PREPARING FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

Please visit our PIERCING SERVICES page  for detailed information on pricing for services and jewelry. 

No . . .  Every piercing performed at Superficial ModSpa is completed with sterilized, hollow, single-use, piercing needles.

The Association of Professional Piercers has compiled some important information about piercing safety:

• Piercing guns cannot be effectively sterilized, and there are documented cases of disease transmission from piercing guns.
• Gun studs do not accommodate for the varying thicknesses of ears and earlobes, and the studs can easily become embedded. 
• Piercing studs are not usually made from implant-grade materials, and as a result, reactions to the jewelry are not uncommon, especially for those with a sensitivity to nickel.
• Operators working at piercing kiosks are not trained in bloodborne pathogens and disease transmission. There are documented cases of disease transmission from piercing guns due to ignorance of aseptic technique and a lack of basic knowledge of disease transmission.
• Getting your ear cartilage pierced with a gun can be especially dangerous and carries a risk of permanent damage.

Every piercing is an open wound and does pose potential risks and complications if not cared for properly. Following the Superficial ModSpa recommended aftercare and downsizing instructions will help you to have the best possible healing process. Below are some detailed descriptions of possible piercing complications, why they might occur, and symptoms to watch for throughout your healing process.  

Infection: Infection is the invasion of the body by pathogens (harmful microorganisms) that multiply in the body tissue. Organisms that produce infectious disease include viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasites, and aberrant proteins called prions. Continuously touching, or other people touching your healing piercing, not maintaining a good hygiene routine and/or not following aftercare as instructed can lead to infection.

Contact Dermatitis: Contact Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin due to allergic reaction or caused by direct irritation to the skin. Irritant Contact Dermatitis is more common than allergic Contact Dermatitis and may be due to a wide variety of solvents, abrasives, acids and alkalis, and soaps. Allergic Contact Dermatitis is most commonly caused by metals (such as nickel jewelry), adhesives, cosmetics, and rubber. Symptoms include a burning, itchy, or painful red rash, blisters and hives. If due to an allergy, dermatitis may take up to 3 days to develop.

Keloid: A keloid is a sharply elevated, irregular shaped, progressively enlarging scar, due to excessive collagen formation in the corium during connective tissue repair. Susceptibility to keloids is genetic. Surgical removal is not usually effective because it results in a high rate of recurrence. However, intravenous injection of steroids, cryotherapy, and x-ray therapy often are of substantial help.

Migration: When the piercing moves from its original position; either settles and heals or continues to move and may lead to rejection. 

Rejection: Piercing migration in which the jewelry is completely pushed out of the body.

*The piercing is likely to migrate when unsuitable or insufficient tissue is pierced, or if your jewelry is too small in diameter, thin in gauge, or of poor quality. Migration and rejection can also result from using a harsh aftercare product, following poor health habits, or experiencing excessive physical trauma or emotional stress during the healing time. Sometimes even when everything is done properly, a piercing will migrate or reject for no known reason. This is simply a risk of placing a foreign object through your skin; it may not stay in the desired position.

Hypertrophic Scaring: a thick, lumpy scar that sits above the surface of the skin.

Hyper-granulation Tissue: An excessive growth of granulation tissue (new connective tissue); granuloma and pyogenic granuloma or similar conditions.

Atrophic Scaring: A pit or depression below the surface of the skin, caused by a wound.

Nerve Damage: Localized swelling of a fresh piercing can impinge upon a nerve, causing temporary numbness or tingling, loss of taste in oral piercings, or diminishing hearing in ear piercings (rare). Barring an unusual placement or healing complications, these are transient troubles.

If you believe you are experiencing any of these complications or if you have any questions about possible complications you are experiencing, give us call (781) 803-3160 and we will be glad to assist you however we can! 

We do not recommend getting pierced with a hoop.  Placing a curved hoop through a fresh piercing that has been done with a straight needle puts pressure on the entry and exit points of the new piercing. This increases the risk of irritation, hypertrophic scarring, migration, and even rejection. We recommend starting with a stud for your initial healing process. Everyone heals differently, and we will change your jewelry to a hoop once the initial healing is complete, generally about 6-9 months after the piercing. 

We can pierce children ear lobes as young as 5 years old. Please see our Minor Piercings page for more information.  

No, we only perform piercings with our Titanium jewelry in the studio, as required by the Weymouth Board of Health. Additionally, we cannot sell jewelry to individuals who intend to use it for piercings elsewhere. These measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of our clients. If you have further questions regarding this, please give our studio a call.