Material
piercing jewelry material
You can easily buy or order piercing jewelry, in all kinds of material, shapes and sizes. But what exactly do you know about it? What do you put in your ear, and why does your ear itch from one jewelry and not from the other one?
Buying a new ornament for your piercing can sometimes be more difficult than picking out a ring or bracelet. Because a piercing jewelry goes into your skin, it's best to hold off switching before your new piercing is completely healed. Size, material and thickness plays a huge role. Provide the right width and right material. A piercing should not be too tight, not too long and the material must also be of quality. Most well-known materials are: surgical steel, acrylic, titanium, glass and niobium. But what's the difference? Piercing jewelry with hypo-allergenic material means you do not, or hardly get an allergic reaction to it. It's safe for sensitive skin and for not completely healed piercings.
Surgical steel: The most well-known piercing material is 316L / 316 LVM. It's of high-quality stainless steel and contains 13% nickel. This is necessary to make it stainless. The new legislation however, requires a lower nickel content, so this material can no longer be used for new fresh piercings.
However, the alloy is such, that the issue of nickel is within the standards and can be used for healed piercings.
Titanium: The best material for new piercings! Titanium (G23) is high polished, twice as strong as steel and 47% lighter in weight. For most jewellery it's an alloy used for purposes (Ti 6Al 4V Eli) implantation. That's because it's nickel-free and excellent for new piercings. Titanium is as strong as steel and can be colored (anodizing) via electrolysis. It is the perfect material for fresh piercings or piercings that continue to irritate. It is slightly more expensive than other materials.
Acrylic: Is in relation to other materials relatively inexpensive. This plastic is also fairly light and is available in all colors. A disadvantage of acrylic is, it can be porous and can't be sterilized. Acrylic is not that easy to clean and can't be cleaned with alcohol for example. Clean your acrylic piercing therefore with a mild antibacterial soap. It also damages quickly, leaving cracks and crannies bacteria can accumulate and give you more chance of infection. Only fun if you often switch colored balls, or wear it for a short period. But it's mostly not recommended and especially not suitable for a new healing piercing.
Niobium: looks a lot like titanium, is pure and some what heavier and can also be colored through electrolysis (anodise), even black. Is flexible, but also more expensive. Perfect material for piercings.
Glass: Is a popular material for piercings and rightly so! It's available in beautiful colors and feels smooth to the touch. Pyrex glass, or borosilicate glass, contains no lead. Another huge advantage of glass is that it is easy to clean. This can be done with a clean dry or damp cloth. Since glass can be sterilized, contains no nickel and is hypo allergenic, it's recommended as the perfect material for stretching.
There are of course much more materials used for piercings, such as gold, silver, wood and organic products. But not all of these materials can be sterilized. Therefore it's important to explore more about the material you want to use. The most important thing is that you know what it does, and how you should take care of it. Silver oxidizes (tarnishes) when it comes in contact with air and body fluids. Wood must, for example, breathe and absorbs moisture and dirt. Know when you want to use other materials, to wear them only after your piercing is fully healed. If you get a response after switching jewelry, then the material is bad and switch back. It is worth to invest in quality jewelry, to ensure proper healing of your body piercing and enjoy it a lifetime.
How can I recognize an allergy: a nickel allergy is characterised by red itchy skin disorders. After the skin has been in contact for a long time with nickel, the metal salts on blood-protein ingredients. The formed connections are recognized by the immune system as foreign and there is a counter-reaction, which can lead to sensitivity in the form of skin discoloration, itching, blisters or inflammation..
-Angie
Published Tattoo Planet eMagazine 109/mei 2016
Buying a new ornament for your piercing can sometimes be more difficult than picking out a ring or bracelet. Because a piercing jewelry goes into your skin, it's best to hold off switching before your new piercing is completely healed. Size, material and thickness plays a huge role. Provide the right width and right material. A piercing should not be too tight, not too long and the material must also be of quality. Most well-known materials are: surgical steel, acrylic, titanium, glass and niobium. But what's the difference? Piercing jewelry with hypo-allergenic material means you do not, or hardly get an allergic reaction to it. It's safe for sensitive skin and for not completely healed piercings.
Surgical steel: The most well-known piercing material is 316L / 316 LVM. It's of high-quality stainless steel and contains 13% nickel. This is necessary to make it stainless. The new legislation however, requires a lower nickel content, so this material can no longer be used for new fresh piercings. However, the alloy is such, that the issue of nickel is within the standards and can be used for healed piercings.
Titanium: The best material for new piercings! Titanium (G23) is high polished, twice as strong as steel and 47% lighter in weight. For most jewellery it's an alloy used for purposes (Ti 6Al 4V Eli) implantation. That's because it's nickel-free and excellent for new piercings. Titanium is as strong as steel and can be colored (anodizing) via electrolysis. It is the perfect material for fresh piercings or piercings that continue to irritate. It is slightly more expensive than other materials. 
Niobium: looks a lot like titanium, is pure and some what heavier and can also be colored through electrolysis (anodise), even black. Is flexible, but also more expensive. Perfect material for piercings.
Glass: Is a popular material for piercings and rightly so! It's available in beautiful colors and feels smooth to the touch. Pyrex glass, or borosilicate glass, contains no lead. Another huge advantage of glass is that it is easy to clean. This can be done with a clean dry or damp cloth. Since glass can be sterilized, contains no nickel and is hypo allergenic, it's recommended as the perfect material for stretching.There are of course much more materials used for piercings, such as gold, silver, wood and organic products. But not all of these materials can be sterilized. Therefore it's important to explore more about the material you want to use. The most important thing is that you know what it does, and how you should take care of it. Silver oxidizes (tarnishes) when it comes in contact with air and body fluids. Wood must, for example, breathe and absorbs moisture and dirt. Know when you want to use other materials, to wear them only after your piercing is fully healed. If you get a response after switching jewelry, then the material is bad and switch back. It is worth to invest in quality jewelry, to ensure proper healing of your body piercing and enjoy it a lifetime.
How can I recognize an allergy: a nickel allergy is characterised by red itchy skin disorders. After the skin has been in contact for a long time with nickel, the metal salts on blood-protein ingredients. The formed connections are recognized by the immune system as foreign and there is a counter-reaction, which can lead to sensitivity in the form of skin discoloration, itching, blisters or inflammation..
-Angie
Published Tattoo Planet eMagazine 109/mei 2016
