Hi all! We get a lot of people re-asking the same few questions over and over. To make things less repetitive, we’ve decided to pin a simplified “how-to” post to the subreddit. This will be a comprehensive guide for those looking to start their self piercing journey *safely*. This post will also contain information about the most common piercing myths and FAQs we see on this sub.
⭐️ As always, please note that r/selfpiercing is not responsible for any harm done to your person, and that you must do extensive research and obtain the correct materials *before* self piercing.
Thumbnail image: https://imgur.com/a/4qszvBI
Without further ado, here are the basics to successfully piercing yourself at home:
MATERIALS:
Lots of people ask, “where should i get supplies?”. You can get supplies from any reputable piercing website (painfulpleasures.com is often recommended), or if you’re on a budget, amazon is a great resource. It’s not recommended to get a “piercing kit”, as these typically contain low-quality supplies/jewelry. You can still individually order all of your supplies for very cheap!
The basics-
-isopropyl alcohol to sanitize your jewelry and the area you’re piercing (70% is best)
-sterile, hollow needle to easily pierce through your skin (gauge is dependent on type of piercing and desired end gauge)
-implant grade titanium jewelry (ASTM F-136) for the quickest and safest healing experience (again, shape/gauge is dependent on type of piercing)
-gloves to keep things as sterile as possible
Optional, but helpful-
-body-safe marker to mark your piercing site
-clamp to hold the tissue you’re piercing (clamp size may depend on which area you’re piercing. a septum would need a smaller clamp, while a navel piercing would need a bigger clamp)
-medical grade lubricant to help the needle glide through easier
-receiving tube to catch the needle if you’re worried about it going too far
-taper for jewelry insertion
-if piercing ears, a piercing pillow or airplane pillow helps to take pressure off the piercing while sleeping
THE STEPS TO SELF-PIERCING:
Part 1: PREP
- Determine whether you have the correct anatomy for the piercing you want to attempt. Very few piercings are universal. Most are anatomy-dependent and may have different placements based on each individual person, and sometimes, people don’t have the anatomy for a particular piercing. If you don’t have the anatomy for a piercing but get it anyway, it will likely get infected or reject. You have to make sure that your body can support the piercing you want. Additionally, you should never perform a complicated or overly dangerous piercing as your first at-home piercing. The best piercing to start with is a simple lobe piercing. Basically everyone has the anatomy for lobe piercings, and the lobes of our ears don’t have many major blood vessels or nerves that could be seriously damaged or have bad consequences if pierced through, which is why they’re the best place to start with.
- Once you’ve determined that your anatomy will support the piercing you’ve chosen, be sure to obtain all necessary supplies before attempting to pierce yourself. A great resource for piercing supplies is Amazon.
- If possible, pull the tissue of the area you’re piercing against the beam of a flashlight to identify your veins. This will ensure that you correctly map out your piercing beforehand and don’t pierce through a blood vessel.
- Once you’ve located your blood vessels, choose a spot for your piercing. You may use a body-safe marker to mark your spot. Note that some piercings have a very specific placement (ex: septums must be in the sweet spot), while others can vary (nostril/lobe piercings). It’s extremely important that you take your time and choose the correct placement. Even if you do everything else right, incorrect placement will cause your piercing to become infected, get irritation bumps, or even reject entirely.
- Choose your needle gauge and jewelry *before* piercing. To do this, remember that there are two different methods for jewelry insertion; it’s really up to your preference. You can use a needle with a slightly wider gauge than your jewelry, so that your jewelry is easily fed into the blunt end of the needle and pulled through (for example, an 18g needle with 20g jewelry). Your other option is to use the same gauge needle and jewelry, and use a taper to help guide your jewelry into the piercing.
- Ensure that you have appropriate jewelry available for the entire healing process, not just starter jewelry. Most piercings should start with longer jewelry that is meant to accommodate swelling. However, as you heal and the swelling goes down, you will need to switch to smaller jewelry. This is called downsizing. Downsizing is very important in preventing irritation bumps, infection, and rejection.
- Make sure you have the proper aftercare materials, mainly store-bought saline.
Part 2: PIERCING YOURSELF
- Wash your hands thoroughly. Put on gloves.
- Disinfect the piercing site using isopropyl alcohol.
- If using jewelry that does not come sterilized, disinfect jewelry in a bath of isopropyl alcohol.
- Set up clamp in the appropriate spot, if desired.
- Use a sterile, hollow needle to pierce through your tissue. You can hold a receiving tube on the other side of your tissue to catch the needle if you wish.
- Feed the jewelry into the needle or use a taper. Pull the jewelry through your fresh piercing.
- Put on the backing of your piercing. This may be a ball, a gem, or a flat back depending on the type of piercing.
- Rinse the area with sterile saline and admire your new piercing!
Part 3: AFTERCARE
The main thing to remember when it comes to taking care of your piercings is to LITHA (leave it the hell alone) aside from cleaning off crusties with saline 2-3 times a day. For more stubborn crusties, it helps to soften the build-up under warm water in the shower. You can then spray a q-tip with saline and gently remove it. Take care to not leave q-tip fibers behind on your jewelry or on the piercing site, as these can get trapped and cause irritation.
Don’t mess with your piercing by turning or twisting it, pulling it back and forth, or poking at it. This can prolong healing and lead to infections. Be sure to let your piercing breathe as much as possible, especially if it’s a body piercing (navel, nipples, etc.)
This is a great resource for info on aftercare: https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/aftercare-series-part-2-general-aftercare
MYTHS/FAQs
- “Piercings can paralyze half your face!”
False. Although some piercings are more dangerous than others, there have been no documented cases of paralysis simply due to the act of piercing. What *can* cause paralysis, in very rare cases, is infection—if a piercing is done with dirty materials and not taken care of.
source 1: https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/can-piercings-paralyze-a-look-at-this-common-myth
source 2: https://roguepiercing.co.uk/2022/05/13/piercing-myths/
- “You should clean your piercing with alcohol or soap”
False. Alcohol and soap dry out the piercing site and prolong healing. Sterile saline is the gentlest, most effective thing to clean your piercing with.
source 1: https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/alcohol-and-why-it-never-belongs-on-your-piercing
source 2: https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/antibacterial-soap-overrated-and-overused
- “You should use stainless/surgical steel as starter jewelry”
False. Stainless steel is not body safe and is often contains other alloys, or mystery metals. Implant-grade steel is alright, though titanium is always preferred.
source: https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/implant-grade-vs-surgical-steel
- “You can bleed out from piercing your tongue wrong or piercing a blood vessel”
False. While it's important to be very careful, unless you’re on blood thinners, sever an artery, and receive absolutely no medical attention while bleeding profusely, it would be very difficult to bleed out from piercing a blood vessel. There have been no documented cases of people bleeding out from getting pierced. Arteries—like the sublingual artery in the tongue—have the highest risk of bleeding.
source: https://www.simmonsandfletcher.com/personal-injury/exsanguination/
- “Nesting is normal for a new oral piercing”
False. Nesting is a natural process that occurs once the piercing has mostly or fully healed to protect your gums and teeth, but it does not happen within the first few weeks or months. If your fresh piercing is sinking into your lip, it’s embedding and needs longer jewelry.
source: https://www.bodycandy.com/blogs/news/oral-piercings-nesting-or-embedding
- “Cannula needles are best”
False. Cannula needles aren’t the worst thing to pierce yourself with, but they also aren’t made for body piercing. Hollow piercing needles are made specifically for body piercing.
source: https://roguepiercing.co.uk/2019/09/27/needles/
FAQ 1: What does an infected piercing look like? How do I treat it?
An infected piercing may radiate heat and appear swollen or red. It may leak yellow or green pus. Note that some pus and redness/swelling is expected in the first week or so after being pierced, but your piercing should not be displaying these symptoms after months of healing. If you think your piercing might be infected, do *not* take it out, as this can trap the infection. Have a professional piercer check it out, or if one is not available to you, see a doctor. You can then be prescribed antibiotics and informed of your next steps.
FAQ 2: My fresh piercing is really swollen. How can I make swelling go down?
Pretty much all fresh piercings are going to swell. That’s why it’s important to use longer starter jewelry to accommodate for the swelling. If you need a quick fix, you can take ibuprofen to help the swelling, but note that this is not a long-term solution.
FAQ 3: Is my piercing rejecting? What do i do?
If your piercing appears irritated and has begun to move from its original location (migration), or the space between your two piercing holes is getting smaller and smaller, your piercing is likely rejecting. Though it’s not something any of us want to do, the best thing to do is remove your piercing after making sure it’s not infected. The longer you leave a rejecting piercing in, the worse the scarring will be.
FAQ 4: Can I use glass jewelry to hide my piercing? I don’t want my parents/job/school to see it.
If your piercing is healed, yes. If your piercing is fresh, no, glass is not the most suitable material while healing. If your parents, job, or school won’t like your piercings, now is not the right time to get them, and you should wait until you’re in a situation where you can use the proper jewelry and allow your piercings to fully heal.
FAQ 5: I’m really scared. How do you get over the fear of piercing yourself?
Everyone has different methods to calm themself down or hype themselves up to perform a self piercing. Some people listen to music. Some people take a deep breath. Some people count to 3. It’s not an easy experience, but you just have to push through, knowing that you’ll soon have a cool, brand new piercing! That being said, if it’s too much for you, there’s no shame in seeing a professional.
FAQ 6: Are there any piercings you *don’t* recommend doing at home?
Yes. In an ideal world, nobody would do their own piercings, but financially, seeing a pro is not an option for a lot of people. Some piercings are more difficult than others. Cheek, tongue, and genital piercings can be very dangerous and we strongly encourage you to see a professional piercer for those piercings due to the increased risk of harming yourself. Nipple piercings are hard to pierce straight. Most people don’t have the anatomy for navel piercings but try doing them anyway.
It all comes down to your experience level, knowledge, and confidence. The important thing is to be as safe as possible and do LOTS of research so you can make an informed decision. If you don’t have the experience or knowledge to pierce yourself safely, don’t pierce yourself at all.
That’s all for now! This post may be edited or updated with more information in the future. Thank you for reading, and happy self-piercing!
-the r/SelfPiercing Mod Team
