AboutBrian Skellie Expertise I can answer questions in regards to and not limited to: jewelry safety, specifically material, shape, proportion, and related issues; aseptic technique and sterilization as it applies to piercing safety; ethical issues of technique and bedside manner; the aftercare and recovery process for piercings.
Experience
Past/Present clients
Tens of thousands of one on one client experiences. http://www.piercing.org/ Body jewelry design and safety expert: Member ASTM committee F04(www.astm.org)
Member AAMI (www.aami.org)
Research advisor and educator for the APP for over a decade(www.safepiercing.org) teaching advanced studio setup, sterilization and equipment management, freehand piercing, aseptic/sterile technique and much more.
Distributor for SciCan StatIM sterilization and cleaning products. http://www.piercing.org/statim/
Expert: Brian Skellie Date: 6/1/2008 Subject: navel piecing
Question hi, i had my navel pieced for about 3 years,gold bars seem to cause infection to my navel. i can wear gold in my ears with no problem,why is this ?and which type of metal is the best to use that is less likely to cause any infection?
Your ears are probably also irritated by some gold, but not too noticeably.
It is possible that your piercing procedure and aftercare could contribute significant risk of infection. Here is what we do for safety:
We are glad that you would choose us for your safe, simple and gentle piercing. 100% of piercings done without proper sterile techniques result in infection. The service is valued at $50, the jewelry, a small curved bar in titanium would be $33 and up. You could spend a few more dollars on gemstones for the ends if you please. We never use rings as initial jewelry, and encourage you consider them like high heeled shoes, kind of awkward and best used only for dress up.
Our procedure for navel piercing:
Please use the information on our http://www.piercing.org/pexy/technique/technique.html page for safety procedures for all piercing. As for the actual part where we make a hole and put in jewelry, that part is pretty simple.
1. We select custom fit jewelry
2. We have the client fill out a consent form
3. We explain and give printed recovery information
4. We sterilize the gloves, gauze, needle, and jewelry by a state of the art autoclave steam process
5. We bring the client to a private clean room used only for piercing services
6. We make the client feel comfortable, confident, and trustful
7. We put on a surgical mask and protective eyewear
8. We scrub our hands
9. We put on sterilized nitrile medical gloves
10. We mark the skin where the jewelry will live
11. We prepare the skin with a surgical cleanser
12. We clean our hands and change to fresh sterilized gloves
13. We pick up the freshly sterilized gauze, drape, needle and jewelry
14. We place a sterile fabric drape with the window in the drape positioned over the area we are to decorate
15. We align the tissue by hand, like a surgeon would line up tissue to suture
16. We ask the client to take a deep breath and tell them that when they let it out, it is over
17. The client breathes out smoothly, and the skin is parted gracefully, quickly and with great attention to aim
18. The jewelry, a curved bar made of implant material, connects to the needle and gently follows it through
19. The ball or jeweled end is screwed into the hole in the curved bar and tightened
20. The area is sealed with a clear occlusive bandage, resistant to water and bacteria [We use Tegaderm, Op-Site, or Bioclusive.]
21. The client gets a first look and to live happily ever after with their new jewelry
In about 30 to 90 days, it should be finished healing, with no need for arbitrary antiseptic, or soaking, or washing.
That should allow for quick healing and start you off without infection.
Your responsibility is to keep it from getting dirty or agitated. http://piercing.org/pexy/recovery/recovery.html can explain how.
We encourage our clients to return for a checkup within the first 30 days to make sure everything is going well.
