There are several risks to getting pierced. The use of unsanitary piercing instruments can cause infection, including the disease Hepatitis B. Experts advise those looking to get pierced to ask friends or family who have piercings to recommend piercers who were courteous, who sanitized their piercing instruments and provided thorough aftercare instructions. They also encourage potential piercing candidates to go to the parlor and take a look around before the actual piercing.
Piercers either use a piercing gun or a needle. Although both are standard, experts say parlors that use needles may be more sanitary. This is because needles are sterilized in autoclaves (a machine that cleans via very hot steam under high pressure) while piercing guns are made of plastic and cannot be placed in an autoclave. Piercing guns use antiseptic wipes instead, which do not completely remove infected blood. Also, piercing guns are mostly used by mall piercers, who are usually only trained for two weeks, while parlor piercers receive as long as three years of training in sterilization, human anatomy, the circulatory system and ways to make the piecing less painful.
