self-piercing and sterilization

[LJD]

Hello everyone, I want to do self-piercing next spring, a Frenum ladder, 6 or 8. Gauge 2.4 mm, length 15 mm. I’ve read somewhere that I should do 4 max at a time for the piercings and the body to heal.
I’ll be getting everything sterilize except the jewelry, I was thinking of soaking the barbell in alcohol for a few minutes then to put them in an ultrasonic cleaner. Should I do this or boiling the barbell in water is the best solution?
I know that boiling the barbell in water takes time 15-20 minutes boiling and more time for the barbell to cool down, maybe an hour or more.

I’ve never done self-piercing before.


Thank you for your help and advice.

[-yv-]

Hi,

Firstly, you are unlikely to be able to attain the same sterile environment that a decent studio will be able to do.
I'm unsure as to why you wouldn't be getting the jewellery properly sterilised. I'd think that was the most important bit. I'm no expert but I doubt an ultrasonic cleaner would be sufficient.

Everyone is different, the usual recommendation is 2-3 piercings healing at a time. I wouldn't recommend 4 larger gauge piercings at the same time unless you have a lot of previous experience with piercings and know how your body will cope.

Also, given you have never done self-piercing, I think that you are a bit over-ambitious, particularly as it is genital piercings

Why do you want to self-pierce? My recommendation would be not to.

[LJD]

Hi, I want to self-pierce my frenum because of the price they charge at the studio. I just found out that a pressure cooker should do almost the same as a autoclave. I already have a few piercings, ears, anti-tragus, forward helix, daith, industrial, nipples, PA and I want a Frenum ladder but they charge too much at the studio. I might go to another studio to look for the price. I know that self-piercing at home is not the same as in a piercing studio, I've read other thread about self-frenum and never saw or hear of a problem if done correctly.

Well actually I could buy everything I need for the self-piercing for the price of 1 or 2 Frenum. Piercings kit with sterilize needles and foreceps, also a few barbells, marker (to make the dot and know where to pierce), antibacterial soap, bleach (for cleaning the environment), pressure cooker, A&D ointment and a few medical supply. I'm not sure that the jewelry will be sterilize.

[Boo]

A pressure cooker is not akin to a professional ultrasound. You won't hear of or read about failures as people don't post them, they only post when they get lucky. Where are you getting this "kit" from? Decent and legal products are only available to be purchased by a professional. What quality are the needles? Do you know what needles to even use? Will you use cannulas or blades? Do you know how to check if they're ok before you use them? What quality are the barbells? Do they come with mill certificates so you can guarantee their composition and ensure they are biocompatible? You mention a marker but do you know where to make that mark? How do you know how to avoid a vein or vessel? What procedure will you follow if you hit one? Antibacterial soap? What for? Bleach??? You need professional biocides to create a sterile environment. A&D?? Why? What medical supplies? Why? What for? Again can you verify the quality of all these items?

Sterilisation is the least of your concerns at this point. You don't have the years of learning/knowledge about blood borne pathogens and understanding of anatomy to even consider doing this along with 100s of other aspects all professionals spend a very long time learning including practising under a mentor.

If you can't afford it, don't get it. Save up. There's a reason it costs so much, it costs a lot to train, become and maintain knowledge to be an excellent piercer.

Not the answer you want I know and yeah I'm mean. But I say this because I care. If you wanted to pierce your lobe or something then maybe yeah but please don't do this. Even a trainee piercer won't perform genital piercings until they have the basics perfected which can take a good 1-2+ years. Not to mention you're going to have to be using mirrors to get everything straight etc. This is one even a piercer won't do on themselves, you really do need to be opposite the piercing site.

[Unassuming]

If you physically damage yourself through self piercing I promise you it'll cost a fortune and or be mortifyingly embarrassing for a properly trained medical professional to put right

[LJD]

I'll use blade needles.
I can see my veins without problem.
I'll use bleach to clean everything like the chair I'll be sitting in, the table that I'll put everything on...
I'll be using sterilize needles that are sealed.
Antibacterial soap is to clean myself before, in the shower.
A&D is to simply use as lubricant to help the needle get trough the skin, just a little. Some professional piercer use it the US.
As for medical supply I mean like gauze, alcohol swabs, gloves ...
For the piercing kit what is really important are the needles.

I'll ask a lot of questions at the shop where I usually get my piercings.

I know what's involved with the self-piercing. I'm still not sure if I'll do it, I'm simply asking questions.

I was thinking of buying my barbell from bodyjewelleryshop.com, they're: medical quality 316L surgical steel.

[Mazzy]

If you can't afford it, don't get it. Save up. There's a reason it costs so much, it costs a lot to train, become and maintain knowledge to be an excellent piercer.

Please do not do this to yourself! Go to the proper people. I wouldn't even pierce my own ear. I have had to save and save hard for all of my body mods. "That part" can bleed pretty bad I am told. - How are you going to stop the bleeding if yours does? (If you have not passed out!) What would you do if you ended up with a very bad infection that you cannot get rid of etc...?

[Boo]

I'll use blade needles.
I can see my veins without problem.
I'll use bleach to clean everything like the chair I'll be sitting in, the table that I'll put everything on...
I'll be using sterilize needles that are sealed.
Antibacterial soap is to clean myself before, in the shower.
A&D is to simply use as lubricant to help the needle get trough the skin, just a little. Some professional piercer use it the US.
As for medical supply I mean like gauze, alcohol swabs, gloves ...
For the piercing kit what is really important are the needles.

I'll ask a lot of questions at the shop where I usually get my piercings.

I know what's involved with the self-piercing. I'm still not sure if I'll do it, I'm simply asking questions.

I was thinking of buying my barbell from bodyjewelleryshop.com, they're: medical quality 316L surgical steel.

Why blades over cannulas?
What about all the 100's of blood vessels you can't see? What will you do if you hit one? Do you know how to tell them apart? Do you know how to locate them via touch, pressure, tortion and via a torch if needed?
Again bleach should not be used for this kind of thing.
Antibacteriall soap won't do much but a shower beforehand at home is always appreciated by a piercer.
How much A&D will you use? Are you buying it from a reputable supplier? Will it be sealed? What will you do if you react to it? (Doesn't matter if you haven't before)
Will the gauze be sterile? Will the gloves be sterile? Are you using latex or nitrile? Do you know the difference?

I know you haven't answered most of my other questions because you either can't/won't and guess what? That's ok because you'd need to spend months/years learning and practising this stuff to be able to answer it. Not to mention the answers will be different for every person you see because it will always change up.

Surgical steel is not even biocompatible. It can't even be used in the EU for initial piercings due to the EU nickel directive. You also live in and next to a country that produces some of the highest quality jewellery in the world but want to buy cheap//lower quality from a UK site selling jewellery for fully healed piercings. I don't understand.

You say you know everything that's involved. I don't think you do (which again is fine, I don't know how to build a house or drive a car so I pay towards someone else doing it for me!).

But...you do you.

Good luck!

PS: Again, yes, I'm a mean, horrbile person who wants to stop everyone's fun. Well ofc not really. I'm not even against self piercing or play piercing but this one I wouldn't even recommend a piercer try and do on themselves.

PPS: I honestly hope you don't hit a big one, (this diagram won't even show all the small ones):

[LJD]

PS: Again, yes, I'm a mean, horrbile person who wants to stop everyone's fun. Well ofc not really. I'm not even against self piercing or play piercing but this one I wouldn't even recommend a piercer try and do on themselves.

No you're not a horrible person, you're just honest and very realist. I appreciate your opinion. I need this kind of input to help me make my mind to self-pierce or go to a studio.
Like I said, I'm not sure yet to do it myself. After reading comments I might go to a professional piercer.

As for some of your questions, blades because I need to go through to insert the jewelry and all the video and how to are using blade needles.
A&D will be sealed and in a tube, new. I'll be using only a small amount to insert the needle in.
I'll buy sterile gauze package, I'll use nitrile glove, that I'll buy already sterilize, I know where.
For the jewelry I point to a UK store only as a reference.
I reed that I needed to use bleach to sterilize the environment like the chair before the piercing.
I know how to locate my veins with different methods.
Antibacterial soap won't be the only way to clean myself but it'll help.

Again thanks for your advice.

[LJD]

After looking for more than 3 months, asking questions, researching on the web ...
I have at least 6 months left to ask more questions and search on the web.

When looking on Internet, the self-piercing frenum look easy with no consequence. After thinking more and more about it, we never see the failure and the worst of the self-piercing.

So I decided to go to a studio for my piercing, it'll cost more, I'll do half this year (about 3 out of 6) and the other half next years (the remaining 3 to do), depending on the piercer, I might go for either 2 or 2.4 mm, I'll prefer 2.4 mm. They're usually half price in the summer.

And I want to thanks again Boo for the fantastic advice. You gave me the kind of answers no one else would dare to give, you ask me the right questions for me to look more into the piercing.