Double eyebrow piercing

A Brief History of Body Piercing

Body piercing is truly ancient with the earliest recorded piercing appearing on a frozen mummy found in an Austrian glacier in 1991. The body had several expanded ear piercings measuring between 7mm and 11mm.Other early mentions of body piercing come from the bible itself especially Genesis 24:22 where nose jewellery (often misquoted as earrings) were given as a gift to Rebekah, wife of

Why a Tongue Piercing May Not Be So Bad

Of all the body piercings available, tongue piercings without a doubt spark the most controversy. A search in Google will bring up a half a million hits, and if you were to go through them, you would think getting a tongue piercing is a risk just short of playing russian roulette. Some of the worst horror stories include brain abscesses, spread of deadly diseases such as HIV, large build-ups of scar tissue, "suicide disease," permanent nerve damage and fatal toxic shock syndrome. If that's not enough to scare you away, you'll notice that you could bleed excessively, develop speech problems, experience serious swelling, and or chip teeth. Sounds dangerous, right? Absolutely!

As with any popular matter that involves some risk (recreational drugs, extreme sports, etc.) the media loves to play them up. Any serious incident creates attractive headlines and prominent news stories, in turn creating a sort of media gossip. This gossip circulates through the popular mediums, and the result is that the public hears about "headline news", and never the full story.

In the case of tongue piercing, as an example, people may see that someone lost feeling in their tongue because of a botched piercing. A while later, they read that someone had a brain abscess, most likely caused from a tongue piercing. One thing leads to another, and the public comes to the conclusion that these piercings are very dangerous to get, and certainly outweigh any reason to get one. For most people it ends there.

What the majority don't realize, is that like anything that involves risk, there are ways to greatly minimize this risk. Tongue piercings are no different, and fortunately, it is possible to nearly eliminate the risks. The majority of the horror stories are either one-offs, or situations in which the people getting their tongue pierced did not make smart decisions. In fact, the only risk that is difficult to avoid and somewhat common is damage to teeth and gums. Dentists dislike tongue piercings because they receive patients coming in with cracked or chipped teeth, and/or receding gums. Again, smart and proper care greatly diminishes this risk, and with regular check-ups and advice from the dentist, this occurrence can also be minimized.

By no means are tongue piercings one hundred percent safe. There is always a slight risk involved if you get your tongue pierced, but nothing compared to what the media would have you believe. A tongue piercing is a fun, unique piercing and by doing your research and making smart choices, you greatly reduce the chance of a bad outcome.

So the next time you hear a horror story about tongue piercing, or any other thing that interests you, do some research. Find out for yourself if it's really such a major concern.

Labret piercing

Tongue piercing

Tongue piercing

Tongue piercing

Labret piercing

Labret piercing

Lip Piercings

Lip piercing is a custom that goes back as far as ancient history. Some tribes believed that it would make their ancestors’ spirits happy. For some, it was a ritual or a status symbol. For some, of course, it was just a sign of beauty, of femininity, like the members of the Makolo tribe of Malawi. The Mayans and the Aztecs wore labrets or special lip pins made of gold, jade and obsidian. Among some tribes in Africa, the labrets could well be a disk, rather than simple jewelry.

Lip piercing is popular today in many parts of the world. The location of the lip piercing can vary from individual to individual. Lower lip piercing can be done anywhere from the center to the length of the lower lip and the choice of jewelry for the lower lip can be studs, rings, tusks or spikes. Upper lip piercing is supposed to be a mark of beauty and a small barbell or a stud is often worn. Labrets without a ring come in fishtail or disk backs. Fish tail backs have a wire that is twisted and lies perpendicular to the piercing unlike disks which have a metal screw or the end of a barbell that covers or caps the post.

There are various types of jewelry available for lip piercing like labret studs for instance, which are easy to remove. Make sure the jewelry is made out of titanium, niobium, surgical steel or 18 carat gold. It takes from two to six months for a lip piercing to heal completely. With lip piercing gaining popularity, there are few ground rules that one should follow. It is most important, though, to get the piercing done by a professional, so proper hygiene is ensured and the jewelry is of the right metal and does not rub against the gums.

After the piercing make sure that it does not develop an infection - either viral or bacterial. It is important to rinse your mouth with an antibacterial mouthwash, and keep away from smoking and alcohol. Some people recommend taking extra Vitamin C and Zinc in order to help the healing process, as well.

Tongue piercing

body piercing pictures

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Tongue piercing

Taboo Body Modifications

Extreme body modifications are practiced by few in our community, however some become intrigued by it. Many examples of extreme body modification are scarification, branding, implants, and splitting tongues.Scarification is preformed by pealing away layers of the skin, and allowing it to heal into the specific design. Some scarifications can be almost as intricate as a tattoo. Although most

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