• If you’re pregnant

  While many women have no problems with their navel piercings during pregnancy, it’s not recommended to have your navel pierced while you are pregnant. In addition to the risk of infection, your skin just isn’t quite the same when it’s being stretched out to accommodate the little bundle growing inside. Wait till after the baby and get your navel pierced to celebrate.

• If you have a heart condition

  While it’s very rare, people with heart conditions run a heightened risk of developing infective endocarditis – a bacterial infection of the heart muscle – when they get a body piercing. Most professional piercers suggest that you speak to your doctor before you make a decision to get a navel piercing if you have a heart condition. Some doctors will give you a course of pre-emptive antibiotics to help prevent an infection from developing. This is recommended especially if you’ve ever had corrective surgery for a heart condition, or if you have a moderate to severe heart condition.

• If you have diabetes, allergies, asthma, hemophilia or immune irregularities

  Any of the above conditions can predispose you to infection when you get a body piercing, and most impede healing. Again, talk to your doctor first about the possible risks and any precautions that you should take. Prophylactic antibiotics may be prescribed so that infection doesn’t develop, or you may be advised against getting the piercing.

• If you take anticoagulant medications

  Anticoagulant medications thin your blood and prevent it from clotting. If you are taking anticoagulant medications for a heart condition, high blood pressure or any other reason, be sure to inform the person who is doing your piercing of the fact. You should also speak with your doctor before making a decision to find out if there are any precautions you should take to make it safer.

• If you have a skin infection, scarring or other skin condition at the site you want pierced

  The Association of Professional Piercers suggests that its members may refuse to do a piercing without a second consultation from a medical professional if there is a skin rash or abnormality, including bumps, moles, freckles or warts.

• If you are obese

  There’s a higher risk of navel piercing complications in people who are overweight. This is due in part to skin-on-skin contact.

• If you have an outie belly button

  Many piercers suggest that people with outie belly buttons not have them pierced. Because the internal organs are actually closer to the surface, there’s a higher risk of infection or damage.

• If you have an umbilical hernia

  See the caution for people with outie belly buttons. In a hernia, the muscle wall is torn allowing your inner organs to press against the skin from the inside. The risk of complications from a piercing that close is unacceptably high.

• If you are under 18

  Most reputable piercers will refuse to do a navel piercing without parental permission before age 16, and many won’t do them at all if you are under 18. Part of the reason for this is that your body is still developing and growing, and damaging the tissue is not healthy for a growing body.

It offers a great first impression that only improves as you delve into the site. It’s clean, professional, and easy to jump right in and start browsing. What hits you right away is the realization that nearly all of their pieces are customized specifically for the buyer. For instance, you can select the carat weight of the diamond, the ring size of a captive bead ring, whether you want additional diamonds on the top ball of a belly bar, and more. There’s also a ton of education on here: in the “learning center,” customers can get insight into everything from how to choose a nose ring to the difference between prong and bezel settings to what constitutes a great diamond cut.

Website Usability: 9

The products are broken down into easy-to-digest categories relating to which body part you’re looking to decorate. Shop by material (metals and stones) or types (nose screw versus nose stud, for example). It would be nice to be able to click onto all of their navel jewelry, for instance, rather than having to choose between platinum and white gold belly rings, but the site is so user-friendly that it takes you one second to click onto another option.

Customer Reviews & Testimonials: 10

The company clearly understands that customers may be hesitant to plunk down hundreds of dollars for a piece of body jewelry without knowing what other people think of the products. And so they’ve handled reviews like some of the huge online retailers – and that’s a good thing. AlluringBody testimonials are broken down into specific categories: navel rings, nose rings, earrings, and the company itself. Reviews are also included on some specific product pages, so you can see right away whether other customers are happy with the jewelry you’re looking at. They also incorporated a unique, personal touch: posting photos that customers have sent in with them wearing the products.

Shipping Costs: 10

No matter how much or how little you spend, shipping is free within the continental U.S. And if you spend over $500, it’s not only free, but it’s shipped FedEx 2 Day Express. Packages shipped to Canada or the UK will run you $45.

Return Policy: 9

This is a truly no-hassle policy that other sites only claim to have. Not only can customers open the packaging to see whether the quality is what they expected, but the product can be shipped back within 30 days without an authorization code or paperwork to fill out. They outline all of the easy steps for a refund or exchange on the site. The only hiccup is that your refund may get deducted by up to $250 if you purchased a belly ring with a half-carat or more of diamonds. It’s understandable that they have to make up the time it takes them to disassemble the piece, but that’s little consolation for customers who fall into that category.

Quality Guarantee: 10

All of their jewelry is guaranteed for life. Yes, for life. You don’t offer something like that unless you’re absolutely sure you only sell the best. So if a setting comes loose in the course of daily wear and tear, they’ll fix it for free – you don’t even have to pay for them to ship it back to you.

Detailed Product Information: 10

Everything you need to know is listed here: the metal; the setting; the cut, color, and clarity of the diamond; the gauge; and even the origin (USA). There’s no guessing about any aspect of the product. They even give you a head’s up on things like the fact that the captive bead rings arrive unassembled and advise customers to have a professional insert and assemble it.

Conflict Free Diamond Statement: 10

The “about us” page clearly states that very single diamond used in their jewelry is guaranteed to be conflict free.Nickel Free Gold or Bio-compatible Materials: 10

AlluringBody’s nickel-free gold pledge is everywhere on the site, so customers can’t miss it. The company only offers nickel-free white or yellow gold, along with platinum – pure metals that are least likely to irritate the sensitive skin that comes into contact with a piercing.

Made in USA or Clearly Stated Origin: 10

The website includes multiple mentions of their made-in-the-USA commitment, including in the homepage, the “about us” page, in a section that details the benefits of purchasing from them, and on every product description page.

The first impression is “This is it?!” The homepage includes row after row of “featured” body jewelry, while the “about us” tab is seriously lacking in anything related to the company itself. It’s too bad that the initial impression is so poor because the site actually offers thousands of different designs–everything from classic motifs to those incorporating flowers, traditional shapes, animals, initials, and more. The complete lack of information about the company, combined with the glaring omission of any kind of guarantee about the products, Piercingdot.com Review, Body Jehowever, makes Rings4piercings seem like a gamble right from the start.

Website Usability: 8

Because there isn’t any information on the site other than the products themselves (no educational material or FAQs, for example), it’s easy to navigate. You simply click on one of the tabs to the left of the page, and it takes you directly to whatever product category you’re interested in.

Customer Reviews & Testimonials: 0

There was no sign of reviews or testimonials, even after a visit to the site map to specifically seek them out.

Shipping Costs: 5

Rings4piercings offers free shipping, which it advertises at the bottom of most product descriptions, but there’s literally no other information about shipping–how long it will take, mode of delivery, whether you have to purchase a certain dollar amount to qualify for free shipping, whether you can pay for express delivery, etc.

Return Policy: 5

There’s a brief mention of a 30-day return policy on the “about us” page, but no details are given about whether the package can be opened or any other conditional qualifications. It’s impossible to determine whether this is a great, no-questions-asked policy or whether you’re in for a nasty surprise if you open the package before trying to return it.

Quality Guarantee: 0

There was no mention of a guarantee.

Detailed Product Information: 4

Some product descriptions were only a few words long. They all indicated the type of metal used and whether the additional materials were CZs or real diamonds or gemstones, and that’s about it. Each product detail also included the free shipping pledge, a customer service phone number, and a 10% off coupon code; unfortunately, those things don’t have anything to do with the product itself.

Conflict Free Diamond Statement: 0

Nothing on the site addressed whether the diamonds used in their products are conflict free.

Nickel Free Gold or Bio-compatible Materials: 3

Some of the gold jewelry includes the statement that it’s nickel-free, while others don’t. Again, it’s impossible to determine whether that means that they just got lazy in the product descriptions or whether some of the gold is, in fact, not nickel-free. In addition, the company offers sterling silver jewelry, which many experts say is inferior to nickel-free gold or platinum when it comes to reducing skin irritation.

Made in USA or Clearly Stated Origin: 0

Although the company is located in the U.S., no mention was made of where the jewelry is created. And with prices starting at $15, well, draw your own conclusions.

This website jumps right into the products, listing the first 12 of nearly 3,000 of its bestselling items on the homepage. If you’re looking for information about the company, its history, or a gentle easing into the product lines available, you won’t find it at Piercingdot. Its in-your-face design lets you know right away that there is lots of stuff to choose from, at really low prices, and that shipping is free. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to new customers, and it certainly serves as a way to differentiate itself from other, more upscale competitors.

Website Usability: 8

There are a variety of ways to search for the products you’re interested in: by material, by body part, by design, and more. You can also do a search for a key word or specific element that you’re looking for. There’s a fairly extensive FAQ section that answers questions ranging from what type of material to choose for a new piercing to why you’re not supposed to turn or move jewelry during the healing process. The flaw here is that the writing quality is poor, which makes it difficult to understand at times.

Customer Reviews & Testimonials: 0

There didn’t appear to be any reviews or testimonials.

Shipping Costs: 9

As long as you spend over $30 and your shipping address is in the U.S., you don’t pay anything for shipping. Orders under $30 only incur a $2.99 flat rate charge, which is still a pretty good deal.

Return Policy: 3

The company says its goal is complete customer satisfaction, but there are so many restrictions placed on its return policy that it may make it nearly impossible to get a refund. The item must be returned within 15 days, without being worn and without damage to the product packaging, must be accompanied by an authorization number (which you have to request in writing), there are no exchanges, and all returns are subject to a 15% restocking fee.

Quality Guarantee: 0

Though the company says it proudly stands behind its products and their quality, there’s no mention of any guarantee.

Detailed Product Information: 8

The product details give you exactly that: the details, but nothing more. It lists the materials used, size, type (belly, eyebrow, earring), gauge, etc. All of the information is utilitarian rather than aesthetic, which may be perfectly fine for many customers.

Conflict Free Diamond Statement: N/A

The company doesn’t offer products with genuine diamonds.

Nickel Free Gold or Bio-compatible Materials: 2

Piercingdot offers a dizzying array of materials and metals, including gold, titanium, sterling silver, and surgical stainless steel. There’s no statement about the gold products being nickel-free, and while the materials certainly seem fit for wear, they could be irritating to some people. Other unusual materials that Piercingdot uses in its products: acrylic; plastic; and an “organic” line that includes bone, wood, horn, and mother-of-pearl.

Made in USA or Clearly Stated Origin: 0

There’s no information about where the jewelry is manufactured.

There’s a lot of information on the home page – including a letter from the founder and a monthly update/letter. Like other elements on the site, it’s slightly overwhelming but not off-putting. An information library, with everything from recommendations about safe metals for piercings to piercing aftercare to birthstone information and legends, is a nice resource for customers. Also beneficial is the company’s recognition that not everyone who shops their site is located in the UK, so they provide conversions for their metric measurements (13 mm/US 1/2″) and also supply prices in UK pounds and U.S. dollars.

Website Usability: 6

BMG breaks their products down into a lot of categories, and those categories are further broken down into lots of sub-categories. This set up makes it easy to shop for what you want – if you know exactly what you want, that is. There isn’t a huge selection of jewelry within most sub-categories, however. And it would be helpful if there were tabs on the homepage where you could simply click onto the category you want. Instead, customers much click the “shop by category” tab before selecting the type of jewelry they’re interested in.

Customer Reviews & Testimonials: 8

There are pages and pages of customer testimonials – seemingly everyone who’s ever bought anything from the company wrote to tell them about it. Which is a fine tribute to the company’s products, but the sheer volume is slightly overwhelming, and I found myself reading only one or two reviews when I discovered how many pages were involved.

Shipping Costs: 5

Unfortunately, shipping isn’t free – all orders cost 5 British pounds to ship. Which means that depending on the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the British pound, Americans can expect to pay up to $10 for shipping.

Return Policy: 3

BMG packages all of its jewelry in plastic, which they say allows customers to view the product and see if it’s okay before opening. Once you get into the packaging, however, the jewelry can’t be returned. This is a rather poor policy because it’s very difficult to view the details of the workmanship through layers of plastic and impossible to know whether a piece will fit. To their credit, they have a huge, red, can’t-miss “Warning” label on the packaging that explains the policy. But even if you don’t open it, you only have 14 days to send it back – on your own dime to the UK, of course.

Quality Guarantee: 5

The company offers a three-year guarantee against normal wear and tear, as well as a guarantee that the stones are exactly what they claim to be in the letter of authenticity. Any guarantee is better than none, of course, but it would be nice to know that they’re confident the workmanship will hold up past three years.

Detailed Product Information: 8

The product descriptions aren’t fancy, but they do include important information such as the material used; the cut, clarity, and weight of the diamonds (if applicable); and the gauge. Another pro is that the product descriptions for the nose jewelry include a photo of how the nose jewelry will look on you. Sometimes it’s hard to picture the difference between a 1 mm and 2 mm, for example, so it’s very helpful to have a model for each product. The downside to the site is that you have to click on the product information to get to the price. It would be nice if the price showed up a page or two before that so shoppers know whether the product they’re interested in is within their budget.

Conflict Free Diamond Statement: 9

Based on the written guarantee from their own supplier, BMG guarantees customers that its gemstones are procured from sources that don’t fund conflict, which is in line with UN regulations.

Nickel Free Gold or Bio-compatible Materials: 10

BMG uses nickel-free gold in its creations.

Made in USA or Clearly Stated Origin: 10

All of their pieces are made in the UK in BMG’s own workshops.

Assuming that you’re browsing ItsHot for body jewelry, you’ll be lucky to even find the tab that takes you there. It’s buried on the left side between tabs for diamond dog tags and bling hip hop jewelry. It’s possible that if you’re shopping for cufflinks, a toe ring, an engagement ring, and a belly ring, you’ve come to the right place. But if you want a company specializing in high-quality body jewelry, it’s pretty clear that this isn’t it.

Website Usability: 5

Once you find the right tab, it’s pretty easy to maneuver the three pages of body jewelry (16 belly rings and a few toe rings thrown in). In some of the product descriptions, however, it mentions that the piece can be customized with different colored diamonds. The problem is that it doesn’t tell you how to do so, which is frustrating.

Customer Reviews & Testimonials: 9

The site includes a customer feedback page, which offers a couple dozen testimonials – enough to show that they have customers but not too overwhelming for the reader. It’s interesting to note that several of the reviews indicated that it took about two months for the order to arrive. The reviews did agree that the customer service is great.

Shipping Costs: 8

ItsHot provides free shipping on every order over $150 (which is every belly ring). If you’re in other countries, it’ll cost you: $45 to Canada and $65 to the UK.

Return Policy: 4

The homepage advertises 30-day returns, but you have to jump through some hoops to ensure that you get a refund – and that refund will be minus a 15% restocking fee. To the company’s credit, however, all of the instructions are outlined on the website, and none of the requirements seem outrageous.

Quality Guarantee: 3

Only items that cost more than $1,000 come with a certificate for diamond carat weight, quality, and replacement value. Apparently all of the other items do not have to live up to the company’s claims.

Detailed Product Information: 8

All of the product description pages include lots of information – the metal used; size of the piece; weight; setting type; and diamond details like color, clarity, and carat weight. Below every product description is even more information, which contains almost disclaimer-type details. For example, it admits that some colored diamond “are enhanced for a more vivid color.”

Conflict Free Diamond Statement: 0

Though it’s hard to find on the site, the company states that most of the diamonds used in its jewelry come from Israel, Canada, and India. But it doesn’t mention anything about those diamonds being conflict free.

Nickel Free Gold or Bio-compatible Materials: 0

All of the body jewelry is created with 14K gold, but there’s no reference to whether that gold is nickel-free.

Made in USA or Clearly Stated Origin: 1

The company, which has a corporate office in New York City, says that it manufactures all of the jewelry it sells, but it doesn’t say where they manufacture those items. It could be New York City, but nowhere does it specify a country of origin.

Ever wonder what they call a piercing through the upper rim or on the outer edge of the ear? Not sure what a conch piercing is? This section of the glossary will help you figure out exactly what to tell the piercing professional you want pierced.

anti-tragus piercing: The tragus is that little flap at the front of your ear. An anti-tragus piercing is pierced through the area just above the ear lobe and directly across from the tragus

cartilage piercing: A piercing through the cartilage of the ear other than through the lobe.

conch (shell): The conch or shell piercing is made inside the ‘shell’ of the ear through the cartilage

daith piercing: A piercing through the cartilage part of the ear that protrudes from the inner conch shell

helix (rim) piercing: A piercing through the folded rim of skin and cartilage along the outside of the ear

horizontal lobe (or transverse lobe): A piercing through the length of the lobe rather than from front to back as the ear lobe is usually pierced.

industrial piercing: Two holes pierced through the outer edge of the cartilage in the ear (helix) designed to hold one piece of jewelry threaded through both.

rook: A piercing through the upper edge of the inner conch, opposite the helix

snug: A piercing through the inner conch that exits out to the outer conch

tragus: A tragus piercing is through the small flap of skin and cartilage closest to the face

Face piercing where and what

So you know exactly where you want that ring or stud, but not quite how to put it into words? Our diagram and facial piercing glossary will help you tell the piercer what you want.

bridge (earl) piercing: A piercing through skin over the bridge of the nose or between the eyebrows

brow piercing: A piercing placed through the eyebrow anywhere along its length, usually perpendicular to the brow

cheek piercing: A piercing through the cheek, often where one would find a dimple

chin piercing: A piercing that is placed through the chin rather than from the face into the mouth

labret: Technically, a labret is a piece of jewelry with a straight shaft and a flat disk on one end and a ball on the other. It’s typically used for piercings through the chin below the lip.

lip: A piercing placed through the lip or just above it

medusa: A piercing through the skin above the upper lip just below the septum

monroe (Madonna, Crawford): A piercing placed just above the upper lip, also known as a beauty mark piercing

nasallang: The nasal version of an industrial piercing. Typically it enters through one nostril, goes through the septum and exits through the other nostril and is designed to hold one piece of jewelry

nostril: A piercing through the side of the nostril

septum: A septum piercing is placed through the septum – the cartilage between the two nostrils above the center of the upper lip

tongue piercing: A piercing through the tongue typically placed toward the front and center of the tongue

tongue rim piercing: A piercing through the tongue placed along the edge of the tongue

Body Piercings

Navel piercings are the single most popular piercing outside of ear piercing, and that’s no different among the celebrities. Who do you know that wears a belly ring? How about…

• Alyssa Milano (Charmed)
• Aria Giovanni (model)
• Ayesha Takia (actress)
• Avril Lavigne (singer), who also sports multiple ear piercings
• Beth, a popular Spanish singer from Barcelona, who also sports a lip ring and a nose gem.
• Beyonce, rap artist and singer
• Brittney Spears, pop singing idol sports a belly piercing and multiple ear piercings
• Catherine Bell, co-star of JAG
• Christy Turlington, model, who is said to have started the whole navel ring fad when she strutted her belly jewel on the runway.
• Fiona Apple, singer
• Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls
• Gillian Anderson, actress
• Gwen Stefani
• Heidi Sorenson, Danish singer
• Janet Jackson, singer, has had her tongue, nipple, and belly button pierced
• Hitomi, Japanese singer
• Jenna Elfman, actress
• Jessica Alba, actress, who also has multiple ear piercings
• Keira Knightley, actress
• Keisha Buchanan of the Sugababes has a navel piercing
• Kelly Clarkson, singer and American Idol, has her navel and nose pierced.
• Lara Dutta, Indian model and actress
• Lindsay Lohan, following the trend with navel and multiple ear piercings
• Madonna, with a navel piercing and a nose gem
• Melissa Joan Hart of Sabrina fame, has a navel piercing
• Meryl Cassie, actress who has appeared on The Tribe, Xena and other series and movies
• Naomi Campbell, model
• Nicole Richie, model
• Niki Appleton, singer from All Saints
• Ophelia Winter, French actress and singer, also has a nose piercing
• Paris Hilton, model and actress
• Princess Zara, the daughter of the UK’s Princess Anne and granddaughter of Queen
• Elizabeth II, also has a tongue piercing
• Tata Young, singer, along with multiple ear piercings
• Teri Hatcher, actress
• Vanessa Warwick, British actress, also has a nose piercing and a Madonna stud
• Whigfield, Danish singer, who also sports a nose jewel

Note that there’s not a single male celebrity listed with a navel piercing. Apparently, only the ladies are brave enough to sport belly jewelry. Among the guys, the most popular piercing seems to be a nipple piercing. The male celebs that sport ringed nipples include:

• Axl Rose of Guns n’ Roses
• Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction
• Eric West, singer
• Gerry Connelly, comedian
• Jaye Davidson, actor
• Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica
• Lenny Kravitz, singer/musician, also has a nostril piercing
• Tre Cool, drummer of Green Day
• Tommy Lee, Motley Crue’s drummer, has a pierced nipple, several earlobe piercings and a pierced nostril

Facial Piercings

Eyebrows, noses, lips and labrets – facial piercings are also common, especially among singers. Among those that sport facial jewelry are:

• Adina Howard, actress, nose and tongue
• Amy Lee, lead singer of Evanescence, eyebrow
• Anouk, singer, nose
• Christina Steurmer, Austrian actress, lip and eyebrow
• Christina Aguilera, nose, nipple and lip
• Cree Summer, actress, nose
• Crunchy Black, rapper, eyebrow
• Benji Madden, guitarist for Good Charlotte, has several facial piercings
• Billie Joe Armstrong, singer for Green Day, used to have nostril, multiple ear piercings and his tongue pierced
• Davey Havok, singer for AFI, has a lip piercing and large gauge ear piercings
• Flavor Flav, Public Enemy rapper, has a nostril piercing
• Lajon Witherspoon, singer from Sevendust, has a septum piercing
• Tupac Shakur, rapper and actor, had a nose piercing
• Billy Martin, guitarist for guitarist for Good Charlotte, has multiple ear piercing, nostril piercing and lip piercing
• Line Sorenson, Danish actress, labret piercing
• Lisa Bonet, nose piercing
• Lisa Lopes – rapper of TLC, had an eyebrow piercing
• Lorrie Morgan – country singer has a nose piercing
• Mary J Blige – singer, had a nostril piercing
• Mel B – singer of Spice Girls, has a tongue piercing, eyebrow and multiple ear piercings.
• Melanie Chisholm- singer from Spice Girls England has a nose piercing and multiple ear piercings
• Da Brat – rapper, has a nostril piercing
• Diana king- Singer, has multiple ear piercing and a nose piercing
• Dolores O’Riordan – singer – Ireland has multiple ear piercings.
• Easther Bennet- pop/soul singer- England has a nose piercing
• Elisabeth Wurtzley Author USA has a nose piercing.
• Elisabeth Hurley actress and model UK has a nose piercing and multiple ear piercings
• Eva Briegel – singer of German band Juli, has a nose piercing and a lip piercing
• Eve-rapper, had a nose piercing
• Fantasia Barrino-American Idol Winner, has a nose piercing
• Mutya Buena – singer, formerly of the Sugababes, has a tongue piercing, Monroe piercing and a nose piercing
• Mya, singer, nostril
• Paula Cole, singer, nose
• Pink, singer, nipple and nose
• Scarlett Johansson, actress, septum
• Shazney Lewis, British singer, nose and multiple ear
• Sinead O’Conner, singer, nose
• Fergie, singer with the Black Eyed Peas, eyebrow
• Sybil Buck, model, septum, nipple and tongue

Tongue piercing is another of the more popular piercing spots, and there are a handful of celebrities that sport pierced tongues, including:

• The Game, rapper
• Tom Hern (used to at least)
• Alida-Nadine Kurras, German TV host
• Ashley Scott, actress
• Gracia Baur, German singer
• Kate Ryan, singer
• Laura Wilson, actress
• Lenna Kuurama, singer with Vanilla Ninja
• Doreen Steinert, German singer

Many women are able to wear belly rings and other body jewelry throughout their pregnancies with no problems. Every body is different though, and your body may react a little differently. It’s not uncommon for the navel ridge to thin during pregnancy, making a belly ring more uncomfortable. If you want to keep your navel piercing open, a piercing professional will have suggestions on how to best do that.

The most common suggestion is to change your metal ring for more flexible body jewelry or a piece of monofilament nylon fishing line. If the piercing is relatively new and hasn’t yet had a chance to heal fully, it may be better to let it close and re-open the piercing after delivery.

Most doctors agree that navel jewelry is usually comfortable up to about the sixth month. After that, some women find that their navel has pushed out, or that their ring or bar is getting banged more often. It may be enough to change out your usual ring for a banana bar, which moves with your body more easily. If the piercing has been open long enough to be completely healed and you’re accustomed to changing your navel jewelry, you could try to keep it open by running a piece of body jewelry through it and wearing it a few hours each day. Before you decide to do this, though, speak to your piercing professional to get their recommendation.

A newer option is to replace the metal belly jewelry with a PFTE bar. PFTE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) is the material that they use to make artificial heart valves. It is soft, flexible and can be sterilized. Some of the advantages of a PFTE bar are:

• It’s very flexible and will bend with you (and the baby as it grows)
• It’s less likely to have skin stick to it, making healing easier and quicker
• It doesn’t conduct heat so it doesn’t get hot in the sun and burn your skin
• It can be cut to exactly the right size with a pair of scissors
• It’s threaded, so that you can wear your favorite ends, caps or gems on the ends of a PFTE bar
• The PFTE bar can be sterilized just like metal

If you are considering getting pierced during your pregnancy:

Most reputable piercers will either refuse to do the piercing, or discourage you from it. The Association of Professional Piercers’ official position is that your body should be concentrating on the task of keeping you and your baby healthy during pregnancy, and piercing distracts from that task. At least as importantly, if you contract or develop any sort of infection because of the piercing, you could be putting your baby at risk. This holds true of nearly any piercing, but is especially important in navel piercings – not, as you might think because of its physical proximity to the growing baby, but because navel piercings are more prone to infection and take far longer to heal.

Nipple Rings and Breastfeeding

If you’re concerned that your nipple piercing will interfere with your ability to breastfeed a baby, there’s good news. Because of the structure of the breast, it’s very unlikely that a piercing will block all the milk ducts. The La Leche League strongly suggests removing nipple jewelry during actual nursing because of the risk of injury to the baby. It’s possible for jewelry to get loose and become lodged in the baby’s throat, or for the hard edges of metal or plastic to injure the baby’s gums, tongue, soft palate or hard palate.

1. Body piercing is for teenagers in rebellion or people who are into weird stuff.

   Think again. A survey by Body Art magazine about body piercing found that 79% of those responding were over the age of 29 and 58% were married or in long term relationships. Less than half consider themselves adventurous, and less than 20% were involved in fetish lifestyles.

2. Body piercing is just a fad and will fade away.

   Body piercing has been practiced throughout the ages. In fact, the oldest mummified body in the world, found in a glacier in Austria, has pierced earlobes. Women in the 1890s pierced their nipples, and ear and nose piercing has been practiced in nearly every culture throughout the world.

3. The safest way to get a body piercing is with a piercing gun.

   No, no and no! In fact, in many states in the U.S., it’s illegal to use a piercing gun on any part of the body other than the earlobe. Piercing guns use a high degree of force to push a blunt rod through the skin, which can lead to bruising, tissue damage and difficult healing. All piercing should be done with a new, sterile, hollow needle by a professional piercer.

4. Getting a piercing is very painful.

   One of the most common questions asked of people with piercings is ‘didn’t that HURT?’. Pain is a relative thing, of course, but most people find that the pain is no worse than a sharp, hard pinch that lasts for just a few seconds.

5. Getting pierced is no big deal. All you need is a friend with a steady hand.

   Ouch! Piercing involves creating an open wound in the skin, which is an invitation to infection and blood borne diseases. A professional piercing studio has the equipment and facilities to perform the piercing under completely sterile conditions to virtually eliminate the danger of contracting diseases like hepatitis C and B, tuberculosis and HIV. Always have any body piercing done at a reputable, clean piercing studio by a professional.

6. A navel piercing can damage your stomach, uterus or other organs.

   Not true. Your internal organs are well protected by a layer of abdominal muscle. When your navel is pierced, the piercing artist will use forceps or a clamp to be sure that only the skin is pierced, not the underlying muscle or other tissue. If the navel ridge isn’t prominent enough, most professionals will refuse to do the piercing.

7. If you pierce the eyebrow the wrong way, you can end up with half of your face paralyzed.

   An eyebrow piercing is made through the skin over the brow ridge. It should never be deep enough to disturb any nerves.

8. Having a beer or glass of wine is a good way to relax before getting pierced.

   Actually, alcohol can increase the chances of excessive bleeding when you get pierced, and most professionals won’t consider doing a piercing on a person who is under the influence.

9. A body piercing is forever.

   Healing depends on the person, but in general, if you decide that you don’t want to sport body jewelry any longer all you have to do is take out the jewelry. Even holes that have been healed for years will often close up on their own.

10. If the piercer punctures a certain vein in your tongue, you can bleed to death.

    Your tongue does contain some major veins, and there may be a lot of bleeding with a tongue piercing, but firm pressure should bring it under control within 5 to 10 minutes. If you take blood thinners, anti-coagulant medication or have a condition like hemophilia, you should think very seriously before being pierced.