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We are excited to announce that Master Pierce of The Mall at Wellington Green is now an APP compliant studio, and both of our piercers, Michael Brazell and Kayla Fulton, are APP members! We’ve worked diligently for the past 4 years to make this happen, and we couldn’t be prouder of all the hard work they have both put in. 

What is the APP? It stands for the Association of Professional Piercers and is an international health and safety organization. The APP is a united group of piercing professionals that freely share information to help fellow members, piercers, health care professionals, legislators, health inspectors, and the general public get the best and most up-to-date information about body piercing. APP business members uphold a set of safety and hygiene standards that are equal to or more stringent that those established by state or local governments. They also have knowledge of appropriate sterilization and and cross-contamination prevention, as well as CPR, first aid, and blood-borne pathogen certification. 

For more information on the Association of Professional Piercers, please visit their website here.

Here at Master Pierce studio we get a lot of clients asking for a navel piercing every day. Quite a few times, we have to refuse for the well-being of the client. The anatomy of a navel is rather complex. Depending on the shape, curvature, and depth of your belly button, the piercing may not heal, and the jewelry could cause long-term damage to your body.

One of the more common anatomies we see is a “closing navel”. We use this term to describe a belly button that fully collapses whenever the client sits down or bends at the waist. If a closing navel is pierced with standard jewelry (bead or gem on bottom/bead or gem on top), then the constant pressure and movement of the surrounding area can potentially lead to irritation, migration, and eventual rejection of the jewelry.

To circumvent this, we use a style of jewelry known as a “floating navel curve”. It has a disk at the bottom and a gem or bead on top. This allows the navel the ability to fold without causing any interference or issue with the piercing. Once the piercing heals, the client is free to wear almost any style of jewelry they wish without any problems.

The tongue web or lingual frenulum piercing is one of a category of piercings we at Master Pierce will not perform. We refuse for a variety of reasons.

It sits under your tongue and is through such a thin piece of tissue that it can barely support the weight of jewelry. When your tongue rests on it, it causes pressure, discomfort, and warps the piercing itself. This causes migration and tearing of the healing fistula which will result in an abnormal hole. Given time, the migratory pattern will result in the jewelry exiting your lingual frenulum. This leaves behind scar tissue and permanent damage to the area.

Due to these associated risks and consequences, Master Pierce took a stance as a team to neither pierce nor install jewelry in this particular area.

Much like navel piercings, a properly pierced industrial barbell is heavily dependent on anatomy. Forcing an industrial through ill-suited anatomy can result in physical damage to the surrounding area, warping of the ear, scarring, and even tissue loss in some extreme cases.

If the scapha, or flat, of the ear protrudes past the helical curl, or shell, then the barbell shaft will place too much pressure on the scapha and will cause physical damage to the ear. This damage can be in the form of a cut created by the barbell or the ends of the barbell migrating out of the ear.

Another reason we will refuse an industrial piercing is if the helical curl or forward helix is too shallow to allow a proper angle to be aligned and pierced. To put it plainly, we cannot pierce something that does not exist. Attempting to force a barbell where it cannot safely fit will lead to a painful warping of the ear.

There are certain cases when we can create a modified industrial, but they require extremely specific anatomy. As ever, your safety is our number one concern, and every time we say no, it’s due to that fact. We sympathize with your frustration and your disappointment, and we are always happy to offer a different kind of piercing whenever we encounter this kind of situation.

In the first picture, we have an industrial barbell not originally pierced by us that was expressing issues due to a fairly shallow helical curl. Because of the pressure caused by the barbell, hypertrophic scarring began forming.

In the second is a fresh piercing by our head piercer. The forward helix and helical curl both have enough depth to allow the barbell to pass through easily, and the scapha is shallow enough that the barbell doesn’t touch any part of it.

On the ethical side of things, we realize that an infant cannot give informed and competent consent to the modification of their body. If ten years down the road, your child doesn’t want to have pierced ears, the fistulas may be too sable to close up. It’s also a moderately painful procedure, and infants have no way of mentally coping with that.

On the physical side, a piercing is a mildly invasive procedure that does produce some pain. An infant doesn’t understand that the majority of the pain is temporary, or that there will be residual pain in the coming weeks. You can’t explain to an infant that they shouldn’t touch or pull on the jewelry, nor do they understand the need to clean the wounds.

As a whole, we at Master Pierce generally suggest that you wait until your child is old enough to ASK for the piercing. If your child has asked and has shown the ability to understand basic hygiene needs for a fresh wound, we encourage you to call us to schedule a consultation at (561)753-1770.

At least three times a day, someone walks in and asks us, “Do daith piercings cure migraines?” Short answer? There is no medical research that proves daith piercings cure migraines. Long answer? Things get a little bit more complicated.

The idea of a daith piercing as a migraine cure-all spirals out from acupuncture. Acupuncture is a common treatment for migraines. In the sessions, the acupuncturist uses a pressure point located in the daith to provide pain relief. Piercing your daith is supposed to result in the jewelry putting pressure on the same point 24/7, giving you permanent treatment. However, while some people with migraines say they have experienced relief from their symptoms after getting a daith piercing, the only evidence that supports this is purely anecdotal.

Any “results” from the treatment are believed to be attributable to the placebo effect, meaning they are temporary and psychological rather than physical. That being said, mind over matter is a very powerful thing, and we typically tell clients that it’s worth the shot.

If you’ve walked through a mall, you’ve seen the signs: “free ear piercing with the purchase of earrings”. Retail locations offering that incentive use piercing guns to get the job done, and although the guns have been around for a very long time, there are good reasons to avoid them.

The piercing areas of older guns (with 100-percent reusable parts) were hopefully disinfected after each use, but plastic components make it impossible to insert the guns into an autoclave. This is the process that’s required for sterilization, offering the highest level of decontamination. Contemporary guns have disposable piercing inserts, but even one-use pods don’t allow for full sterilized procedures.

Guns force the studs through the tissue of your ears, a painful process that can cause damage. A professional piercer will use tri-bevel needles that pierce through areas quickly without damaging the surrounding tissue.

Piercing guns should never be used on the harder cartilage of the ear. Ear cartilage can be shattered by guns. Many states have enacted laws to prevent inappropriate use of piercing guns, but be alert: if you opt for a gun piercing, and the operator says it’s okay to pierce other areas, run out the door.

Most ear piercing retailers will probably use studs that are either surgical steel or surgical steel plated with nickel-free 14K gold. But gun supplies are sold cheaply all over the internet to anyone who wants to buy them, and not all ear stud contents are labeled. There is also no formal definition on what constitutes a “surgical stainless steel”, so product manufacturers and distributors apply the term to refer to any grade of corrosion resistant steel. There is no way for a consumer to know if the steel used for the earrings is fit for implantation in the body.

Butterfly backed earrings are usually the standard jewelry used with piercing guns. Their many crevices and folds are perfect spots for fluids to accumulate and dry to a crusty mess — keeping them clean can be an extremely difficult endeavor.

“Free” piercings can quickly become an expensive if the site becomes infected. A professional’s procedure may cost you a little more, but there’s really no price on safety.

A common concern for our female clients before nipple piercings is how it may effect breastfeeding. There is a fear or uneasiness that having pierced nipples will prevent them from breastfeeding. While there are a few studies on breastfeeding after nipple piercing that show possible problems, many mothers go on to breastfeed successfully with pierced nipples.

While all piercings carry some risk, nipple piercings carry some additional risks that you should be aware of. Nipple piercings can take a full year or more to heal completely. In addition milk ducts can be damaged or obstructed leading to lower milk supply. Leaking milk from piercing holes, mastitis, reduced or extra sensitivity of the nipple, and scar tissue have all been reported.

There are risks to breastfeeding your baby with nipple piercings, however, they can be reduced or eliminated with careful planning. The most common risks to your infant from pierced nipples include leaking milk (creating too fast a flow), obstructed ducts leading to lowered milk supply, latch difficulties, damage to the baby’s mouth, and/or choking from jewelry that is not removed.

As stated, though, almost all of these issues can be circumvented. First and foremost, do NOT get any kind of piercings whilst pregnant. There is always a risk of infection with open wounds of ANY kind, and expectant mothers can and will transfer such things to their child. The introduction of foreign materials as well as the stress of healing a fresh piercing can also cause harm to the developing fetus. In some cases, it can even lead to miscarriage.

Choosing a reputable body piercer is paramount as a trained professional has the capability to place your jewelry and piercings correctly to avoid any unnecessary damage to the surrounding anatomy. Increased nipple sensitivity and hormonal changes can cause swelling of the breast tissue, so if you plan to keep your jewelry in during the duration of your pregnancy, the purchase of longer barbells or larger rings may be necessary.

Leaving the jewelry in your piercings while breastfeeding can lead to a choking hazard for the infant, so some mothers take their jewelry out before feeding and reinsert it after. However, it is advised to just remove your jewelry entirely as frequent reinsertion of your jewelry can cause irritation to the area. There is a lower risk of adornment loss with professional grade jewelry, so it is possible to leave it in – just remember to exercise due diligence and caution when it comes to the security of the barbell ends.

There is no reason for a properly placed and healed nipple piercing to prevent you from breastfeeding. While there are certain complications that can occur, professional-grade jewelry and piercers can eliminate them or lower the chance of them happening exponentially.

What makes or breaks the healing of a piercing is the aftercare. There are countless articles, blog posts, and websites out there that all claim to have the best tips and tricks to take care of your fresh piercing. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them rely on outdated procedures or fad-based ideas that aren’t truly helpful.

The most common self-help plan out there is the “DIY Sea Salt.” This is a terrible idea for multiple reasons. The water typically used is non-sterile, as is the salt. Using any non-sterile solution or liquid on a fresh piercing runs the risk of infection or contamination. Application of a DIY solution also involves using a cotton ball or Q-tip; these items aren’t sterile, either. Cotton is also extremely fibrous and fibers break off very easily and insert themselves into the healing wound. This will ultimately to irritation and the possibility of your piercing not healing at all.

Another top-listed helping hand for piercings is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is sited as cure-all for keloids, bumps, and infections. There is no medical research to vouch for that. While it is an antiseptic capable of soothing most infections, keloids and infections must both be dealt with by medical professionals. There is no DIY or over-the-counter cure for either. Keloids are a permanent mass that require surigcal removal. In short, if it goes away on its own, it’s not a keloid. Tea tree oil will not fix the issue.

Commonly, people use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on their piercings. This is problematic. As an ethanol-based liquid, rubbing alcohol will dehydrate your wound, leading to cracking and scabbing. Hydrogen peroxide is a debrider that clears out any contaminates in a wound. In piercings, this can cause a reopening of the wound. Therefore, it is against recommendation to use either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

Googling “aftercare for piercings” will immediately bring up hundreds of articles. However, the majority of them don’t provide adequate or even safe assistance. As always, reach out to your piercer for any help.

We are asked rather frequently if we do dermal piercings, otherwise known as surface anchors. The answer is “yes” provided the client understands a few things, first. There are a few places on the body where we will not insert a base; these tend to be the wrist or arm, any place that is particularly thin-skinned, or any place that has physical remnants of physical trauma.

Another thing we strive to help clients understand is that surface anchors are temporary. They can remain in the body anywhere from 5 – 15 years, but they will eventually become dislodged from the body. While we know of various cases where individuals have maintained an anchor or anchors beyond that, they are usually isolated outliers from the average.

Something we have found to be a large contributor to the rapid loss of our clients’ anchors is the physical make-up of the anchor. Most shops carry and use a base that is the rough shape of a human foot: 

By design, this anchor tends to be slightly unbalanced. Over time, depending on the size of the anchor’s adornment, the dermal starts tilting out of the skin. This is what is normally referred to as migration or rejection.

Some time ago, an internationally-acclaimed body modification artist known as Samppa Von Cyborg designed a new form of base: 

Since using Samppa’s anchors, we’ve seen a massive turnaround in healing times, piercing longevity, and anatomy versatility. As ever, the Master Pierce team strives to find and utilize the best procedures and technology we can to produce the best and safest results for our clients. Because of this, we made the decision to move forward SOLELY with the anchor created by Samppa Von Cyborg.