Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Ahh, something I forgot.

If you get into a car wreck, and the airbag deploys, it can grab piercings. If it grabs your eyebrow one, it can scalp you.

Solution? Don't get into a car wreck.

A small child caught the navel one when I was at camp and it went bad so I took it out and the nose stud... well that's a long story. It involves me flushing my usual nose stud down the toilet in my sleep and replacing it with a bogey green earring. I had to let it heal.

haha I dont plan on it. Its actually one of my biggest fears because nearly all my friends (who have died) were killed in car accidents.

According to the local health department's tattoo/piercing expert, the worst site in terms of getting an infection is actually the navel -- given its shape, it provides a warm, moist environment and it's difficult to clean. A close second is the tongue -- I saw a picture of someone who had to have a large part of theirs removed -- pretty gross. (He didn't actually talk about more risqué piercings since they're not very common, but I'd imagine they've got the same problems as the navel.) The rejection thing can happen anywhere in the body -- sometimes, your body will actually absorb it, too (and then get an infection) -- he showed a picture of that, and it basically had to be surgically removed, leaving a huge scar -- but that comes from the piercer using the wrong size ring/barbell for the hole, so going to a reputable place should avoid that problem. Like I said, the risk of infection is minimal if they use proper technique and you keep it clean. Going to the doctor right away if you have signs of infection also prevents it from getting really bad.

If you want to get one, go for it, especially if you know a good place. Even if it does hurt, it'll be over before you know it.

P.S. For those who think piercings are gross (Kym), you should check out scarification or corset piercings (I linked to the pictures so that you can choose if you want to see them -- by the way, that corset piercing looks like it might be infected).

When I worked for the YMCA my boss had had her tongue peirced. it got infected and she had to take it out. Awhile later she wanted it redone and it ended up splitting her tongue in half so that the end of it is now forked for about an inch.


Theres alot of photo work with corset piercings on deviant art. Its where I first learned about them. They're beautiful, but slightly freak me out. Mostly because I couldnt handle the pain.


I have a really clean and well rep'd place that I plan to get it done at (same w. my tattoos). I just have to wait about 2 weeks until after a pool party I have to go to (long story. its a frat party). My tattoo also has to wait because due to its size, its looking like it might cost close to $150 bucks. Still not bad, but not what I have right now. Plus I need to have someone sketch it out (if anyone's bored and is good at art let me know!)

eh, im not a fan of piercings, but that doesn't mean im judgemental of people who have them.

I'm personally more of a tatoo person. Still, ducky if you plan on getting the piercing done, just be totally sure of what you're doing. I had a friend who got her eyebrow pierced and it eventually lead to an eye infection since she didn't take proper care of it.

I had my eyebrow done before. I took it out a year or two ago though. I never had any problems with infections or anything. Honestly it didn't hurt that bad. I think my ears hurt worse hah.

Eyebrow piercings look awesome! I say go for it .

As for tongue rings, I would never get one, but I certainly wouldn't mind my boyfriend getting one LOL.

my brother had his done for a few years. he took it out when his hockey career got more serious (and espically now it needs to be gone because he's a cop)

and I reciently got my ears double pierced. It didnt hurt...it actually hurts more NOW then the actually piercing part. Mostly because they're sore and need to heal. But I'm a freak about keeping them clean.

Careful that you don't overclean, thats just as bad as not cleaning enough. The best thing for a healing piercing is SSS. Sea Salt Soaks. 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in hot water, and depending on the location of the piercing, either soak a cotton ball in it and hold it there, or put the cup of water over the piercing. (It works better if you put the cup over it honestly.)

It should also be noted the corset piercings almost never heal, they don't usually last too long, six months is the most I think.

I didn't know that--I just thought people took them out when they moved out of alignment. Interesting.

Most surface piercings grow out.

Heres a bit quoted from: wiki.bmezine

"It should be noted that these piercings are almost always temporary, and tend to be removed shortly after the event they were pierced for. These piercings are usually performed with captive bead rings or even just hypodermic needles; it is not reasonable to heal this modification utilizing this type of jewelry. It should be noted that if left in, much of the jewelery used in corset piercings has a very high risk of rejection (highly visible in the second photo below), which will most likely leave scarring. Therefore, fairly prompt removal is necessary with most jewelery used. Some corset piercings have been sucessfully healed using carefully-placed surface bars with bondage/slave rings, but the location still leaves them prone to rejection."

I used to be very involved in the online modification community, so I always feel compelled to reply to threads on piercings at every forum I'm a member of.

FIRST. Visit safepiercing.org. This is the website of the Association of Professional Piercers, the authority on absolutely everything about piercings. Read everything under the "getting pierced" tab. ALL of it. There are so many misconceptions out there, this site will debunk them and add on to thinks you might not have ever thought about.

SECOND. Locate a piercer. I know you have one in mind, but the site above explains what constitutes a good one. Does your preferred studio match up? On the issues you're not sure of (autoclaves and spore tests etc), call/visit and ask. If something doesn't seem right or they get defensive when you question issues, use the Locate a Piercer link to find someone else in your area. A good piercer will be enthusiastic about proving why they are the best. If anything on the good piercer page is met with "Well, that's not really necessary because..." they are wrong. For example, "We don't have an autoclave because we use alcohol wipes / boil everything in water / some other stupid excuse." Autoclaves kill ALL microbial life, it is what dentists and doctors use; if they used alcohol wipes they would be in a lawsuit so fast... ahem.

THIRD. Consider your individual circumstances. Your job, your parents (if they have the reigns in your finances it's best not to upset them ), etc. Do you sleep on your face/side of your head? Do you have the time to devote to your salt soaks (10 minutes twice a day for 2 months minimum)? Are you okay going all summer without your face in a pool? I usually recommend people get pierced right after it gets too cold to swim, so there is no temptation. Also helps avoid the issue of piercings taking longer to heal than normal (Hi my navel took a year and a half to heal no I am not bitter DO I SOUND BITTER?? Hahaha, kidding. But yeah it happens and it sucks)

FOURTH. Do it! Go in on a lazy day after you've had a good meal, and take it easy for the day/weekend. Food helps with not being woozy, rest helps with not irritating it. Don't be afraid to ask your piercer any questions you have. Don't worry about pain. Everyone is different, and in the end half a second of pain doesn't matter for a hopefully lifelong piercing. The best way to describe it is a pinch, but oddly the pain doesn't linger like pinching skin in a hinge. Instead you have this lingering... "weirdness" and "awareness" of the area.

FIFTH. Keep up with it. Your aftercare should continue the full 8 weeks, and then you should evaluate if it's healed or not. Lymph (that clear crusty stuff that forms) means it is still healing, so wait for it to stop. There should be no redness or tenderness, it will feel like a normal part of your body. Only now can you change jewelry (but I would advise picking what you like and keeping it there all the time). Eyebrows are technically surface piercings, because the flesh on either side of the post is not symmetrical. This means it may migrate, reject, or irritate easily. Migrating is it simply moving to a place that works better for it. Rejecting is your body getting rid of it. It's characterized by redness, especially in a straight line following the embedded jewelry. If it is doing this, it must be removed to minimize scarring. If you're not sure, visit your piercer to see what they think. Infections, on the other hand, are characterized by non-clear pus: usually a yellow/green, sometimes pink discharge; also the area is red, warm to the touch, and very tender. It is important to not simply remove the jewelry. Wounds heal from the outside in: this could trap the infection in the middle resulting in an abscess. Go to your doctor to be prescribed oral antibiotics (pills not ointments!), and keep cleaning the piercing.

Things to avoid:
Neosporin and other ointments (traps bacteria, says on the label "not for puncture wounds")
Smelly, colorful, non- anti-microbial soaps.
Hydrogen peroxide etc. (too harsh that can kill developing tissues)
Cotton balls/swabs (this one's controversial, but I believe it can leave tiny fibers around the post which harbors bacteria)
Externally threaded jewelry (the screw is on the part of the jewelry that goes through the piercing, tears flesh every time it goes in/out)

Things to have:
Sea salt, preferably as plain as possible (non-iodized, no anti-caking agents)
Tap water is fine, but distilled water is best
Anti-microbial soap with no perfumes or dyes. Usually used by the medical community. The brands Satin and Provon are favorites.
A shot glass (to soak)
A tightly-woven tea towel or similar for pat-drying after a soak/shower. The fuzzier it is the more fibers it leaves behind. (Edit: the APP apparently recommends paper products. They know more than me sooo paper towel > tea towel. Makes sense.)
Internally-threaded jewelry (the screws are on the balls, holes are on the post. More expensive and harder to find, but worth it)


WOW. I'm long winded, but all of the above is important! Good luck and happy healing! For additional reading, I used Tribalectic as a source when I was a newbie.


Edit: Forgot! A salt soak is 1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt in 8oz warm water. The less salt, the stronger the soak. Backwards, eh? Nope! The salt is used to slow down the osmosis of your slightly salty blood to the very-very-very-slightly salty water, dragging salt and bacteria from the piercing to the water. Ideally the process would involve no salt in the water: The salt is so that it's not as quick/harsh as a straight-water soak. Many people do not know this, and try to "help it along" by putting extra salt in. This REVERSES the process. If you think you're sensitive do 1/4, if you think you're "tough" do 1/8. If you have no idea what I just said, do 1/4 tsp 8oz water.

Thank you MetalMario!

I think I'm going to hold off on the eyebrow for awhile. I have major eyebrow hair issues (I get them waxed about ever 2-3 weeks to keep the catapillars at bay).

Right now I'm focusing on my 2nd ear piercing, which is healing fairly well considering it was pierced by a "newbie". I clean it 2-3 times a day w. the solution I got from Claire's. It just sucks that they take so long to heal. But they've stopped throbbing or even hurting all together. Infact it only really hurts when I smack against something (taking off a shirt can be tough when you're not paying attention. I've done that quite a few times now).

I think I rather focus on ink for awhile. Its something that means much more to me, because they have stories and meanings.