Why The World Needs A Freak Piercing

Erik Sprague, better known as The Lizardman, sticks a running power drill up his nostrils, which is what he does when he’s not busy setting himself on fire or suspending himself by his nipples. His laundry list of body modifications includes green scales and black markings over his entire body, Teflon implants in his skull create the appearance of horned ridges, sharpened, crocodile-like teeth, a forked tongue, and stretched earlobes. He has a number of piercings, many of which are only visible when he streaks, which he does often.

Body modification starts with an inexplicable instinct to play with your body. I always had a very natural interest in tattooing and piercing. Some kids draw on the walls; I was a draw-on-my-arm kind of kid.

In my opinion, body modification includes things like clipping your nails and getting a haircut. People do unnecessary things to their bodies for reasons besides hygiene. It’s one of the few things you can say exists in every single culture and society. What I do to my body is not unlike what they do to theirs; it’s a spectrum, and we’re just on different ends. They may be styling their hair, while I’m radically altering my outward appearance.

Body Modification Started with Piercing

The first thing I did was pierce my ear in my freshman year at college. I lived in a small rural area and my parents said, “It’s your body, your consequences, your life.” If you walked into a gallery and saw one of Picasso’s latest Cubist works, you’d start with his early work and then look at all his work in between, you see the progression, and it seems perfectly natural.

What I am and what I do is an aesthetic choice. I don’t think I have an inner lizard that wanted to get out, but it’s a lizard for the same reason it’s a blue suit for someone else. It’s stylistic. A few years ago I started using reptiles in my act. They’re very fragile and difficult to keep. Currently I don’t have one. My wife is actually not a big fan of reptiles, which is interesting, since she’s married to me. She’s never known me as anything else. The first time she laid eyes on me I was running out on stage on fire, wearing nothing more than a green Speedo.

The Lizardman: A Professional Freak

My act involves rituals and things like putting running power drills up my nose, which is a variation of the human blockhead, or the traditional approach of using a hammer and nail. With the drill variation, you don’t feel a thing unless you hit the side, which I do every time. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s something I’m willing to do to get a reaction.

I want people to react with shock, awe and/or laughter, depending on the moment. If you’re at my show, you’ll hear a lot of gasping, and hopefully at the end, applause. I don’t have a lot of grand designs. I’m an entertainer, so I’m just trying to elevate simplicity. I think it’s a very noble thing to make people laugh. I may distract people from what’s bothering them. The human body really can swallow a sword or hang from hooks. Sometimes people are inspired by what I do. Like any art, it’s not only what you put out there, but what people invest in themselves. The viewer always contributes to the dynamic.

Gwen Stefani Piercing

Gwen Stefani is the beautiful lead singer for No Doubt and has had a successful solo career.

We’ve all had that moment when we sense that things are about to change. For Gwen Stefani that epiphany occurred as a high school senior in Orange County.

‘I remember being this 17 year-old girl, in love and really excited about my future with the boy that I thought was going to be my husband and we’d have babies and that, ‘she pauses, ‘was my passion. Then I learned that I could write songs and that is when my life changed. I went from being this really passive girl to ‘Oh my God

This makes me feel so powerful when I write these words.’ It was such a turning point to find that I had a talent and I had something to contribute, somewhere.”

Gwen Stefani was married at a London church for her September 14th 2002 nuptials to Gavin Rossdale, but arrived an hour late.

“I’m just an Orange County girl from a loving family making music with my friends. It’s not really that big of a deal. Writing songs is super intimate. It’s a bit like getting naked.”

“I’ve never considered myself a great singer. To be honest, it’s kind of nasally and piercing and I have no range.”

State Inspects Bay Area Body Piercing Shops For Lead

State inspectors paid a visit to Bay Area body piercing and tattoo shops Thursday to enforce a new law that bans lead from all jewelry sold in California.

Mike Berriesford, supervising investigator with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, employed new x-ray equipment at Zebra on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue.

“We have a new law to enforce and we’re here to make sure that the standards are adhered to,” said Berriesford.

Not a problem for Kerri Naslund, who was performing a nose piercing. She has run a lead-free shop for 16 years, she said.

New Trend in Body Piercing All the Rage

There’s a popular new trend in body piercing. It’s called micro-dermal anchoring and it’s all the rage.

“A micro-dermal piercing, instead of going through two sides of a body part or tissue, it only goes through one part,” says Matthew Marter, a piercer at Club Tattoo in Tempe.

“The backing is underneath the skin, whereas a backing would be normally be on the other side of the ear or inside the nostril or inside of a lip.”

Harter says dermal anchoring has revolutionized the industry and over the past year has become incredibly popular.

“In the last two weeks I think I’ve done 50 of them or so.”

A single micro-dermal piercing will set you back about $50.

News Flesh: Piercing Age May Drop

The popularity of piercing has forced Auckland City leaders to rethink restrictions on the age at which teens can get their first studs and sleepers.

Under the city council’s current bylaw, youngsters need a parent’s consent for body piercing and tattooing until they turn 18 – with the exception that those aged 16 and 17 can have ears pierced without parental approval.

The proposed replacement bylaw puts piercing of the belly button and nose in the same age category as ear piercing.

“Basically the reason for the relaxation is a recognition of the need for a more realistic approach to the subject, since nose and navel piercing are now so common,” council spokesman John Evans said yesterday.

The practice of piercing has spread all over the human body, with studs and rings found in places as diverse as the lips, tongue and genitals.

Ear-lobe “stretching” has also gained some popularity, with people wearing metal “flesh tunnels” in holes up to 30mm wide.

A council commentary on the proposed bylaw says the age-of-consent change for navel and nose piercing is “consistent with the current school-leaving age of 16. Many schools will not allow pupils to have piercings other than pierced ears while they are at school”.

Paul Peachey, owner of ArtRageous Tattoo & Body Piercing studio in Dominion Rd, said it was hard to state an appropriate age for nose and ear piercing, because some cultural groups encouraged them for children.

“Any other body piercing – navel, tongue – you should be 18.”

New piercings were at risk of infection if not looked after properly, Mr Peachey said, and 16- and 17-year-olds were at greater risk than older people.

“They are not grown-up enough to look after themselves, let alone look after a piercing.”

Infection is not the only risk.

Otago University Dental School senior lecturer Dr Jonathan Leichter said jewellery in the tongue posed a high risk of fractured back teeth and people with pierced lips had a high prevalence of gum and bone damage around the adjacent teeth.

Regardless of these findings in formal studies, he has not called for prohibition of tongue and lip piercing, nor does he object to the proposed Auckland reduction of the age of consent for certain piercings.

Ear-Piercing Sirens Used to Drive Teens Away

The so-called "Mosquito" device emits high-frequency noise which is audible — and annoying — to young ears, but generally not heard by people over 20.

body piercing with surgical steel 316L

Piercemania 316L / 316LVM SURGICAL STEEL: The most widely used material in the piercing industry.

Surgical stainless steel jewelry rarely causes allergic reactions.

Surgical Steel does not corrode or tarnish.

There is no nickel content difference between the 316L and the 316LVM.(Ni 11.51)

Stainless Steels are categorised into four general classes, based on composition: 200 series steel contains chromium, nickel and maganese, 300 series contains chromium and nickel, 400 series contains chromium and 500 series contains low chromium. The most corrosion resistant are 300 series steels, hence their popularity for medical implants and body jewelry. However, not all 300 series steels are suitable for invasive body piercing applications.

We use two steels for body jewelry. 316L surgical steel and 316LVM Surgical Steel. Although these high grades all contain nickel, they do not release nickel salts into the body and do not induce contact nickel dermatitis. (nickel evolution is below 0.01 ug/cm2/week).

Surgical Stainless Steels (316L) are used for body pins, bone plates, total joint prosthetics, bone nails, staples, intercranial drainage valves, bone fixation screws, among many other applications. Body jewelry listed here is manufactured from equivalent or higher standard material.

Piercemania steel body jewelry items have been electropolished, which is a sophisticated surface finishing technique, where electrochemical activity slowly erodes a thin layer from the surface of the jewelry resulting in MICROSMOOTHING. The resultant surface is ultra smooth and crevice free. It has a higher surface integrity and efficiency than jewelry polished by other means.

Our 316L/LVM Surgical Stainless Steel meets ISO 5832-1 and ASTM F138 standards.(Chemical Composition & Tensile Test available done 02/03/2006)

piercing with titanium grade 23

Piercemania TITANIUM: The human body is similar in terms of erosion conditions to that of an ocean. The CI- eon and Na+ eon that constitute electrolytes within a living human body tend to foster erosion conditions for metals. Therefore, titanium or titanium alloy is more recommendable than stainless steel or cobalt alloy as primary materials for medical devices for use in the human body since they will not erode even in ocean water.

There are a few reasons why titanium is considered the most appropriate material for medical use, and over other implant metals.

The very highest affinity with human tissue.

Commercial pure titanium and the titanium based alloy, Ti6AL-4V (known as Grade 5) and Ti6AL-4V ELi (known as Grade 23) have a higher degree of biocompatibility than other major medical implant metals.

The essential difference between Ti6AL-4V (Grade 5) and Ti6AL-4V ELI (Grade 23) is the reduction of oxygen content to 0.13% max in Grade 23.

Ti6AL-4V ELI (Grade 23) Used for medical implants since the mid 1950's

The main reason titanium has gained popularity is because it is non-toxic and poses no health risks since it has a great affinity for the conditions of a living human body.

Titanium is a chemically stable and does not get absorbed into the human body. In addition, it does not cause inflammation or toxicants when in contact with human skin.

Also, titanium is about 55% lighter in terms of weight compared to stainless steel, further contributing to its popularity.

All titanium supplied by Piercemania is certified to medical implant specification Ti6AL-4V ELi ASTM F136 and BS7252 Part 3 metallic material for implant use.

All titanium supplied by Piercemania has a nickel content below 0.05%, thus conforming to the European Directive 94/27/EC to avoid nickel sensitization. The average nickel content of titanium body jewelry supplied by Piercemania is 0.01%.

TITANIUM COLORS: All Piercemania titanium color products are made from the same Ti6AL-4V ELi ASTM F136 Grade 23 Titanium as our other titanium products but have been anodized using a computer controlled process to achieve their distinct finish by the formation of an adherent oxide film of controlled thickness / no pigment or other electroplated metals are involved that would compromise biocompatibility. Titanium can be changed into a number of vivid colors without the use of any dye, paint or varnish, the bright colors that appear are simply the result of natural light being refracted by the metal's surface. Some other metals can also be colored in this way, but the reactive "oxide" on the metal's surface (the layer that gives it the illusion of color) is far harder on titanium, so the color will last longer.

Colors will fade with time from friction, wear, but the actual metal does not change its color. keep in mind ,grade 23 titanium is safe ,non toxic and it won’t get absorb by the body.
Ask your supplier if your current color products are anodized on titanium G23 or surgical steel, you will be surprised of what you will find!!

Ear Piercing -- Body Piercing - Body Jewelry metals used

Piercemania wholesale Tattoo and Body Piercing Information including body jewelry, piercing equipment, ear piercing, tattoo equipment and tattoo information.

Body piercing has seen an explosion in popularity over the past few years. This in turn has lead to a huge increase in the range of body jewellery metals available from many different vendors.

I have tried many companies but as I piercer look for the best quality possible. I work with 3 piercing materials :Steel, titanium and Medproflex. On Steel , I look for the polish, it has to be miror finished , the thread has to be outomatic machine made (not manually) to avoid stripping of the ball or problem screwing the ball all the way into the shaft. I use a lot of CBR rings , I lke them with the tips nice and round(not square cut) to avoid tearing of a poor connection with the piercing needle. I recomend you Piercemania Jewelry

It wasn’t long ago that surgical steel jewellery was the ‘standard’ for body piercings with a small amount of silver and gold jewellery available for healed piercings. However, this has changed and you can buy body jewellery in a huge range of materials that include surgical steel with some designs on silver, gold, titanium, plastic/acrylic, glass,medproflex,ptfe, bone, horn and even wood.
The range may now be extensive but there is a problem… what type of jewellery is suitable for your piercing? Not all of the above materials may be suitable, especially if your piercing is still relatively new and/or unhealed.
For new body piercings there are only a few materials now recommended. It used to be the case that surgical steel jewellery was the automatic choice for new piercings conforming with astm standards. However, it has since been found that a very small minority of people can have a reaction to the small nickel content in most surgical steel, so a directive from Brussels has stopped the use of steel for new body piercings. Although there is a form of surgical steel available that’s nickel free, high production costs and the emergence of newer, more readily available materials have prevented this from becoming popular.
So what is ’safe’ for a new or unhealed piercing? Titanium is perhaps the No1 choice for new body piercings at the moment. Available simply polished or with a very wide range of inert, anodized or PVD coatings it is our jewellery of choice by far. From belly bars and ball closure rings to labret studs are all available in titanium and at a price almost on par with steel.
Another option, especially suited to those who want their piercings a little less visible, is Medproflex manufactured by Piercemania. There are other plastic out on the market but their composition, stability is different. Medproflex, Being a form of plastic the material is very inert making it ideally suited for all piercings and with the ability to flex a little it is usually far more comfortable than conventional jewellery such as titanium. The only drawback for some is that it simply isn’t as attractive as titanium jewellery; especially the coloured or gem set titanium pieces.
Although not as pure or inert as titanium or medproflex by piercemania, sterling silver is also an option for some people on newer piercings although not recommended for brand new piercings or those still ‘weeping’. However, as the vast majority of ’silver’ jewellery features a surgical steel bar that passes through the actual piercing, with only the detailing being made of sterling silver, most silver body jewellery should be treated as surgical steel for use in piercings i.e. not recommended for brand new piercings or those still with discharge but ideal for anything else.
So what is not recommended for newer piercings? It is important to stress that for brand new piercings, or those still weeping, you should only consider truly inert and ’safe’ materials such as titanium or medproflex/medical plastic and all jewellery should be properly sterilized prior to use. Surgical steel is no longer recommended for unhealed piercings in Europe. In the United States metals regulations for piercing are not at legislation level yet, but the metals Certified surgical stainless steel 316L / 316LVM meeting ISO 5832-1 and ASTM F138 standards, Medproflex-medical polymer flexible plastics, titanium 6AL4V-ELI grade 23 astm f136 for implant grade are the 3 best choices for initial piercing. Gold is only ever suitable for completely healed piercings (i.e. usually 6 months+ after the piercing and no weeping or discharge) due to the very high level of impurities most gold carries. Organic materials such as wood, horn and bone should only be used for healed piercings simply because they can carry contaminants and are very difficult to sterilise fully.

Body Piercing: Don't Get Stuck With a Toxic Stud

If you need more ammo to convince your teenager that body piercing has its downside, consider these two words: lead poisoning.

That’s one point I hadn’t considered among the pluses and minuses of piercing. (My thoughts ran more to nasty infections, nerve damage, lifelong scars, and chipped teeth.) Thanks to California—the trailblazer, as always, when the news concerns nipple rings or tongue barbells—I’m now aware that when puncturing body parts, I should demand 100 percent lead-free hardware.

This month, a new California law aimed at getting the lead out of jewelry expanded to include body-piercing jewelry and adult adornments. Lead is now verboten in piercing jewelry and is limited to less than 1.5 percent in regular jewelry that doesn’t have a protective coating. Last September, the state launched the nation’s toughest standards on lead in children’s jewelry, banning jewelry that is more than .06 percent lead by weight.

That action came after multiple recalls of lead-contaminated kiddie jewelry nationwide. The toxic metal can cause permanent brain damage and resulted in the death of a 4-year-old Minnesota child who ate a lead-tainted charm in 2006. The effects on adults are less dire but include impotence, high blood pressure, anemia, and kidney trouble. Skin contact usually doesn’t pose a big risk for teens and adults, says Michael Berriesford, supervising inspector for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. But piercing is another matter. “We’re concerned about piercing jewelry because of the fact that the metallic posts come directly in contact with body fluids or blood flow and could carry lead directly into a person’s system,” he says. (That tongue stud just became even less attractive.)

Despite lots of ink surrounding the California law, the message doesn’t seem to be getting through. Last fall, state investigators bought and tested more than 600 pieces of children’s jewelry after the law went into force and found illegal amounts of lead in 18 percent of them. That included a pirate bracelet bought at a Universal Studios gift shop and necklaces bought at big retailers including Marshall’s, Macy’s, GapKids, Toys “R” Us, and Claire’s. One necklace, bought from a gumball machine at a Church’s Chicken restaurant in Oakland, had more than 600 times the allowable amount of lead. Investigators are now expanding their enforcement efforts beyond retailers, to manufacturers and wholesalers.

The rest of the country should follow suit. Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota have passed legislation similar to California’s; other states, including Maryland, are pondering their own bans. But it would be much easier for manufacturers, retailers, and parents if there was a federal law covering all 50 states. A bill that would create federal limits for lead in jewelry is awaiting action in the Senate. But for now, it’s still body-piercer beware.

Berriesford says clues his investigators look for include low price, things made of metal that are heavy for their size, and things with a dull metallic luster. “There’s really no way a consumer can tell just by looking at it,” Berriesford says, “which is why we’re going through a significant amount of effort.”

If you, or your beloved offspring, are determined to pierce, California offers a comprehensive list (.pdf) of what’s safe. Think surgical-grade stainless steel or titanium, niobium, gold that’s 14 karat or higher, solid platinum, or dense synthetics such as Teflon (PTFE). Sterling silver, nickel, and other metals often used in inexpensive jewelry won’t do because they can spark allergic reactions.