Love for Body Jewelry

Why do people pierce their genitals? Genital piercings have long been used as a rite of passage marking a transition from childhood to adulthood. It is also performed as a means of heightening sexual pleasure for one or both partners. In some cultures, it is also used as a means of imposing chastity on a person. Are you curious about this type of piercing? Perhaps, would you like to try it out for yourself one of these days? Then read on the basics first!  

Most common types of genital piercings

For women, some genital piercings include the Venus Piercing, located in the pubic mound, the area where the outer labia meet; the Triangle Piercing, which goes through the bottom of the clitoral prepuce (clitoral hood), from one side to the other, passing through the bottom of the clitoris; the Clitoral Hood Piercing, done in the clitoral prepuce or hood, most commonly in the back end area of it and the Nefertiti Piercing, a combination between the clitoral hood and the Venus piercings.

For men, the most common types are the the Dydoe Piercing, located in the top or head of the penis and goes through the ridge of the glans; the Foreskin Piercing, which goes through the foreskin or prepuce, and thus works better in non-circumcised males; the Fraenulum Piercing, located on the back of the penis; the Guiche Piercing, worn on the perineum, under the area of the scrotum; and the Hafada Piercing, located toward the bottom of the penis, in the loose skin of the area.

Piercing aftercare

What you do after the piercing is critically important if you want your genital piercing to heal properly. We're talking about one of the most sensitive and private parts of your body, after all.

First to keep in mind is you can't have sexual intercourse or play with your jewelry before your piercing is fully healed. Doing so can damage the nerves in the pierced area, tearing the tender skin, or introducing bacteria that could lead to an infection. You also can't change your jewelry prematurely. It’s best to wait until your piercing is fully healed.

As for cleaning your piercing, you have to do it 3 to 6 times per day or as directed by your piercer, but preferably not with soap. Sea salt solutions are the best things you can use to clean your piercings.

Now don't freak out when you notice excretion of lymph, which dries to a whitish crust. This is normal. You can soften that crust by applying a cotton ball saturated with sea salt solution, and then gently wipe it away. But if you experience unusual swelling or signs of an allergic reaction like itchiness and redness, then it's best to consult your piercer or a doctor.

Popular types of jewelry

Depending on the type of genital piercing, you can choose among these jewelries: Captive bead rings, circular barbells, bent barbells, straight barbells, d-rings and segment rings. But whatever kind you choose, make sure you get it from a reputable store that can provide you with quality (and affordable) pieces of jewelry--like WildKlass!  

Thousands of years ago, the Mayan ruling class pierced their tongues and other parts of their mouth for sacred blood-letting rituals. Today, tongue piercing is a form of body art and a statement of individuality. Whatever your reason is for having your tongue, cheek or lip pierced, just be sure to follow some hygiene basics so that your piercing becomes a pleasure, not a pain.

CLEANING IS EVERYTHING

For the cleaning solution inside your mouth, you can mix an antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouth rinse, plain clean water or sterile saline solution with no additives. You have to rinse your mouth with your chosen solution for 30-60 seconds after meals and at bedtime, at least during the entire healing period. Also try to see your dentist regularly, and remember to brush twice a day and floss daily.

CHOOSE SAFE JEWELRY

One cause of infections is the kind of jewelry you use. There are tons of options where you can buy your piercing jewelry but to be safe, better choose ones from credible sellers that offer 100% clean and safe jewelry, so that you won't ever have to worry about jewelry woes.

DON'T FORGET TO CLEAN YOUR JEWELRY TOO

Unclean jewelry can cause infection to your piercings so be sure to clean them regularly. You can soak your jewelry in saline solution and/or wash in mild, fragrance-free liquid soap. Soak them for five to ten minutes once or more per day. For certain placements it may be easier to apply using clean gauze saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.

You can also soap the jewelry once a day while showering. Lather up a pearl size drop ofthe soap to clean the jewelry and the piercing. Leave the cleanser on the piercing for thirty seconds or so. Then rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. Finally, dry the jewelry by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products.

OTHER THINGS TO AVOID

With your oral piercings, you will be required to avoid things like the habit of playing with or touching your jewelry, as this may cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, and other complications. You also need to avoid chewing on gum, fingernails, pencils, sunglasses, and other foreign objects that could harbor bacteria. When experiencing bleeding or swelling, you need to stay away from things like aspirin, alcohol, and large amounts of caffeine. As much as possible, you also can't share plates, cups and other eating utensils with someone. Smoking is also definitely a no go if you want to decrease the healing time of your piercing.

When you're getting pierced, your piercer wouldn't be the only one doing all the work. There are also a few actions on your behalf to consider. These etiquette tips can make your piercing experience less painful, a whole lot more fun, and even help to establish a good relationship with your piercer.

DON'T BRING TOO MANY FRIENDS

If you are nervous and want a friend to come in with you, that's okay. Just don't bring the entire squad; getting yourself pierced isn't some momentous event for a field trip.  Too many people can be distracting for your piercer.

SIT STILL

Don't grab your piercer’s hand or pull away or fidget or kick your legs or flail your arms, or anything else that could cause your piercer to lose control of the needle. If you are all shifty it makes it very difficult to make a well-placed hole. Also, your unnecessary movements might even injure not just yourself but also your piercer.

ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE TAKING PHOTOS

 Yes, you are excited about getting yourself pierced and most piercers are even happy to be in your photos but it is just courtesy to ask when including someone you don’t know in your photos. And if you do take photos, don’t get in the way. Nothing is worse than trying to concentrate on doing the best job possible when you have a camera in your face.

TRUST YOUR PIERCER'S EXPERTISE

Of course, you are making a modification to your body and you want it to be a certain way. But trust that your piercer knows what he or she is doing; they have been professionally trained and they know better than you. You have to be willing to accept that some things cannot be done your way, and that is only for your own good.

PAY ATTENTION TO AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS

Your fresh piercing is getting you all psyched up, yes. But spare a couple of minutes to focus on your piercer's aftercare guidelines. They want your piercing to successfully heal, and they know exactly how to make that happen so pay attention and do as they say. You can't be running back to the shop after a couple of days, complaining about an infection, if you haven't been applying proper aftercare in the first place.

DON'T FORGET TO TIP

Tipping is not exactly an expectation, but it really just shows your piercer that you are happy with their service and that you appreciate their work.

Have you decided to get piercings on your face? Good for you! You're breaking the only known standards of beauty and allowing yourself to make your own rules and not become like anyone else. But before you do the deed, read these tips to make sure you won't be seeing regrets on the horizon.

KNOW THE TYPES OF FACIAL PIERCINGS

Which area of your face would you want to have pierced? Before you actually go to your piercer, it's better that you already have a type in mind rather than jumping into anything random that you would end up regretting later on, especially because it's very visible. There are several types of facial piercings. These include the eyebrow piercing, the nose piercing and the lip piercing, all done on any part of the indicated facial part. There is also the anti-eyebrow piercing, done on the upper cheekbone, just below the eye; and the bites, which refer to two piercings done on either side of the lip or at the top and bottom.

WHERE TO GET IT DONE

Getting facial piercings is becoming increasingly popular these days so it really isn't that hard to look for the right piercing studio. To be safe, go for an established one, home to licensed and trained piercers. It may cost you more, but the quality and your safety should never be compromised. You can search online for reviews of the studio you are eyeing for.

THE AFTERCARE

Cleaning is an essential part of facial piercing aftercare. For this, you can use a sterile saline water solution or perfume-free antimicrobial soap. Do not use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, harsh soaps or other commercial products. They may cause skin irritation and lengthen wound healing.

Purchase packaged saline solution from pharmaceutical centers, or make it at home by dissolving ¼ teaspoon sea salt (not iodized salt) in 1 cup lukewarm water. Invert the same cup over the pierced site. Likewise, soak the area in this solution for about 5-10 minutes, two times in a day.

After cleaning, the next important step is drying. Do not use bath towel for rubbing the area. Everything that you use over the area should be sterile and free of microbes. Disposable tissue paper is the best to dab the area dry.

THE BEST ACCESSORIES OUT THERE

Now it's time to select the perfect accessories.  While there are tons available out there, you can also just order online for your own convenience. WildKlass has an assortment of facial jewelries, all available in designs that best suit your personality. The jewelry come in materials like surgical steel, gold, titanium and sterling silver, so you can be sure that you'll be donning accessories of the finest quality. Shop now