Body piercing is a piercing or puncture made in your body by a needle. You will learn more about body piercing in this activity.

After a needle has pierced or punctured your body, a piece of jewellery is inserted into the puncture. Many people pierce their ears, their nostrils, or their belly button.

If you are considering getting a body part pierced, it is important to go to a place that is safe, clean, and professional. This is what you should expect when you get a body part pierced:

• The body area you have chosen to be pierced (except for the tongue) is cleaned with a special soap (a soap that kills disease-causing bacteria and microorganisms).

• Your skin is pierced or punctured with a very sharp, clean needle.

• The piece of jewellery you choose is sterilized and then attached to the area.

• The person who performs the piercing disposes of the needle in a special container so that there is no risk of the needle or blood touching someone else.

• The pierced area is cleaned and the jewellery is adjusted.   
  

• You are given instructions on how to make sure the piercing heals correctly and what to do if there is a problem.

 

Where to get a piercing:

Before deciding where to get your piercing, learn about a shop's procedures and find out whether it provides a clean and safe environment. Every shop should have an autoclave (a sterilizing machine) and should keep instruments in sealed packets until they are used.

Make sure:

• the shop is clean

• the person doing the piercing washes his or her hands with a germicidal soap

• the person doing the piercing wears new disposable gloves (like those worn at a doctor's office)
  

• the person doing the piercing uses sterilized instruments or instruments that are thrown away after use

• the needle being used is new and is being used for the first time and then disposed of in a sealed container

(adapted from www.kidshealth.org)