Piercings FAQ | Liz Tattoo & Piercing

Do you pierce with a needle or a piercing gun?

I only pierce with sterile cannulas and needles. A piercing gun that shoots the jewelry in, is crushing and damaging the tissue with its quick violence. This prolongs and worsens the whole healing process. This brutal device cannot live up to the hygienic standards the way sterile needles and cannulas can. Last but not least, it is often experienced to be even more painful with the piercing gun than the needles/cannulas.

How old do you have to be to get pierced?

As a single person to be pierced: yes you have to be 18 years old. If you come by yourself, bring ID that shows that you are at least 18 years old. But with your legal guardian I pierce younger people. I have different age restrictions depending on the types of piercings. Feel free to contact me for info about your specific wish of piercing.

Do piercings hurt?

Yes, piercings hurt. Some kind of pain sensation you ought to have. Most people think that a piercing hurts more than being tattooed. But the pain subsides pretty much in the same moment you sense it. Because of the very fast execution, you barely get to react. The piercing of the skin takes less than a second.

How can I prepare myself before getting pierced?

There are ways to prepare getting pierced. Show up well rested, healthy, relaxed and NOT hungry or fasting. Feel free to bring some snacks. Bring maximum one friend, but not more since this creates a more stressful environment.

Take your time to ask me questions if you have any and inspect the markings on the skin before proceeding with the piercing itself.

Is it safe to get a piercing at your shop?

Yes, it is safe to get a piercing at my shop. I always use sterile tools and disposable needles. I am approved and inspected on regular basis by the local health authority. All for your safety.

The jewelries I use are made of high quality titanium, which is generally the most biocompatible for the healing body.

How do I know if my piercing is healed?

There are a few signs that a piercing is healed. This can be very hard to know for sure. But, if it’s no longer tender, pinkish in the area, swollen or discharging/forming scabs - it can be indications that your piercing is all healed.

When can I change or stretch my piercing?

You can change it as soon as your piercing is healed. Let it heal completely before you change the jewelry (as long as we don’t talk about oral piercings – these can preferably be changed earlier after the initial swelling).

When it comes to stretching the piercing, it is best that it first and foremost heals completely, but then it should preferably get additional time to mature and strengthen before it is ready to be stretched. Be patient with your new piercing. It pays off!

I’ve got a bump on my piercing. What should I do?

There are ways to get rid of the dreaded bump. Most likely you have got a hypertrophic scar tissue developed on your piercing. It could also be a local minor infection, like an abscess. Please come by or send me pictures for advice here to know what we are dealing with.

A hypertrophic scar usually goes away by itself as the piercing completes the healing. This is not dangerous. It is just more dreadful to look at. There are a lot of dfferent tips of topical apply of:

Alsol gel, tea tree oil, emu oil, crushed aspirin paste, apple cider vinegar, hydrocortisone cream and more. But only try one at the time and consult me before starting anything like this. Everybody has different reactions and different types of skin.

Infections should be drained and dried, preferably with warm saline solution soaks and regular washing. In some cases they can be helped with bacteria killing solutions. In severe cases, I suggest you to seek professional healthcare and antibiotics.

Regardless of having these above mentioned conditions or having healthy piercings, they will all benefit from saline solution soaks and washing.

How does an infected piercing look like?

Typical signs of infected piercings are: discharge of yellow or green pus. It smells bad and you might feel a throbbing sensation in the (often red) area of the piercing. In worse cases, you might get a fever.

However, that a piercing is sore to touch, little pinkish in the area, slightly swollen and having a modest discharge that turns in to scabs, is completely normal for a healthy piercing.

If you take care of the piercing as recommended, it is still relatively unusual with a fully developed infection.

Don’t ever touch it with unwashed hands, avoid perfumes, makeup and chemicals close to the wound. Also do avoid mechanical rubbing and pressure on it. No body fluids are allowed to get in contact with a healing piercing!

Is my piercing jewelry too long or too short?

There are measurements in the piercing jewelry to look for. A piercing is supposed to have some air at the ends of the stem to be able to breathe. The tissue musn’t be squeezed by the piercing, but neither should the jewelry stick out too far at the ends. The latter situation makes it easier to rub and bump things. Sometimes it is beneficial to downsize a jewelry before it is completely healed. As soon as the initial swelling subsides, it can help the healing to change for a shorter bar. It could also be that you swell more than expected. If you have any questions or suspicions of this, please come back to me and I will help you. If you are uncertain and/or remote, you can also always email me pictures.

How do I clean my new piercing?

It is always a safe bet to clean your piercing with saline solution twice a day. Remove the scabs and let it rest as much as possible. For more detailed information, see previously mentioned Aftercare for piercings.

How do I make saline solution for my piercing?

You can make saline solution easily at home. You boil half a liter water with 1 1/2 table spoons salt. Let it boil until it dissolves. Any type of salt works here, but sea salt is the absolute best for this purpose. Then you pour the saline solution into a clean container that should not get contamined with bacteria. Consider making smaller batches of saline solution instead of one really big. This way the saline solution keeps fresh and clean.

Why do people get pierced?

It could be because of aesthetic preferences, to draw attention to a certain body part or be a cultural condition of which you conform to or rebel against. It’s a way to mark a certain age or status. A form of marking of a time in life is made and the piercing makes a statement of that this is the piercee´s body and his/hers alone. The owner of the piercing claims a symbolic control over how the body is modified. Other reasons worth mentioning are spiritual, sexual or even pure physiological. Some see this as a physical challenge where you test your pain tolerance and some might feel as if they get an improved sexual experience from a genital piercing, for instance. Whatever the reason might be, this is a timeless body modification which is semi-permanent; it lasts for as long as you want it to last.

When a piercing is removed and abandoned, it usually leaves very small traces of ever being there. Sometimes you cannot see anything at all and sometimes it retracts and form a scar as a little pore. With time it shrinks and how much it might be visible afterwards depends on how well it healed initially, placement and for how long you had it.