Why is body piercing common around the country?

Body piercing is so common now -- about as common as tattoos. People will pierce any and everything just to be different from the other persons around.

Runda D. Evans, a sophomore at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC was patiently waiting to get her second piercing. She already had her belly pierced and now she getting her tongue pierced.

As she stood looking into the case that held all of the jewelry, she pointed at a few that she would like to purchase once her tongue healed.

The only thing about this time around: Runda was scared to go through it.

She was afraid that it would hurt much more than her belly piercing hurt. No one could understand why she was acting like that and why she was so scared. If anyone else has problems such as hers and is are scared about the pain of getting a piercing, check out the beginner's guide.

Runda had been checking out various places on the web and through other people about a piercing. She had also checked out a few prices on a tongue piercing. She also checked out the different types of piercings to get an idea of the "tongue" piercing process and to read about some of the experiences people had.

Christy, who had been through this procedure twice, tried reassuring Runda about the pain. Christy told her that the piercing felt more like a pinch than a pain. She told Runda, "You may have the quick reflex to close your mouth or to grab your mouth."

The thought or idea of piercings really never started until years ago. The piercing of ears was common among little girls because it distinguished them from the little boys. But now sometimes you can't tell who is the boy and who is the girl. What's the difference?

Piercing is a very, very safe procedure if you go to the right person and the right place. Only a few persons become infected and that's usually because they don't take care of their piercing like they're supposed to.

Any person wanting a tattoo or piercing should look for a lot of things when they walk into a tattoo/piercing parlor. Being clean and safe is the number one factor when deciding which place to choose. All the utensils should be freshly taken out of the pack, prepped and placed in front of the customer. The artist should wear gloves at all times.

Ask any questions of the artist that you want answers to and ask about the procedure. If the artist doesn't want to answer the questions, then you as the paying customer need to leave.

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Runda sat up on the table and watched as the guy started preparing the items that he would use. She was so nervous she began shaking her legs to try to calm he nerves. As he put his gloves on, he explained everything to Runda about the procedure.

He gave her a little cup of Listerine mouthwash to gargle and rinse her mouth out to cleanse her mouth and any germs. She did that and came back to sit down on the table. He then showed her the tools that he would be using to pierce her tongue. He also showed her the tongue ring that she would get.

After explaining this to Runda, he asks her to open her mouth and hold her tongue out. He looks under her tongue to see how far he can put the hole back and how far it will be to the tip of her tongue. He puts a dot on her tongue and tells her to go look at it in the mirror. Runda OK's it and comes back to the table.

He asks her is she ready and she tells him yes. He tells her to open her mouth, stick her tongue out and to sit still. She closes her eyes and he pushes the needle through her tongue and puts the ring in. Then he's done!!!!!

The whole procedure took less than 2 minutes. Runda opened her eyes and she dropped a tear out of each eye. He gave her a list of the do's and the don'ts for her to do for the next few weeks. She was still in pain but she was fully satisfied.

Her tongue began to swell a little and she was so amazed at how quick it started. As she left she looked into the other room where a girl was getting her belly pierced and her boyfriend was getting a tattoo and she said, "The tattoo is my next step!!"

 

NCAT Journalism Magazine

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