Since we’re a body jewelry retailer, you know that we love piercings. However, we also know that getting a piercing isn’t always an easy decision. You need to invest money into a reputable piercer, and depending on the piercing that you get, you might need to invest considerable time for healing.
Piercings provide a fantastic way to express yourself and transform your style, and now that they’re more mainstream, you don’t have to worry too much about getting judged by strangers. But, it’s still not a decision to take too lightly.
So, should you get a piercing? Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you take the plunge.
It’s a common cliche that when you get dumped, you might be tempted to do something drastic with your hair. Cliches are cliche for a reason. (This author cringes every time she thinks about the time she decided it was a good idea to cut her own bangs two days after her first big breakup. Spoiler: it wasn’t.) But, your hair isn’t the only thing susceptible to extreme overhaul when you’re going through an intense emotional time.
Changing your hairstyle or wardrobe while in a crisis is one thing, but do you really want to do something semi-permanent to your body like get a piercing?
We’re not saying that you should refrain from piercings when life gets hard. In fact, many people find that it can be therapeutic and empowering to get a piercing (or even a tattoo) after they’ve gone through strife. However, you should take a step back and think about it to make sure that it’s something that you really want. After all, you can always re-dye your hair. A piercing will take a bit longer to heal.
While many piercings only take around 6 weeks to heal, some piercings, like cartilage piercings, can take up to a year to fully heal. During that time, you’ll need to commit to proper aftercare practices, refrain from swimming, and generally taking care of yourself.
Before you get a piercing, make sure that you can commit to the healing period. Although some people heal faster than others, you should prepare for the worst-case scenario and know that you could be facing a substantial healing time. If you’re unsure as to whether or not you can commit, either choose another piercing, or wait until you know that you can adhere to aftercare practices for the entire healing period.
The nice thing about piercings is that, unlike tattoos, they can close up and heal. Your mother might try to scare you by telling you that a piercing is a permanent choice, but in reality, if you find that you’re not so into your piercing a few years down the line, all you need to do is take out your jewelry, and the piercing should heal on its own.
However, your piercing should be a bit of an investment. You must go to a reputable piercer, and you should wear higher quality jewelry that won’t irritate your skin, which means that you should budget a decent amount in order to get the piercing. Beyond that, you’ll have to budget time spent on healing. Is it really worth it if you can only enjoy a fully healed piercing for a few months before you’re done with it?
Make sure that this isn’t just a whim decision that you’ll regret in a few months. We love spontaneous piercing choices, but you might kick yourself a bit later if you wasted time and energy on a piercing that you don’t enjoy.
When choosing which piercing to get, you should consider whether the body part that you’re piercing is something that you want to draw attention to. If your nose is your least favorite feature, you might think that decorating it with a nose ring will make it look prettier. While a dainty diamond might add a pretty sparkle to your nose, it will also draw more attention to it. If you’re not comfortable with that, then you might want to choose a different piercing.
You might have your heart set on a certain piercing, but you need to make sure that receiving it won’t affect your daily life.
As your piercing heals, you must stay away from standing water, which means no swimming. If it’s the summertime or you’re planning a fun tropical vacation, you might want to wait until afterward to get your piercing.
If you live in a cold area, winter can cause problems, too. If your new piercing is on your face and can’t easily be covered, you must keep in mind that metal jewelry can actually increase your susceptibility to frostbite. It’s probably a good idea to wait for that new lip or eyebrow piercing until warmer weather hits.
You should also consider things like work obligations, workout routines, and anything else your new piercing might affect. While piercing retainers are an option, while your piercing heals, you should have a professional piercer change your jewelry in order to avoid trauma to the piercing site. Do you really want to deal with that annoyance?
While we completely support getting piercings on a whim—there’s something wonderful about waking up one morning and deciding that today’s the day for a new piercing—there are some questions that you need to answer for yourself before calling your piercer for an appointment. If you find the answers satisfactory, then go rock that new piercing!
What other reason is there to get a new piercing except to show off some new jewelry? Here are some of our favorites from FreshTrends.
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