Category Archives: jewellery

THE INS AND OUTS OF NAVEL PIERCINGS

THE NAVEL

BELLY BUTTON PIERCING

A revisit to a popular adornment

History: The navel piercing first hit the mainstream when models Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell revealed their recently pierced navels at a London fashion show in 1993. The popularization of the piercing, however, is accredited to the 1993 Aerosmith music video for their song Cryin’, wherein Alicia Silverstone has her navel pierced by body piercer Paul King.

CONSIDERING A NAVEL PIERCING?

If you’re thinking of getting your navel (belly button) pierced, we would love to welcome you to the studio.
We get lots of inquiries about this piercing, and with lots of information floating around on the Internet, we thought we would pop together a little blog explaining all you need to know ahead of booking in for your new piercing!

ANATOMY

Before we dive into anatomy, it’s important to point out that all piercings are “anatomy dependent”. If we pierce two people’s ear lobes, we won’t pierce them exactly the same way – because they will have unique differences to shape and the angles the tissue lays at, depth required and thickness of jewellery are all simple common variations. 

Our individual anatomy makes us the unique human that we are!

Biology: Your belly button formed when the umbilical cord was cut after birth, and like you, it’s entirely unique. There are as many variations of belly button as there are people on the planet. Some have shapes that stay wide open even when seated and others close – while some have a protruding shape – and many other possible variations from there!

When we assess YOUR anatomy for A navel piercing, we are looking for three MAIN things;

LIP:

If your navel stays open when you sit down and you have a nice pronounced lip at the top (or bottom) of your navel, then you may well be a good candidate for a “traditional” navel piercing – a la Britney Spears in the 1990’s – with a large decorative piece at the bottom, and a smaller bead at the top. Like the two images above

No lip:

If your navel closes when you are sitting down, and you have a pronounced lip at the top of your navel, you may well be suited for a “floating” navel piercing – this is when a piece of jewellery is used that has a larger, decorative end at the top, and a smaller disc or bead on the bottom. These piercings are placed a little deeper into the navel, and when downsized, the jewellery can appear to “float” magically at the top of the navel – which is where they get their name!

VARIATION, THE SPICE OF LIFE

It’s important to note that if your pierced in the “floating” style, you won’t be able to switch around to typical styles of navel jewellery later on – this can cause serious irritation, even to well healed navel piercings, and it also runs the risk of causing migration; all whilst being very uncomfortable.

Of course, these two broad descriptions of navels could never possibly encompass all of the wonderful variation we all have as individuals.  Some folks will have shapes that do not close when they sit down, but are very narrow so a big gem might be uncomfortable for them. Others might have protruding belly buttons (“outies”) which sadly, are not suitable to be pierced safely in most instances. 

Good to know: If you’re unsure what your options are, we have a brand-new option on our booking options for navel consultations, which gives you the opportunity to book in with one of our piercers for an anatomy check and to thoroughly discuss your options for piercing.

LIFESTYLE CONSIDERATIONS

Every piercing means considering your lifestyle a little – we are whole beings with interests and hobbies and jobs and clothing preferences – which means that we all have different piercing journeys and things to consider.

If youre required to wear a uniform with high-waisted clothing, or a hobby/interest which calls for high-waisted clothing, a navel piercing may not be the best choice for you. These piercings will not heal if they have clothing rubbing against them, and will become very irritated and uncomfortable. 

If you’re someone who has a job or hobbies in which you’re doing a lot of twisting/bending, again – maybe navel piercing isn’t quite right for you in this chapter of your life. Keeping these piercings as still as possible (it IS a high movement area naturally) is key to healing.

You’re going to want to avoid submerging the new piercing in water for a good 6 weeks, possibly longer – the belly button can collect and hold moisture for a long time, and a wound that can’t dry can end up in all sorts of trouble.

You will also have to be mindful of beauty and cosmetic products like fake tan, body oil and body lotion whilst you are healing – if you’re someone who loves using those types of products, do ask yourself the question of whether you can forgo them for a period of several weeks!

TYPES OF JEWELLERY

Vertical design

When you think of a ‘belly bar’ this is likely the image that comes to mind, consisting of both a top and bottom gem with both looking out and away from the body

FLOATING ATTACHMENTS

Utilizing a single attachment (threaded onto a curved barbell) looking out at the world.

CASCADING

A healed Floating Navel can wear some gorgeous cascading jewellery such as these

“The navel, also known as the belly button or umbilicus, is a scar on the abdomen formed after the umbilical cord is detached at birth”

– Wiki
TO THE FUTURE – PREGNANCY

If you are thinking of becoming pregnant, and are also thinking of getting a navel piercing – our advice would be to focus on your pregnancy journey, and recovery post-partum for a period of 6 months or so, and then plan your piercing. Please note, we cannot pierce you whilst you are pregnant or if you are breastfeeding and even until three months after you cease breastfeeding.. 

If you’re already pregnant and have a navel piercing, our advice would be to remove this piercing as soon as you notice changes to your tummy. This means that the chances of scarring from migration as your pregnancy progresses are minimized. Post-partum, we can often ‘rescue’ a well established piercing for you. 

Unfortunately, flexible “pregnancy bars” or attempting to keep jewellery in place for the duration of your pregnancy often result in migration and scarring, as the skin becomes tighter and changes as the pregnancy progresses.

SURGERY & RECONSTRUCTED NAVELS

Lots of folks have surgery scars around their belly button area, and it does not always mean that you cannot get a navel piercing. There’s lots of things we need to consider as your piercers, to help you make the best choices. 

These include; 

  • What sort of procedure was performed, and what method your surgeon used
  • How long ago the procedure was performed, and how scarring has settled if there is any 
  • If any further abdominal surgeries are planned 

Piercing re-constructed navels (for example, from a “tummy tuck”) or when there is other surgical scarring is not impossible, but it is something that would require an in-person consultation ahead of your appointment, and some frequent check-ups just to check in on your healing journey.

BOOK NAVEL YOUR PIERCING HERE

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QUALITY JEWELLERY

We believe in quality jewellery

With an expansive knowledge of the wold of body jewellery, gemstones and materials. Our team is dedicated to helping you create your statement.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

Only the finest

We believe that every piece of jewellery should meet the highest possible standards, be crafted from safe wearable materials and can adorn your body for a lifetime.

Unique projects

We approach each project individually and with care

Our dedicated team can aid you start to finish on your custom curated collection.

How we work

Quality means safety

Blue Lotus carries only the safest and highest quality body jewellery. Each piece is hand finished to a mirror polish. Keeping you safe and your piercing healthy.

KIDS PIERCINGS, SUMMER HOLIDAYS

School holidays

Seems like the right time to get their piercings? However there are still lots of things to consider before taking the plunge with your youngster.

Are they over 12 years old?

 

Do you
both have
legal ID?

Do they
play lots
of sports?

Consider the following healing related issues before taking the plunge and booking your young one in for a piercing….

Have you asked at school?

While we absolutely agree that your little human is still more than capable of learning while wearing earrings and has free will plus a right to adorn their ears in a safe and appropriate way.

School can still have the final word 🙁

Repeatedly removing piercings can lead to the channel becoming very irritated very quickly. If your bairn attends a school that will remove the jewellery at school, its not advised to get piercings at this time.

How long do earlobes take to heal?

Most earlobe piercings take around three months to be considered healed.

HOWEVER
They shouldn’t be left ’empty’ without jewellery for 12 months.

We recommend cleaning morning and evening for the first three weeks. As well as patting dry after bathing.

After your piercer says its OK.

We ask you to come back around three weeks into healing so we can ensure you’re healing the way we want.

If the beginning of the healing went without a hitch, they can typically be switched out to alternative earrings after month three. If your not sure you can always pop back for us to confirm you are healed enough.

Check with the school. Plasters could be worn over the earring at three months or they could be switched to retainers at this time. But the piercing channel will likely become irritated if they are repeatedly removed during the first year.

At the age of 12 or over with a parent or legal guardian present, you can get your lobe area pierced over 14 years you can have simpler cartilage piercings. With experience our piercer’s may be willing to consider slightly more complicated piercings such as Tragus or Conch. But these will not be offered as your first ever piercing.
At 16 years old a few more services open up to you. 
Please remember both parent and guardian need to bring legal I.D to the appointment.

At what age will you pierce?

We require your youngling to be 12 years old or over to be pierced in our studio. We also need their parent or legal guardian present. Both need legal I.D to proceed with our services.
You need to be 16 years or older to have a navel piercing.

BOOK HERE

Why we say 16 for navel piercings

A lot of youngsters want their navels pierced when they get to secondary school but we all too often see older children visiting the studio with navel piercings that have ‘grown out’ or are hanging on by a few millimeters of skin.

This migration is more often than not caused simply by growing, a process referred to as ‘nesting’ and is more predictable when the piercing is preformed on a more grown individual.

While it may not migrate to the point where it begins to reject and break the skin, it can cause an unhappy piercing that may not sit quite right or end up healing where it is hanging on by an unattractive snippet of skin!
Occasionally the scarring caused by this can sometimes mean that when they are older and done growing, they can be unsuitable for piercing again as the scar tissue will be too weak to hold the piercing in, and again will grow out.

time.

Piercings facts we sometimes forget

Although rare its important to be aware that their piercing may have ups and downs

Whatever you decide we are here to help

When the moment comes to getting pierced the appointment steps will be explained as will the aftercare and the follow ups, you will both have ample opportunity to ask any questions.

We hope to see you soon

PIERCINGS & HOLIDAYS

Going on holiday soon?

While a holiday is a wonderful thing, it may not be the ideal time to get a new piercing. Sun sea sand and fun don’t often mix well with an open wound. Small though it is.

PROS……

  • A break from your regular routine of life can offer some a wonderful opportunity to be more careful and allow a piercing to heal.
  • Increased blood flow can actively encourage successful healing.
  • Looser clothing can be easier to manage, avoiding snag’s and pulls that slow or irritate the healing.

CONS……

  • Going on vacation weather home or abroad can interrupt the healing process and leave you in a position where help isn’t available.

  • Sweating, sun cream, pools and saunas are a few commonplace summertime irritants to piercings and may even cause infection.

  • Wearing hair loose increases your chances of getting a new facial or ear piercing caught.

Piercings like to be left alone during their initial healing period (varying with each body location and individual circumstances) 
Sleeping in a new bed, swimming, applying suntan lotions, playing sports, eating or drinking differently, being more mobile with hobbies….. All these fun activities would be problematic for a new piercing.

Staying home……

New in store only range of summer jewellery

Whenever you decide to be pierced, our team will always be with you every step of the way. Home or abroad, we are only ever a message or call away. Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to us 🙂

THE IMPORTANCE OF DOWNSIZING

Just for this piece, we are going to talk about cartilage/ear piercings as this is the most common issue we most frequently see with our clients when offering advice at reception.

Room to grow

Once you have been in for your new piercing with our piercers, they cover a lot of things when it comes down to healing your new piercing. They talk about aftercare and the importance of choosing quality jewellery. Something that often gets forgotten by clients is the step of downsizing your jewellery. This is critical to the overall healing of your piercing.

Most cartilage piercings at first require jewellery that is slightly longer in length, or wider in diameter to allow for the swelling that usually arises. Yes, this length may be slightly irritating, its a necessary evil to prevent jewellery from embedding into the tissue.

The initial jewellery may look rather long in the pictures above, but we took those straight after the piercing took place. 2 or 3 weeks later the flat back of that labret was flush against the tragus tissue and the rook was rather plump!

After being pierced

You are often invited back for a ‘check-up’, at this point we can see how your piercing is healing. We see if we can help you fix any minor issues that may have arisen that you may not have noticed and all importantly change your jewellery to something shorter if its needed.
This visit is just you walking into the studio for us to see you and your piercings overall health. We would then book you in for an appointment at an appropriate time to get the jewellery adjusted for the rest of the piercings healing time.

We have established that longer jewellery is needed, but overly long jewellery can cause problems as well. It is more likely to get caught on clothing, hair or snagged, causing the piercing become to be irritated and upset, thus making the already lengthy healing time of cartilage even longer. This is another reason why its important to see a reputable piercer.

With many cartilage piercings, longer jewellery being left in too long can cause the piercing to migrate. (A shift in the piercing channel which makes the piercing wonky)

So what do I do?

Some people are ready sooner than others, we give the most ‘average’ figure for our check up invitation. Usually after a few weeks to a month is adequate time to change a helix piercing. Don’t leave it longer, this leaves a window of opportunity open where you are more likely to catch your piercing and then go through all the swelling again and delaying your downsize. Don’t forget, most cartilage piercings take around a year to heal, so after this change, its really important you leave it in until it has fully healed!

After all this being said, when can you actually come to change your jewellery to something that is a good, snug fit?

This is where it starts to vary from each client/piercing to the other. Your piercer would have worked this out with you and wrote it on your care sheet to take home with you.

 

A high polished curved bar in a new rook piercing

You will of course have to pay for your shorter jewellery, getting a piercing is a project. It takes time and a little dedication towards its healing and care. Aesthetically pleasing piercings are worth a little bit of hard work. Good piercings ain’t cheap, and cheap piercings ain’t good!

Thanks for reading, we feel better for sharing this with you 🙂

ONLINE STORE NOW HERE

We wish with all our might we could be piercing you and helping you adorn your person – but as that’s not always possible we want to be able to assist you at home as well.

The new online store will continue to grow as we add more and more jewellery to chose from.

Measuring up for your own jewellery can be intimidating

that’s why we created a system that can be utilized via any social media where we can assist you and help you find the right size together

 

 

aftercare – ATTACHMENTS- posts

It will all be available, whether you want a spare or an upgrade, advice or an appointment – we got you!

JEWELLERY PURCHASES COME WITH:

Instructions on how to change your jewellery at home
Cleaning wipes and lubricant

 

THREADING & WHY IT MATTERS

the left shows the quality of finish that comes from Anatometal jewellery as apposed to other pieces on offer

If you don’t already know that internally threaded or press-fit jewellery is the best choice for your initial piercing you’ve possibly had your head buried in the sand or been on a long holiday to the moon. Big organizations like the Association of Professional Piercers [APP] and companies like Anatometal Inc shout about it all the time because they take great pride in the quality of the body jewellery they promote and produce.

But do you know why?screwed for web.jpg.opt409x529o0,0s409x529

Having internally threaded or press-fit jewellery inserted in a fresh piercing is much more comfortable due to the smooth surface compared to the ridged surface of externally threaded pieces.
But this is not the only benefit: bacteria can live inside the teeny threading crevices which wrap around the ends of external jewellery. Which in turn come in direct contact with the piercing.
New piercings are susceptible to irritation and infection which can cause a whole range of problems and using externally threaded jewellery unfortunately vastly increases that risk.

We have always used the very best of titanium. But now we are also using the very best of threading too.

The comfort of your body jewelry should be high on your priority list, but your health should certainly be at the top. Using internally threaded jewellery with initial piercings greatly increases your chance of healing quickly and issue free. Internally threaded jewellery does cost a little more, but that is because it is more difficult to manufacture. It is more often made from greater quality materials and truly: when it really comes down to it, can you put a price on your health?