We are impartial to all views expressed on our website however, we have given a great deal
of thought and consideration to the commonsense views expressed by Doug, James
and Dune (next page), body piercers who make many very interesting and valid points.
Aprilia's comments also pose serious concerns, you may draw your own conclusions

Christina, I'm amazed by your strength and so sorry for your loss. Thank you for making people aware of the
dangers of body piercing. I wanted to be a professional piercer ( and still do! ) but did not realise until I
asked around piercing studios just how easy it is for people to start piercing. I tried to find professional
qualificationsor courses I could go on to gain a bit more knowledge but found there were very few and those
I could find were very expensive and didn't seem particularly trustworthy. I'm now hoping that if i pester
enough, a piercing studio will take me on (as a receptionist maybe? ) so I can watch other people and learn
from those who have been doing it for years. Knowing that, despite the fact I haven't any knowledge other
than what I've read up on the history of the art and anatomy (no experience except on my own ears!) I could
pierce people legally tomorrow, scares me so much. I'd hate to think I could ever hurt anyone by piercing
them badly.

Thank you. Aprilia
id like to add my own condolances to Dan's friends and family, i too work as a body piercer and tattooist and
to be brutally honest this case frightened the hell out of me. im all for stricter guidelines for the 'profession' in
the UK, and would be more than willing to help in any way i can for this to happen, the problem being that
there are far too many (as doug but perfectly)'wet behind the ears' piercers in this country, your lucky if half
the shops in any given town know what their doing, or even care about the possible consequences. and
trying to actually enforce any kind of legislature against this kind of business would be incredible difficult.
there is not even a recognised union or organisation of any kind within the UK that works on behalf of people
within the industry, (to the best of my knowledge) the people the government talked to about a possible set
of regulations last were representatives for the hair and beauty union. again deepest sympathies and very
glad to see that there doesn't seem to be hostility towards the industry on the whole.

Regards.
James.
Firstly, I would like to extend my sincere condolences for your tragic loss.

I would also like to congratulate you for your unbiased, well researched and non-judgmental article about
the dangers of piercing. It would have been all too easy and understandable for you to get on your soap
box preaching the evils of body piercing. The fact is that body piercing, when done correctly, carries very
little risk indeed. When done badly, the consequences can be profound.

I have been a body piercer for 15 years and have watched the industry become more and more diluted
by 'practitioners' who are less and less knowledgeable, skilled and experienced and this is where the
danger lies. After hearing about poor Dan, my professional mind could not help but compare his situation
to many others I have seen in my time.

It can be very problematic, for example, for a ring of too small diameter to be inserted in a 'fresh' lip
piercing - this happens as the piercee often wants it to 'look good' without having to wait for the piercing to
heal. The problem is that lips swell when injured - the ring can then embed causing compression wounds
(somewhat like bedsores). The jewellery and piercing cannot then be cleaned effectively as access cannot
be gained due to the swelling and increasing pain. The outcome can be infection and, in the most extreme
cases, death due to septicaemia.

It is worth noting that it isn't just a piercer who can be blamed for a piercing going wrong - it can often be
the piercee's fault. Once a piercing is performed safely and carefully, and appropriate aftercare is given,
it is then out of the hands of the piercer and it's success lies in the hands of the recipient. If they fail to care
for the piercing appropriately then blame cannot be apportioned to the piercer (please understand I am not
insinuating anything about Dan's case). Another point I would like to make is about cross-contamination.
In my honest opinion people place too much emphasis on a piercing studio looking clean and 'having an
autoclave' etc. Obviously these are very important facts but they mean absolutely nothing if the piercer does
not comprehend the concept of cross-contamination... for example:

The piercer allows a client to remove jewellery from a piercing (this jewellery is 'contaminated') and place it
on the counter. The piercer then touches the counter and then answers the phone. The phone is now
contaminated. The piercer washes their hands, puts on the gloves... then the phone rings... the piercer
answers the phone whilst wearing the gloves. The gloves are now contaminated. The piercer performs a
piercing wearing the same gloves. The piercing is now contaminated. ...it's that easy for infection to spread
around a piercing studio (tattoo studio, hospital, food prep area etc.) and all this can happen without the
recipient being aware of it. The best and most telling thing to look for is continual glove changing and
perhaps an almost obsessive need to spray clean surfaces at least you can tell that the piercer is mindful
of cross-contamination.

Personally, I would not necessarily recommend a piercer purely because they are a member of a
particular professional body, or who holds any particular certificate or qualification as these factors do
not inherently prove they appreciate many of the essential finer points of the science behind piercing.

One final point: if you're not sure... just don't do it. Nobody is forcing you into getting a piercing. Don't get
pierced because it makes you 'fit in'. Get pierced because you truly want to... and take your time to hunt
out and travel to the best piercer money can buy.

I completely agree that there needs to be stricter guidelines governing the practice of body piercing,
however I am not entirely sure how guidelines could be implemented as there has been talk about
this very fact for many years with no national concenus; there are countless 'courses' you can go on and
'certificates'to stick on your wall - the vast majority of which give a wet-behind-the-ears piercer a false sense
of ability and knowledge... While the cogs of council and government are grinding, I have a message to all
piercers out there who are probably reading this...please be humble - you are practicing a form of surgery,
which is practically ungoverned, on people who are sat in your chair voluntarily - please do not abuse their
trust by stepping beyond your ability and experience!

...I don't wish to come over all 'preachy' but if you are a piercer of any conscientiousness you will appreciate
my sentiment. I have watched the piercing industry become saturated with practitionersover the years -
some have great skill, style and a thirst for knowledge...whilst others are just in it for a quick quid. If you fall
into the latter category then perhaps this terrible misfortune of Dan and his loving family will help you realise
that you are playing with peoples health and even their lives.

Doug