A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Chain Link Piercings Gone Bad (Well, Duh!)

So the fifteen year old DIY-piercer in this photo came in to Color Works in West Des Moines, Iowa with their mother after their doctor refused to help with the problem he’d caused. He’d decided to do the piercings himself — a pair of lip rings and a septum — using, and I kid you not, pieces of chain link that he’d clipped off with wire cutters. They weren’t pierced in place — they were just “crushed” in place with a pair of pliers and brutally crimped into his flesh!

Evan removed them (and one was even rusted), cleaned him up, and told him to go back to the doctor. While Evan was dealing with the problem, the kid refused to stop touching the problem areas no matter how much he was told, and his mother let his four little brothers and sisters come running into the piercing room from the lobby, upon which the one kid immediately starts going through the garbage. Jarret (who took the photos) got them under control as the mother told him about how she’d tried to cut the piercings out with scissors. Darwin Award anyone?

Seriously, this is why in my opinion laws need to allow young people to get body piercings. “18+” and “16+” laws do nothing but hurt young people. Doctors don’t give a fuck and don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time and are so constrained by liability insurance that they often can’t help even if they want to, parents are clueless, and there are plenty of fly-by-night shops and nomadic piercers willing to abuse pierce kids anyway… High quality shops need to be accessible to people of all ages, because the fact is, people of all ages want piercings, and they’ll get them one way or another.

Comments

904 responses to “Chain Link Piercings Gone Bad (Well, Duh!)”

  1. jay Avatar

    fuck, that’s even more punk rawk then the kids with the safety pins in their eyebrows.

    Retarded yes, but damn

  2. jay Avatar

    fuck, that’s even more punk rawk then the kids with the safety pins in their eyebrows.

    Retarded yes, but damn

  3. IAM:Psyx Avatar
    IAM:Psyx

    Has anyone noticed how BENT those ring openers are in the photo? That kid has some severe pain tolerance. Or judging by his smile, acces to alot of drugs…

  4. IAM:Psyx Avatar
    IAM:Psyx

    Has anyone noticed how BENT those ring openers are in the photo? That kid has some severe pain tolerance. Or judging by his smile, acces to alot of drugs…

  5. IAM:Psyx Avatar
    IAM:Psyx

    Has anyone noticed how BENT those ring openers are in the photo? That kid has some severe pain tolerance. Or judging by his smile, acces to alot of drugs…

  6. IAM:Psyx Avatar
    IAM:Psyx

    Has anyone noticed how BENT those ring openers are in the photo? That kid has some severe pain tolerance. Or judging by his smile, acces to alot of drugs…

  7. gillian gamine Avatar
    gillian gamine

    i commented this already, but i am seriously considering asking my school if they will sponsor a “body modification awareness” class through a club or health classes or something. so many girls are showing up with self-done lip piercings with ear studs in them that get horribly infected and look like cold sores gone bad. a lot of them don’t even know that piercings should be done at a studio. they all thought that you should just get them done at claire’s or by “experienced” friends.

    if i could somehow find a way to show these people my age the truth about cross-contamination, transmittable diseases, infections, proper procedure, and other piercing (and possibly tattooing) essentials.

  8. gillian gamine Avatar
    gillian gamine

    i commented this already, but i am seriously considering asking my school if they will sponsor a “body modification awareness” class through a club or health classes or something. so many girls are showing up with self-done lip piercings with ear studs in them that get horribly infected and look like cold sores gone bad. a lot of them don’t even know that piercings should be done at a studio. they all thought that you should just get them done at claire’s or by “experienced” friends.

    if i could somehow find a way to show these people my age the truth about cross-contamination, transmittable diseases, infections, proper procedure, and other piercing (and possibly tattooing) essentials.

  9. gillian gamine Avatar
    gillian gamine

    i commented this already, but i am seriously considering asking my school if they will sponsor a “body modification awareness” class through a club or health classes or something. so many girls are showing up with self-done lip piercings with ear studs in them that get horribly infected and look like cold sores gone bad. a lot of them don’t even know that piercings should be done at a studio. they all thought that you should just get them done at claire’s or by “experienced” friends.

    if i could somehow find a way to show these people my age the truth about cross-contamination, transmittable diseases, infections, proper procedure, and other piercing (and possibly tattooing) essentials.

  10. gillian gamine Avatar
    gillian gamine

    i commented this already, but i am seriously considering asking my school if they will sponsor a “body modification awareness” class through a club or health classes or something. so many girls are showing up with self-done lip piercings with ear studs in them that get horribly infected and look like cold sores gone bad. a lot of them don’t even know that piercings should be done at a studio. they all thought that you should just get them done at claire’s or by “experienced” friends.

    if i could somehow find a way to show these people my age the truth about cross-contamination, transmittable diseases, infections, proper procedure, and other piercing (and possibly tattooing) essentials.

  11. dumbass kid Avatar
    dumbass kid

    I totally agree with what u said at the bottom of the pics about lowering the legal age. When I was 15 I got a tattoo from a “carnie” who was in town for the annual fair. This guy actually poured the ink into the cap of the bottle, used it, and then poured the remainder back into the bottle. I am soooo lucky I didn’t get any diseases!! Hey if a kid wants a tattoo, or a peircing they will get/do it. and they will get fucked up because of it.

  12. dumbass kid Avatar
    dumbass kid

    I totally agree with what u said at the bottom of the pics about lowering the legal age. When I was 15 I got a tattoo from a “carnie” who was in town for the annual fair. This guy actually poured the ink into the cap of the bottle, used it, and then poured the remainder back into the bottle. I am soooo lucky I didn’t get any diseases!! Hey if a kid wants a tattoo, or a peircing they will get/do it. and they will get fucked up because of it.

  13. dumbass kid Avatar
    dumbass kid

    I totally agree with what u said at the bottom of the pics about lowering the legal age. When I was 15 I got a tattoo from a “carnie” who was in town for the annual fair. This guy actually poured the ink into the cap of the bottle, used it, and then poured the remainder back into the bottle. I am soooo lucky I didn’t get any diseases!! Hey if a kid wants a tattoo, or a peircing they will get/do it. and they will get fucked up because of it.

  14. dumbass kid Avatar
    dumbass kid

    I totally agree with what u said at the bottom of the pics about lowering the legal age. When I was 15 I got a tattoo from a “carnie” who was in town for the annual fair. This guy actually poured the ink into the cap of the bottle, used it, and then poured the remainder back into the bottle. I am soooo lucky I didn’t get any diseases!! Hey if a kid wants a tattoo, or a peircing they will get/do it. and they will get fucked up because of it.

  15. heartbreaker Avatar
    heartbreaker

    Im 17 and just had my lip pierced and now that i have seen what could happen i think i will take it out and let it grow up even thogh iv only had it done for a week

  16. heartbreaker Avatar
    heartbreaker

    Im 17 and just had my lip pierced and now that i have seen what could happen i think i will take it out and let it grow up even thogh iv only had it done for a week

  17. heartbreaker Avatar
    heartbreaker

    Im 17 and just had my lip pierced and now that i have seen what could happen i think i will take it out and let it grow up even thogh iv only had it done for a week

  18. heartbreaker Avatar
    heartbreaker

    Im 17 and just had my lip pierced and now that i have seen what could happen i think i will take it out and let it grow up even thogh iv only had it done for a week

  19. J Avatar
    J

    I think it should be lowered … here in Canada, we don’t have age limit laws from what I understand, just general practice amoung professionals that they won’t pierce anyone under the age of 16 without parental concent.

    Now … when it came to my little brother, at the age of 14 he REALLY wanted a nipple ring. I told him to wait till the age, because his parents were not going to allow it. However, he got restless and at the 15 come hell or high water, he was getting it done. All the reputible shops wouldn’t pirce him without signing the waiver, but one bad shop that is know for shitty tattoos and less than stellar body piercing practices. There was NO way I was allowing him to get pierced there, so I begged my piercer to do it, so it would at least be safe. He agreed, and adv him that if his parents came after him when they found out, he would have to tell them that he lied and said he was 16. Waiver was signed, piercing was done and healed well. His parents didn’t find out till he was 16 … and apparently didn’t care that much.

    lowering the legal age might not stop a kid from pircing themselves with stupid objects, but it might allow pircers to give kids safer alternatives.

  20. J Avatar
    J

    I think it should be lowered … here in Canada, we don’t have age limit laws from what I understand, just general practice amoung professionals that they won’t pierce anyone under the age of 16 without parental concent.

    Now … when it came to my little brother, at the age of 14 he REALLY wanted a nipple ring. I told him to wait till the age, because his parents were not going to allow it. However, he got restless and at the 15 come hell or high water, he was getting it done. All the reputible shops wouldn’t pirce him without signing the waiver, but one bad shop that is know for shitty tattoos and less than stellar body piercing practices. There was NO way I was allowing him to get pierced there, so I begged my piercer to do it, so it would at least be safe. He agreed, and adv him that if his parents came after him when they found out, he would have to tell them that he lied and said he was 16. Waiver was signed, piercing was done and healed well. His parents didn’t find out till he was 16 … and apparently didn’t care that much.

    lowering the legal age might not stop a kid from pircing themselves with stupid objects, but it might allow pircers to give kids safer alternatives.

  21. J Avatar
    J

    I think it should be lowered … here in Canada, we don’t have age limit laws from what I understand, just general practice amoung professionals that they won’t pierce anyone under the age of 16 without parental concent.

    Now … when it came to my little brother, at the age of 14 he REALLY wanted a nipple ring. I told him to wait till the age, because his parents were not going to allow it. However, he got restless and at the 15 come hell or high water, he was getting it done. All the reputible shops wouldn’t pirce him without signing the waiver, but one bad shop that is know for shitty tattoos and less than stellar body piercing practices. There was NO way I was allowing him to get pierced there, so I begged my piercer to do it, so it would at least be safe. He agreed, and adv him that if his parents came after him when they found out, he would have to tell them that he lied and said he was 16. Waiver was signed, piercing was done and healed well. His parents didn’t find out till he was 16 … and apparently didn’t care that much.

    lowering the legal age might not stop a kid from pircing themselves with stupid objects, but it might allow pircers to give kids safer alternatives.

  22. J Avatar
    J

    I think it should be lowered … here in Canada, we don’t have age limit laws from what I understand, just general practice amoung professionals that they won’t pierce anyone under the age of 16 without parental concent.

    Now … when it came to my little brother, at the age of 14 he REALLY wanted a nipple ring. I told him to wait till the age, because his parents were not going to allow it. However, he got restless and at the 15 come hell or high water, he was getting it done. All the reputible shops wouldn’t pirce him without signing the waiver, but one bad shop that is know for shitty tattoos and less than stellar body piercing practices. There was NO way I was allowing him to get pierced there, so I begged my piercer to do it, so it would at least be safe. He agreed, and adv him that if his parents came after him when they found out, he would have to tell them that he lied and said he was 16. Waiver was signed, piercing was done and healed well. His parents didn’t find out till he was 16 … and apparently didn’t care that much.

    lowering the legal age might not stop a kid from pircing themselves with stupid objects, but it might allow pircers to give kids safer alternatives.

  23. Graley Avatar
    Graley

    I can sort of understand where this kid is coming from…

    Was he planning on keeping the ‘piercings’ permanently, or were they just there for aesthetics?

    I have to admit that I used to fuck about with BCR’s with no balls in to see how a piercing would look on me…

    😀

  24. Graley Avatar
    Graley

    I can sort of understand where this kid is coming from…

    Was he planning on keeping the ‘piercings’ permanently, or were they just there for aesthetics?

    I have to admit that I used to fuck about with BCR’s with no balls in to see how a piercing would look on me…

    😀

  25. Graley Avatar
    Graley

    I can sort of understand where this kid is coming from…

    Was he planning on keeping the ‘piercings’ permanently, or were they just there for aesthetics?

    I have to admit that I used to fuck about with BCR’s with no balls in to see how a piercing would look on me…

    😀

  26. Graley Avatar
    Graley

    I can sort of understand where this kid is coming from…

    Was he planning on keeping the ‘piercings’ permanently, or were they just there for aesthetics?

    I have to admit that I used to fuck about with BCR’s with no balls in to see how a piercing would look on me…

    😀

  27. Kristen Avatar

    As blindingly stupid as this is, I don’t think changing the age limits of piercing will necessarily change things. So-called adults can be just as stupid as children. I have too many friends who have self-pierced with safety pins at age 19 (and older!) because they “didn’t feel like paying somebody to do it {well}”. I think that’s a college kid problem – not wanting to pay for someone else to do something right for you when there are “easier” ways out.

    On the other hand, I am absolutely disgusted by the doctor’s reaction! He shouldn’t be able to practice after that.

  28. Kristen Avatar

    As blindingly stupid as this is, I don’t think changing the age limits of piercing will necessarily change things. So-called adults can be just as stupid as children. I have too many friends who have self-pierced with safety pins at age 19 (and older!) because they “didn’t feel like paying somebody to do it {well}”. I think that’s a college kid problem – not wanting to pay for someone else to do something right for you when there are “easier” ways out.

    On the other hand, I am absolutely disgusted by the doctor’s reaction! He shouldn’t be able to practice after that.

  29. Kristen Avatar

    As blindingly stupid as this is, I don’t think changing the age limits of piercing will necessarily change things. So-called adults can be just as stupid as children. I have too many friends who have self-pierced with safety pins at age 19 (and older!) because they “didn’t feel like paying somebody to do it {well}”. I think that’s a college kid problem – not wanting to pay for someone else to do something right for you when there are “easier” ways out.

    On the other hand, I am absolutely disgusted by the doctor’s reaction! He shouldn’t be able to practice after that.

  30. Kristen Avatar

    As blindingly stupid as this is, I don’t think changing the age limits of piercing will necessarily change things. So-called adults can be just as stupid as children. I have too many friends who have self-pierced with safety pins at age 19 (and older!) because they “didn’t feel like paying somebody to do it {well}”. I think that’s a college kid problem – not wanting to pay for someone else to do something right for you when there are “easier” ways out.

    On the other hand, I am absolutely disgusted by the doctor’s reaction! He shouldn’t be able to practice after that.

  31. Bunny Avatar
    Bunny

    I am 14 and have my navel pierced aswell as my cartlidge and lobes. (with parental permission)
    Im not stupid enough to do that, nomater how bad i want a piercing i would rather get it done by a professional who isnt gonna leav eme with a huge scar, than by myself and have it infected.
    As to the whole law thing if they did reduce it i dont think it would make a diffrence. becuas einstead of doing it unhygenicly themselves they will go to a bad shop and get it done. Basicly its up to the teen who wants it done not the law

  32. Bunny Avatar
    Bunny

    I am 14 and have my navel pierced aswell as my cartlidge and lobes. (with parental permission)
    Im not stupid enough to do that, nomater how bad i want a piercing i would rather get it done by a professional who isnt gonna leav eme with a huge scar, than by myself and have it infected.
    As to the whole law thing if they did reduce it i dont think it would make a diffrence. becuas einstead of doing it unhygenicly themselves they will go to a bad shop and get it done. Basicly its up to the teen who wants it done not the law

  33. Bunny Avatar
    Bunny

    I am 14 and have my navel pierced aswell as my cartlidge and lobes. (with parental permission)
    Im not stupid enough to do that, nomater how bad i want a piercing i would rather get it done by a professional who isnt gonna leav eme with a huge scar, than by myself and have it infected.
    As to the whole law thing if they did reduce it i dont think it would make a diffrence. becuas einstead of doing it unhygenicly themselves they will go to a bad shop and get it done. Basicly its up to the teen who wants it done not the law

  34. Bunny Avatar
    Bunny

    I am 14 and have my navel pierced aswell as my cartlidge and lobes. (with parental permission)
    Im not stupid enough to do that, nomater how bad i want a piercing i would rather get it done by a professional who isnt gonna leav eme with a huge scar, than by myself and have it infected.
    As to the whole law thing if they did reduce it i dont think it would make a diffrence. becuas einstead of doing it unhygenicly themselves they will go to a bad shop and get it done. Basicly its up to the teen who wants it done not the law

  35. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    that kid derserves a swift kick to the throat

  36. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    that kid derserves a swift kick to the throat

  37. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    that kid derserves a swift kick to the throat

  38. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    that kid derserves a swift kick to the throat

  39. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Im not exactly sure why evry1 haer is calling this kid a bunch of names..O i know why because of the moderators stance and evry1′s desire to fall into place behind them.He did nothing more than whhat i would be considerired ubnkown epermintaion. That dosnt make him dumb just uninformed without kids like him there wouldnt be men on here liek me but fuck all u stupid hose with the bad attitudes !_#

  40. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Im not exactly sure why evry1 haer is calling this kid a bunch of names..O i know why because of the moderators stance and evry1′s desire to fall into place behind them.He did nothing more than whhat i would be considerired ubnkown epermintaion. That dosnt make him dumb just uninformed without kids like him there wouldnt be men on here liek me but fuck all u stupid hose with the bad attitudes !_#

  41. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Im not exactly sure why evry1 haer is calling this kid a bunch of names..O i know why because of the moderators stance and evry1′s desire to fall into place behind them.He did nothing more than whhat i would be considerired ubnkown epermintaion. That dosnt make him dumb just uninformed without kids like him there wouldnt be men on here liek me but fuck all u stupid hose with the bad attitudes !_#

  42. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Im not exactly sure why evry1 haer is calling this kid a bunch of names..O i know why because of the moderators stance and evry1′s desire to fall into place behind them.He did nothing more than whhat i would be considerired ubnkown epermintaion. That dosnt make him dumb just uninformed without kids like him there wouldnt be men on here liek me but fuck all u stupid hose with the bad attitudes !_#

  43. HYB Avatar

    I’m late and didn’t even read about half of the posts but I want to give my 2 cents to this thing.

    I personally agree with the age qualifications if set to the same level in all the us states,most preferrably 16 and 18 and educating them at school. But I would still make some exceptions on younger kids getting a piercing.

    I myself got my 1st piercing when i was about to turn14 (i don’t think Finland has anything too restricting,just guidelines based on observation and the like).Just a normal eyebrow barbell,nothing too complicated and i’d wanted it for years and waited for my mom to go with me to a reputable piercer. The guy pierced me,the jewellery retired quick after that because it grew out,wich i’m quite prone of. After the eyebrow,i got my bridge done,followed almost immediately by center labret piercing,done at age 15. Those were basically the piercings my mom allowed me to have,she stopped caring after those. After that i got my tongue,industrial and 2 cartillage piercings done pretty quickly,but I was without a reputable studio since the piercer died (and the distance was about 300 km from my own city since we didn’t have anyone doing piercings at the moment.)

    Over last summer though new piercing place opened up and it’s a part of a larger chain.They had a piercer there who had 2 trainees,the other being the trainee of my previous piercer. I had my bridge re-done since it had grown out and a horizontal eyebrow but somehow i didn’t like the trainer. Me and Jussi,the other trainee who works there now permanently hit it off well though and are good friends. I got several piercings done by him now,my 3rd bridge,now retired other horizontal eyebrow,nape,2nd tongue,snakebites navel and inverse navel,septum,inner conch,nipples and i’m about to get a madison and a vch done pretty soon (i started stretching ears at some point but i can’t remember when).He has pretty high standards in his shop because he’s seen very immature kids who can’t take care of their piercings so his limits are 16 to every other piercing except genitals wich he does at age 20 (with some exceptions). I’m about to turn 17 in november yet i still have these mods.I have taken care of all of them,and never considered DIY on anything other than my earlobes done by a sterile packaged needle. I could very well wait on my mods,but i also feel very strongly that it wouldn’t be any different than it would be to get them done now.I’m also not stupid,nor is my piercer since (hell he wouldn’t do anything on me if he didn’t know me and that I could take care of my piercings)i’m bodily mature. At least that’s what my doctor says to me,no changes in height or anything anymore,otherwise i wouldn’t have things like my nipples pierced and I’m also mentally mature enough to take care of them properly.

    What i’m trying to say mainly is,sometimes people are mature enough even in younger years to get the piercings they want.A piercer can with some effort learn if the kid is mature enough for it,by simply asking about if they know about the aftercare and the consequenses (spelling?) of mistreating it and i.e. if it’s an oral piercing,tooth damage. Same goes with people of older age who are just plain stupid,like a person i know who got her labred pierced at 21 and kept shoving make-up into the fresh piercing hole and then wondering why it was irritated.

    But at least one thing regular jewellery shops have upgraded here,recently a shop hired a piercer to train one of the women (she’s in her late 30′s wich is a wow) to do professional piercing and she’s doing very good.No more gun abuse. Information,Information,Information.

    P.S. If some people are wondering about it,if i hadn’t had any access to shops,I still wouldn’t have done it myself,I have a knark of researching things very throughly. Oh,and I believe that kid is just a plain dumbass who wouldn’t have neccessarily gone to a reputable piercer if given the chance. I just wrote a novel here.

  44. HYB Avatar

    I’m late and didn’t even read about half of the posts but I want to give my 2 cents to this thing.

    I personally agree with the age qualifications if set to the same level in all the us states,most preferrably 16 and 18 and educating them at school. But I would still make some exceptions on younger kids getting a piercing.

    I myself got my 1st piercing when i was about to turn14 (i don’t think Finland has anything too restricting,just guidelines based on observation and the like).Just a normal eyebrow barbell,nothing too complicated and i’d wanted it for years and waited for my mom to go with me to a reputable piercer. The guy pierced me,the jewellery retired quick after that because it grew out,wich i’m quite prone of. After the eyebrow,i got my bridge done,followed almost immediately by center labret piercing,done at age 15. Those were basically the piercings my mom allowed me to have,she stopped caring after those. After that i got my tongue,industrial and 2 cartillage piercings done pretty quickly,but I was without a reputable studio since the piercer died (and the distance was about 300 km from my own city since we didn’t have anyone doing piercings at the moment.)

    Over last summer though new piercing place opened up and it’s a part of a larger chain.They had a piercer there who had 2 trainees,the other being the trainee of my previous piercer. I had my bridge re-done since it had grown out and a horizontal eyebrow but somehow i didn’t like the trainer. Me and Jussi,the other trainee who works there now permanently hit it off well though and are good friends. I got several piercings done by him now,my 3rd bridge,now retired other horizontal eyebrow,nape,2nd tongue,snakebites navel and inverse navel,septum,inner conch,nipples and i’m about to get a madison and a vch done pretty soon (i started stretching ears at some point but i can’t remember when).He has pretty high standards in his shop because he’s seen very immature kids who can’t take care of their piercings so his limits are 16 to every other piercing except genitals wich he does at age 20 (with some exceptions). I’m about to turn 17 in november yet i still have these mods.I have taken care of all of them,and never considered DIY on anything other than my earlobes done by a sterile packaged needle. I could very well wait on my mods,but i also feel very strongly that it wouldn’t be any different than it would be to get them done now.I’m also not stupid,nor is my piercer since (hell he wouldn’t do anything on me if he didn’t know me and that I could take care of my piercings)i’m bodily mature. At least that’s what my doctor says to me,no changes in height or anything anymore,otherwise i wouldn’t have things like my nipples pierced and I’m also mentally mature enough to take care of them properly.

    What i’m trying to say mainly is,sometimes people are mature enough even in younger years to get the piercings they want.A piercer can with some effort learn if the kid is mature enough for it,by simply asking about if they know about the aftercare and the consequenses (spelling?) of mistreating it and i.e. if it’s an oral piercing,tooth damage. Same goes with people of older age who are just plain stupid,like a person i know who got her labred pierced at 21 and kept shoving make-up into the fresh piercing hole and then wondering why it was irritated.

    But at least one thing regular jewellery shops have upgraded here,recently a shop hired a piercer to train one of the women (she’s in her late 30′s wich is a wow) to do professional piercing and she’s doing very good.No more gun abuse. Information,Information,Information.

    P.S. If some people are wondering about it,if i hadn’t had any access to shops,I still wouldn’t have done it myself,I have a knark of researching things very throughly. Oh,and I believe that kid is just a plain dumbass who wouldn’t have neccessarily gone to a reputable piercer if given the chance. I just wrote a novel here.

  45. HYB Avatar

    I’m late and didn’t even read about half of the posts but I want to give my 2 cents to this thing.

    I personally agree with the age qualifications if set to the same level in all the us states,most preferrably 16 and 18 and educating them at school. But I would still make some exceptions on younger kids getting a piercing.

    I myself got my 1st piercing when i was about to turn14 (i don’t think Finland has anything too restricting,just guidelines based on observation and the like).Just a normal eyebrow barbell,nothing too complicated and i’d wanted it for years and waited for my mom to go with me to a reputable piercer. The guy pierced me,the jewellery retired quick after that because it grew out,wich i’m quite prone of. After the eyebrow,i got my bridge done,followed almost immediately by center labret piercing,done at age 15. Those were basically the piercings my mom allowed me to have,she stopped caring after those. After that i got my tongue,industrial and 2 cartillage piercings done pretty quickly,but I was without a reputable studio since the piercer died (and the distance was about 300 km from my own city since we didn’t have anyone doing piercings at the moment.)

    Over last summer though new piercing place opened up and it’s a part of a larger chain.They had a piercer there who had 2 trainees,the other being the trainee of my previous piercer. I had my bridge re-done since it had grown out and a horizontal eyebrow but somehow i didn’t like the trainer. Me and Jussi,the other trainee who works there now permanently hit it off well though and are good friends. I got several piercings done by him now,my 3rd bridge,now retired other horizontal eyebrow,nape,2nd tongue,snakebites navel and inverse navel,septum,inner conch,nipples and i’m about to get a madison and a vch done pretty soon (i started stretching ears at some point but i can’t remember when).He has pretty high standards in his shop because he’s seen very immature kids who can’t take care of their piercings so his limits are 16 to every other piercing except genitals wich he does at age 20 (with some exceptions). I’m about to turn 17 in november yet i still have these mods.I have taken care of all of them,and never considered DIY on anything other than my earlobes done by a sterile packaged needle. I could very well wait on my mods,but i also feel very strongly that it wouldn’t be any different than it would be to get them done now.I’m also not stupid,nor is my piercer since (hell he wouldn’t do anything on me if he didn’t know me and that I could take care of my piercings)i’m bodily mature. At least that’s what my doctor says to me,no changes in height or anything anymore,otherwise i wouldn’t have things like my nipples pierced and I’m also mentally mature enough to take care of them properly.

    What i’m trying to say mainly is,sometimes people are mature enough even in younger years to get the piercings they want.A piercer can with some effort learn if the kid is mature enough for it,by simply asking about if they know about the aftercare and the consequenses (spelling?) of mistreating it and i.e. if it’s an oral piercing,tooth damage. Same goes with people of older age who are just plain stupid,like a person i know who got her labred pierced at 21 and kept shoving make-up into the fresh piercing hole and then wondering why it was irritated.

    But at least one thing regular jewellery shops have upgraded here,recently a shop hired a piercer to train one of the women (she’s in her late 30′s wich is a wow) to do professional piercing and she’s doing very good.No more gun abuse. Information,Information,Information.

    P.S. If some people are wondering about it,if i hadn’t had any access to shops,I still wouldn’t have done it myself,I have a knark of researching things very throughly. Oh,and I believe that kid is just a plain dumbass who wouldn’t have neccessarily gone to a reputable piercer if given the chance. I just wrote a novel here.

  46. HYB Avatar

    I’m late and didn’t even read about half of the posts but I want to give my 2 cents to this thing.

    I personally agree with the age qualifications if set to the same level in all the us states,most preferrably 16 and 18 and educating them at school. But I would still make some exceptions on younger kids getting a piercing.

    I myself got my 1st piercing when i was about to turn14 (i don’t think Finland has anything too restricting,just guidelines based on observation and the like).Just a normal eyebrow barbell,nothing too complicated and i’d wanted it for years and waited for my mom to go with me to a reputable piercer. The guy pierced me,the jewellery retired quick after that because it grew out,wich i’m quite prone of. After the eyebrow,i got my bridge done,followed almost immediately by center labret piercing,done at age 15. Those were basically the piercings my mom allowed me to have,she stopped caring after those. After that i got my tongue,industrial and 2 cartillage piercings done pretty quickly,but I was without a reputable studio since the piercer died (and the distance was about 300 km from my own city since we didn’t have anyone doing piercings at the moment.)

    Over last summer though new piercing place opened up and it’s a part of a larger chain.They had a piercer there who had 2 trainees,the other being the trainee of my previous piercer. I had my bridge re-done since it had grown out and a horizontal eyebrow but somehow i didn’t like the trainer. Me and Jussi,the other trainee who works there now permanently hit it off well though and are good friends. I got several piercings done by him now,my 3rd bridge,now retired other horizontal eyebrow,nape,2nd tongue,snakebites navel and inverse navel,septum,inner conch,nipples and i’m about to get a madison and a vch done pretty soon (i started stretching ears at some point but i can’t remember when).He has pretty high standards in his shop because he’s seen very immature kids who can’t take care of their piercings so his limits are 16 to every other piercing except genitals wich he does at age 20 (with some exceptions). I’m about to turn 17 in november yet i still have these mods.I have taken care of all of them,and never considered DIY on anything other than my earlobes done by a sterile packaged needle. I could very well wait on my mods,but i also feel very strongly that it wouldn’t be any different than it would be to get them done now.I’m also not stupid,nor is my piercer since (hell he wouldn’t do anything on me if he didn’t know me and that I could take care of my piercings)i’m bodily mature. At least that’s what my doctor says to me,no changes in height or anything anymore,otherwise i wouldn’t have things like my nipples pierced and I’m also mentally mature enough to take care of them properly.

    What i’m trying to say mainly is,sometimes people are mature enough even in younger years to get the piercings they want.A piercer can with some effort learn if the kid is mature enough for it,by simply asking about if they know about the aftercare and the consequenses (spelling?) of mistreating it and i.e. if it’s an oral piercing,tooth damage. Same goes with people of older age who are just plain stupid,like a person i know who got her labred pierced at 21 and kept shoving make-up into the fresh piercing hole and then wondering why it was irritated.

    But at least one thing regular jewellery shops have upgraded here,recently a shop hired a piercer to train one of the women (she’s in her late 30′s wich is a wow) to do professional piercing and she’s doing very good.No more gun abuse. Information,Information,Information.

    P.S. If some people are wondering about it,if i hadn’t had any access to shops,I still wouldn’t have done it myself,I have a knark of researching things very throughly. Oh,and I believe that kid is just a plain dumbass who wouldn’t have neccessarily gone to a reputable piercer if given the chance. I just wrote a novel here.

  47. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    You only have to walk into the two parlours to see the difference.
    When deciding on my piercing/tattoo parlour, I went to the two with the best reputation and checked them out. I compared their prices, and eventually went with the one that I saw was cleaner, even though it was a touch more expensive.
    [That, and looking at their artists’ work, etc.]

  48. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    You only have to walk into the two parlours to see the difference.
    When deciding on my piercing/tattoo parlour, I went to the two with the best reputation and checked them out. I compared their prices, and eventually went with the one that I saw was cleaner, even though it was a touch more expensive.
    [That, and looking at their artists’ work, etc.]

  49. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    You only have to walk into the two parlours to see the difference.
    When deciding on my piercing/tattoo parlour, I went to the two with the best reputation and checked them out. I compared their prices, and eventually went with the one that I saw was cleaner, even though it was a touch more expensive.
    [That, and looking at their artists’ work, etc.]

  50. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    You only have to walk into the two parlours to see the difference.
    When deciding on my piercing/tattoo parlour, I went to the two with the best reputation and checked them out. I compared their prices, and eventually went with the one that I saw was cleaner, even though it was a touch more expensive.
    [That, and looking at their artists’ work, etc.]

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