Express yourself with a body piercing

Whether you have one in your nose, tongue, cheek, eyebrow, belly or simply in your ear, stand tall today on International Body Piercing Day.

28 June is International Body Piercing Day and marks the celebration of not only body piercings but self expression, be it for religious reasons, rites of passage or simply for the heck of it.

Body piercings date back to almost 5 000 years ago. People in Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, India and parts of Africa as well as other cultures around the world have pieced their flesh for different reasons.

There are many types of piercings, more popular ones being in the nose, tongue, earlobe and cartilage, lip, septum, navel, nipple, genitals and eyebrow. Some people also get piercings in their cheeks, lower back and the back of the neck.

Did you know?

1. The most common form of piercing is the ear piercing which dates back to around 2 500 BC.

2. Although piercings are more popular in women, men like Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare and Francis Drake wore elaborate earrings.

3. The record for most piercings is held by a Scottish woman who has 4225 permanent piercings.

4. There is some form of complication in up to 35 per cent of piercings.

5. You can be allergic to piercings.

6. After piercing your body it’s normal to experience some swelling, pain and even bleeding. This is because piercings create a wound and are technically a trauma to the body.

Different piercings take different times to heal and the healing period can range between four weeks to a year. One of the biggest risks when getting a piercing is infection which can be avoided if the piercer washes his/her hands and uses sanitized materials. One should also be sure to clean piercings regularly with clean hands.

It is imperative that you do your research before getting a new piercing and to get it done by a reputable professional.

Body Piercing Day is your day to be daring so go out there and get that piercing you’ve always wanted.

Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.

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