OK, so slightly later than planned let’s look at the last of the five questions (series 2) I posed a few weeks back.

Question 5. What places would you have pierced on your body and which parts would you never have pierced?

Well there’s a very easy answer to that: Anywhere and nowhere!

But like all generalisations it isn’t entirely true as I already have a piercing.

[The squeamish, or anyone who doesn’t want too much information, should skip the following paragraph and rejoin at the next set of square brackets.]

The piercing I have is a Prince Albert with a 5mm surgical steel ball-closure ring. It had been trickling round my kind for several years but suddenly became the right thing to do about 2½ years ago, just after I retired. No I don’t know why either, but it was a sort of rite of passage. And no it wasn’t especially painful — yes, it hurt for about 10 seconds — and it healed up well. Having it stretched (necessary with this piercing; but how and why would be just way too much information) to take a larger gauge ring was more painful than the initial piercing, but even that was only for a minute or so. The key to all this is a good piercer and excellent after-care and hygiene. (If anyone wants to know more, like if you’re thinking about having this done, contact me directly — this is a family show and I don’t want to unduly frighten the unprepared.)

[The squeamish can rejoin here.]

Once you’re had cold steel stuck through bits of your body, it loses it’s fear, although not the adrenaline buzz. In consequence I would have no problems with having almost anywhere pierced, although I don’t see the point of a lot of it.

So yes there are places I would never choose to have pierced — and maybe surprisingly that isn’t at all gender-based. I would have no problem with the more girlie things like ears, navel or nipples. But I’m no great fan of metal in eyebrows and I detest both nose rings and nose studs, on anyone — somehow they always look so naff.

However I think probably the only place I would never have pierced is my tongue. I can’t think of anything worse, or actually more painful, especially as it is one piercing that is known to heal badly and slowly. Yeuch!

Just a quick word for anyone thinking about getting a piercing. Pay attention to these 6 tips:

1. Find a good piercer, with a good reputation, who you trust.
2. Ensure you check out your piercer’s hygiene certification and (if appropriate for your area) their licensing.
3. Ensure the piercer always uses all new equipment and jewellery from sealed packets (just as you would with medics or acupuncture).

If you’re in doubt about any of the above three, go somewhere else.

4. Follow the after-care & healing instructions diligently or better — extra after-care attention is unlikely to go amiss.
5. Do not pull, twist, tweak or otherwise play with your piercing, at least until you know it is fully healed. (However the after-care instructions probably will ask you to turn it carefully every so often.)
6. At the first sign of any problem, talk to your piercer before you do anything else; they’ve seen it before and are trained to know what to do (doctors generally don’t know).

The Association of Professional Piercers website has lots more good advice.

— o O o —
So there you are. Five more questions asked and answered. I’ll maybe do another set of questions in a few months time, probably after Christmas. Let me know if there is anything you would especially like me to answer.