Unfortunately the qualifications of a piercer leaves a lot to be wished for sometimes. I recently went to a local tattoo/piercing shop here in Ontario while my friend was going to get her first piercing done. While they were setting up the piercer my friend was a bit nervous so the piercer kept asking me to get something pierced as well. I've had some pretty bad experiences with piercing before so I was against this. At first I just told him I couldn't, but he continued persisting. Finally I told him that, no I was unable to, because I have a skin condition that results in keloids, lumps, like tumors, of scar tissue that can stay permamently on my skin. My whole family has a variation on this condition and it can be very bad. I had tried one time to get a second ear piercing only to have one grow to the size of a small orange behind my ear. I had to have it removed by a plastic surgeon and the pain and akwardness of that experience, and the difficulty I've had with pie rcings since has driven me away from attempting it most of the time. So I had very valid reasons not to get another piercing, at least from my point of view.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Three months ago Location Ontario, Canada The piercer tried to convince me that it was actually just me, "Not taking good care" of my previous piercing and that I had just been dirty. I'm a pretty clean person and certainly my appearance was clean and well kept there, so I tried explaining to him that this was a legitimate condition and that anyone dealing with piercing should have some idea of issues that can arise such as this before piercing people professionally. He continued to argue with me and claimed once again that it was a matter of hygiene and that I was simply misinformed about my own condition. I told my friend that she was absolutely not going to get a piercing from this place, since I didn't believe he was trustworthy enough to perform this piercing and got her to leave.
Later on that night I went online to a medical website and copied the information about my condition and sent it the tattoo shop along with the story of what happened to us that day. I told them about how my body forms keloids over the site of piercings and how their piercer tried to convince me to pierce anyhow, despite the possibility of damage and scarring to me as a result. Apparently I wasn't the first person to complain about the piercer's "qualifications" and his coercing of people into piercings without explaining some of the complications that can arise and I never saw him again at that shop.
At other shops I've had experiences that seem much more reliable. I've had piercers tell me about the countless ways they sanitize and even had piercers discuss with me the nature of my keloids. It it important, especially if you plan to find a reliable shop to get a lot of work done with, to find knowledgeable and experienced staff that are going to make you aware of any problems that could come up. Generally these people are much better equipped for their job and the work will come out much better.
This isn't to say that all piercers are bad or inexperienced. This is just a reminder that just because someone works for a shop doesn't mean they are fully qualified to perform all the services they offer. I'm sure the piercer could do his job adequately but it was frightening the lack of sense he had in trying to coerce me into getting a piercing despite the damage it could have caused. So just remember, when doing for any work ask questions to whoever is doing the work on you and don't be frightened to walk out if they don't seem to be trained in what you need.
You may be very excited to get that new piercing or tattoo but especially if it is the first time you undertake any body mod it is important that you understand the possible complications and consequences of that mod, because not all of the shops you go in to will inform you of these risks beforehand. For me it means that twice I've had to have tumor-like tissue removed, permanently scarring my ears, simply because of issues like these, but it could easily be septicemia or rejected piercings or any number of issues. So before your next procedure take the time to look up the shop and their staff and ask around about the reliability of the place you plan to go to. A few minutes of research can save you hours of heartache in the future. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...