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In recent years, body piercing has seen an explosion in popularity. This
in turn has led to an enormous increase in the variety of body jewelry
available, both in materials and in design.
Not long ago, surgical steel jewelry was the norm for body piercings,
with a small selection of silver and gold jewelry available for healed
piercings. However, this is no longer the case. Today you can buy body
jewelry in a huge range of materials in addition to steel, such as
silver, gold, titanium, plastic/acrylic, glass, bone, horn, and even
wood.
The wide range of body jewelry has, in fact, created a problem: What
kind of jewelry is suitable for your piercing? If your body piercing is
new or not healed, not all of the above materials may be suitable for
you to wear.
Only a few materials are recommended for new body piercings. As
mentioned, surgical steel used to be the automatic choice. However, it
has been found that a small minority of people have a reaction to the
nickel content in surgical steel, and even though nickel-free surgical
steel is available, it is more costly. The emergence of new,
inexpensive, and readily available materials have prevented nickel-free
surgical steel from becoming popular.
What other materials are safe for new or unhealed piercings? Titanium is
probably the number one choice. It is non-reactive and hypoallergenic.
You can buy it virtually pure. Simply polished, it looks stylish. Or you
can buy titanium jewelry in a wide range of inert, anodized, or PVD
coatings. Belly bars, ball closure rings, and labret studs are all
available in titanium at a price almost the same as steel.
Bioplast, or flexible acrylic, is another option. It’s especially suited
to people who want their piercings to be a little less visible. As a
form of plastic, this material is very inert, making it ideally suited
for all piercings. Since it is relatively flexible, it’s usually much
more comfortable than metal jewelry. The only drawback is that some do
not consider it as attractive as titanium jewelry, especially colored or
gem-set titanium pieces.
Sterling silver, although not as pure or inert as titanium or bioplast,
is also an option for some people on recent piercings. However, it is
not recommended for new piercings and those still weeping. However, most
silver jewelry has a surgical steel bar that passes through the actual
piercing, with only the detailing being made of silver. Therefore, most
silver body jewelry should be treated as surgical steel for use in
piercings that have healed.
What materials should be avoided for newer piercings? First it’s
important to stress that only inert, safe materials such as titanium or
bioplast acrylic should be used for brand new piercings or those still
weeping. Surgical steel is no longer recommended because of its nickel
content. Gold, which contains a high level of impurities, is only
suitable for completely healed piercings, usually six months after the
piercing, and longer if there is any weeping or discharge. Organic
materials such as wood, horn, and bone can carry many different
contaminants and are hard to clean. They should only be used for healed
piercings as well.
All jewelry should be properly sterilized before use. If you are in
doubt about anything related to body piercing, consult your piercer.
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