There are a number of different types of surface piercings that you can choose from but before you rush out and get one, there are some things that you need to be aware of.

Things to Consider

When done correctly a surface piercing can look unique. However, unfortunately many piercers out there do not seem to be able to perform a surface piercing properly.

If you do not go to an experienced piercer then you could end up experiencing a lot of pain as well as many complications after the piercing has been done.

Your body sees everything that is placed into the skin as a foreign object. Therefore a surface piercing can often be rejected by the body and it could try to push it out as it would with a splinter. An experienced piercer will know exactly where to place the piercing to avoid this from occurring.

If your piercer uses the same technique to pierce the skin as they would with a regular piercing, your surface piercing will not last very long. The jewellery that is placed into the piercing places a lot of pressure onto the skin and that prevents it from healing. The choice of jewellery that you have is limited and generally the best type of jewellery you can choose is the surface bar.

The aftercare that you need to give the surface piercing is quite hard work. For this reason many piercers do not like to perform a surface piercing. Most of the time the body will reject it and they are quite difficult to heal.

Well… Surface piercings are difficult to maintain but if done properly it is possible for them to last a few years. They do look good and they can be placed practically anywhere on the body. So if you would like to have a surface piercing and you do not mind it only lasting for a few months, it would be a good idea to search around for a good piercer.

Never go with the first piercer that you find as if you choose an inexperienced piercer, you could experience a lot of pain!

The first and the most common bugs you can get are some bacterial infections like Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. If you get one of these and the fresh piercing is really infected – painful, swollen and oozing yellow pus, your doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria.

Actually it’s been reported that around 10 – 20% of all body piercings result in a small body piercing infections, so if your fresh body piercing is just slightly reddish and a bit tender to touch – most likely it’s going to pass within a few days.

The second type of body piercing infection is viral infections like hepatitis B and hepatitis C. This piercing infection can be transmitted to your body if the piercing instruments haven’t been properly sterilized. Using a disposable piercing needle is a must, and the piece of body jewelry that is inserted into your fresh piercing needs to be sterilized.

This is why it’s very important to make sure that the piercing studio is of the highest standards and the possibility of getting hepatitis is reduced to a minimum. If you have any doubts when entering the studio and talking to the guy or girl who’s going to pierce you – better leave the place and look for another one.

It would be really silly to get a viral infection when such diseases can be easily avoided by making sure all the health standards are met! So don’t hesitate to ask your piercer if he’s going to use a disposable piercing needle prior to getting pierced.

Another type of a possible body piercing infection includes parasites and other microorganisms. This may happen if you go swimming during the healing period in outdoor waters like seas, lakes and rivers.
So you are advised to avoid going into waters where microorganisms are living. Indoor swimming pools don’t pose such a threat due to chlorine added to water, but I guess you should avoid getting into the pool at least the first week or so after the piercing.