How to Choose a Piercer

Piercing should only be done by a professional piercer. Ask your friends who have had good piercing experiences where they had theirs done. Go visit some shops and look at a piercer's portfolio. Choose a piercer with lots of experience. If they answer your questions easily and with no attitude, it's probably a safe place to get a piercing. If you don't have a good feeling for the person or you're not comfortable, leave.

To ensure the piercing shop is clean and safe, ask the piercer:

• If they use single-use, disposable, sterile needles. Stud guns are not good because they can't be sterilized after each use.
• If they use medical gloves when doing the piercing (if they touch other objects, like a phone, or leave the room they should put on clean gloves)
• If they use sterilizing equipment, either an autoclave or ultrasonic.
• Needles and jewelry should be individually sterilized and kept in their sterlization pouch until ready to use. Tools should be sterlized after every use.
• What kind of jewelry they use. It must be surgical steel, niobium, titanium or Bioflex.
• About their experience and knowledge (i.e. how long have they been piercing, where did they learn the skill, etc).
• Ask to see the sterilized pouches with the needles/jewelry and tools and the sterilization machine.