Becoming Front of House

Becoming Front of House Front of House is an incredibly important position in virtually any studio. In recent years, as studios have evolved I think it’s safe to say this position has experienced the most growth and change out of any role in the studio. To start- what exactly is front of house? Ten or twenty years ago it was a part time job for an apprentice, answering phones and sweeping. Now, it’s a fully fledged, crucial part of any studio system. Front of House are the bookends of a studio, the first person a client meets and the last […]

Body Suspension

Body Suspension One of my most requested articles was on the topic of Body Suspension. Body Suspension is the process of piercing hooks into the skin, and hanging from those hooks. Under that term is also hook pulls, also known as energy pulls, or flesh pulls. A process of piercing hooks through the skin and pulling against them, often against another person also with hooks in. It’s a practice with a rich and beautiful history for hundreds of years in communities around the globe. It’s also a practice near and dear to my heart, as I have been a practitioner […]

Body Modification and Workplace Acceptance

Body Modification and Workplace Acceptance It’s 2023, and more than ever before we are seeing visibly pierced and tattooed folks in all walks of life. This is a refreshing change from just a few decades ago, when piercings and tattoos were openly listed as disqualifying for employment in many places. But despite the many strides we’ve made in getting body modification to be accepted by the wider society, one issue still looms over many folks who want to get more work done- Work. Workplace acceptance is one of the largest barriers to many of my clients being able to be […]

Anxiety and Piercings

Anxiety and Piercings I love to joke about the correlation between folks with mental illnesses and getting body modifications. The internet loves to joke about it too, with a bevy of honestly hilarious memes about tattoo therapy, mental breakdown piercings, and everything in-between. But I do think there is a general correlation between folks who do struggle with mental health issues and finding agency, self expression, and empowerment via body modification. But sometimes, this also means struggling with our modifications as well. While I don’t have an anxiety disorder, I do struggle with anxiety as a symptom of BPD and […]

An Open Letter to Parents

An Open Letter to Parents This is an open letter to parents. All the wonderful parents out there trying their best to navigate the difficult world of parenting and raising a child. Being a parent is, genuinely, one of the hardest jobs I can think of. Full admission- it’s a job I don’t think I’m personally cut out for. But, I do think I may have some advice to offer on a situation that’s becoming more and more common for parent’s these days- your child want’s a body piercing. And you aren’t really sure how you feel about that. I’ll […]

Antibacterial Soap- Overrated and Overused

Antibacterial Soap- Overrated and Overused Let’s talk about soap! Particularly antibacterial soap. It’s an amazing product isn’t it? Many kill 99.9% of all bacteria- that means it’s super clean! So, it’s awesome for keeping your piercings super clean too, right? I mean, it has to be, because piercers have suggested it for care for years! Well, not so much. In recent years, particularly the last 7, the FDA has done extensive research into antibacterial products, namely soaps. And what we have discovered is that this ‘miracle’ product isn’t such a miracle. In fact, in most cases, it hurts more then […]