Don’t Do-It Yourself

I just got off the phone, one second ago with someone. This is a brief reiteration of the conversation I just had. Now, keep in mind, not much bothers me and I don’t really get bent out of shape by the dumb stuff people do. I remember when I was younger and I’ve done a lot! I mean A LOT of dumb shit when I was younger. I got better, I hope they will too. But, this was rather humorous.

Karcus: Hello MOD.

Sister: Hi, do you do piercings?

Karcus: Yes, most of the time.

Sister: Is now the time? *laugh*

Karcus: Yup *laugh*

Sister: Do you do belly button piercings?

Karcus: Yup, a lot!

Sister: Well, my sister is trying to pierce her belly button right now and it isn’t working. It seems to be stuck or something.

Karcus: Tell her to stop. What is she using?

Sister: A Needle.

Karcus: Where did she get it?

Sister: Wal-Mart

Karcus: Tell her to stop. I’m guessing it isn’t a hypodermic or surgical needle, right?

Sister: Right.

Karcus: Just a pin?

Sister: Yeah.

Karcus: It’s not going to work. The hole she’s making isn’t the same size as the jewelry that has to go in, it’s going to get stuck.

Sister: *says to sister* Stop. So-oh… what do we do now?

Karcus: Stop, wait a couple of days and then come in. Wait. Did your sister call saying her sister was her guardian?

Sister: *says to sister* Did you already call this place?

This is where it gets like a Quentin Tarantino movie. Back up 10 min, client calls.

Client: Hi, do you do piercings?

Karcus: Yup.

Client: Do you pierce belly buttons?

Karcus: Yup

Client: My sister is 25 and she’s my guardian. Can I come in to get my belly button pierced?

Karcus: Yup. But, if she’s your guardian, you’ll need to bring all the paper work with you. If you’re parents have passed away, she’ll have gotten a lot of paperwork to prove she’s your guardian. She’ll know what to bring because I’m sure you two have had to deal with a lot of hassles registering for school and all those things.

Client: What if she can’t come with me. Can she sign a note or something?

Karcus: Nope. She’ll have to be there with all the paper work and you’ll need your State issued ID.

Client: Okay, thanks.

Fast forward back to previous conversation with the sister of this one.

Sister: Okay, so we should stop and come in in a couple of days.

Karcus: Yes.

Sister: Okay, thank you.

Anyone can pick up a needle and stick it in your face or body.  For decades teenage girls were putting an ice cube to their ears and forcing a sewing needle through themselves.  Many people don’t seem to understand any sort of risk involved. First off, chances are it will hurt a lot more than it would if I did it. I use very sharp needles which sounds scary but means you wont feel the resistance of the incision it makes. We use tri-bevel coated needles. These are the sharpest you can get. They’re also sterile. Wiping something with rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, boiling it, does not make it sterile. Sewing needles aren’t meant to go inside the body which is why they don’t mind putting chrome on them. Chrome is not good for inside the body. A clean incision wound will heal better than blunt force trauma wound. If it isn’t a sharp needle, it wont heal happy.

Second point, Infection control. Our bodies are covered with Staph, especially dark holes. Impetigo & MRSA are generally from breaks in the skin. If you break the skin with blunt force trauma and then shove  jewelry from the Mall through that wound, it probably won’t heal up that well. Also, if you don’t wash your hands and wear gloves chances are you’re dirty little fingers have a multitude of pathogens all over.

Now, this may not happen every time, but if you break the skin & bacteria gets inside. That bacteria has the potential for getting into the blood stream. This is septicemia, and according to  George Bain, it kills over thirty seven thousand people a year and is a leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. Now, you aren’t likely to get this unless you’re not treating infections or you have a weakened immune system or other complications.

There was story in 2005 of a 17 yr old boy who had gotten his lip pierced & died from septicemia. (his story was unique in that he had a heart murmur which caused blood to seep back into the heart after a heart beat allowing bacteria to sit & collect in a heart.) This was in the UK.

There was another story on Fox news, Kansas City a 15 yr old tried to pierce his lip & developed septicemia which hospitalized him & now requires heart surgery and intensive antibiotics. He pulled through, thankfully. But, I hear of horror stories where teens are piercing their lips in bathrooms & lunchrooms, spraying blood and making a biohazardous mess.

Indigenous tribes were using thorns to do ritualistic body modification.  The difference was, it was a trained person in the tribe, often a shaman or spirit guide.  The reason we put so much care into our profession is because it matters to us.

We’ve gone through years of training and studying.  We understand blood born pathogens, sterilization methods, cross contamination and human anatomy.  I’m not going to act completely innocent in this subject, I’ve done stupid things. Even before my apprenticeship I asked Johnkid if I could pierce a co-worker’s daughter. He told me absolutely not and asked me three questions which I didn’t have good answers for. Thankfully, I didn’t do anything stupid.

Something bad may not happen but, who will be able to help you if something does go wrong. Who will explain how to take care of your piercing so that it will heal properly.  Stopping into a shop after-the-fact will only be insulting to them.

Tags: experiences, Lip, navel, story