We didn’t make this, or do these piercings, but we couldn’t agree more.

We understand that everyone has to consider the cost of a piercing. But, what we want everyone to remember is that, just like anything else you buy, you are probably going to have to pay a bit more for higher quality and better service. And, when it comes to your body…you’re health and safety…do you really want anything but the best?

We strongly believe that the desire to modify one’s body is something that is natural and instinctual, not limited by race, gender, culture or……species.

And it was with that belief in mind that we helped this very enthusiastic and surprisingly civil, gorilla find his way in the world with a nipple piercing. As with all things cutting-edge these days, there was video documentation. We hope to be able to provide that to all of you at some point.

We put this up a while ago on our Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter pages. Seems like this would be a good place for it too.

triple forward helix done by Derek

UPDATE
We’ve been getting a lot of emails and questions about whether these are “dermals”, microdermals or some kind of surface piercing. No. These are just standard forward helix piercings done with standard piercing jewelry.

While we don’t wish to speak ill of anyone, if you consult a piercer about these piercings, and they tell you that they are some sort of dermal anchor piercing, or that the jewelry to do these as a regular piercing doesn’t exist or something similar, we would strongly encourage to find another piercer. While this particular configuration of piercings has recently become very popular, it isn’t “brand new” or overly advanced. If a piercer can’t figure out what is going on by simply looking at the picture, it probably says something about their experience and/or understanding of basic body piercing.

Some of you may have been expecting a blog about metal sensitivities as they relate to body piercing. That blog is coming soon, we promise. Some recent changes to some Minneapolis regulations has prompted us to make this our newest blog.

Hopefully you’ll find this informative as well.

Return of the What?

Microdermals (also know as dermal anchors and single-point surface piercings) have been around for about 5 years. So in the realm of all things body piercing, they are still pretty new. However, in that short period of time they have become quite popular, so chances are good you’ve seen one even if you didn’t realize you had. If you’ve ever seen a piercing that is a single ball or gem inserted in a flat area of someone’s skin, then you have seen a microdermal. (more…)

There’s no question one of the most unique, striking and interesting ear piercings is the Snug piercing. A quick bit of anatomical background: a Snug piercing goes somewhere along the ridge created by the antihelix and the antihelical fold.

While usually done in the area of the antihelical fold, snug piercings can also be done on the anithelix

In the picture below you can see a double snug piercing, even less common than a single snug piercing. This piercing was done at the Saint Sabrina’s and ultimately, ended up not working out for the young lady wearing it.

Double snug piercing with curved barbells

The main “problem” with snug piercings is the prolonged healing time. They typically take 6 months, sometimes longer, to heal even when well cared for. They usually stay swollen and sore during much of the healing time also. Snug piercings are so challenging to heal for a number of reasons:

1. A snug piercing goes through cartilage which is simply a harder type of tissue to heal.
2. The fold the piecing goes through tends to be fairly thick. This means the piecing goes through a lot of tissue which takes longer to heal.
3. The shape of the fold the piercing goes through is rounded/curved. This results in a bit of constant pressure on the piercing from the jewelry, which prolongs the healing.
4. The piercing is on the outer part of the ear, meaning it is more likely to get bumped, snagged and knocked around in the course of daily life.

All of these factors combine to make snug piercings very tough for many people to heal. A large percentage of people who get snug piercings end up abandoning them due to the prolonged and uncomfortable healing.

Because snug piercings are so great-looking, I really wanted to find a way to make them a more viable option for my clients.

While I can’t claim to have invented it, I (and the other piercers at Saint Sabrina’s) have become very big fans of an alternative to the snug. Maybe there is already some whacky, animal-related name for it like Panda Nibbles, Rhino Cuddles or Tadpole Hugs, but we prefer to just call it the Faux Snug.

A faux snug made up of a helix piercing and a conch piercing

A Faux Snug is a helix piercing and a conch piercing placed in such a way that they look just like a snug piercing. While healing two cartilage piercings at the same time isn’t always easy, it tends to be significantly easier than trying to heal a snug piercing. With the faux snug, healing time is typically around 2-4 months and the healing period tends to be much more comfortable than a standard snug.

The one potential “downside” to the a faux snug is that it’s two piercings and two pieces of jewelry, so the cost is a bit more than a standard snug piercing. However, all the piercers at Saint Sabrina’s are such big believers in the faux snug, we have chosen to waive the second piercing fee. You will still have to purchase a second piece of jewelry, but we truly believe the time, effort and pain you will miss out on will more than make up for a little extra money spent on the jewelry.

So if you’re looking for a unique new piercing, definitely keep the faux snug in mind.

by Derek Lowe

Disclaimer: We totally stole the title for this entry from our friend Shawn over at Scar Wars. We hope he will see our blatant theft as the flattery for which we intend it.  Shawn’s blog is about the art of scarification (cutting designs in to the skin) and does contain some graphic images.  While incredibly tastefully done, click the link at your own risk.

Over on our Facebook page, we recently asked for topics that folks would like us to write about. We received a few requests for information about piercing, or re-piercing rather, through scar tissue from previous piercings.  This is a great topic, because many people end up having piercings re-done after they remove them for any number of reasons.   (more…)