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Why are piercing guns inadvisable?

Getting pierced with a piercing-gun is very unhealthy for your body. A piercing-gun inflicts blunt trauma force to the body, which increases the chance for infection and an unpleasant healing process. All piercings should be performed with a hollow, surgical steel bevelled needle. This will also alleviate the risk of a "blowout", a volcano-like build-up of flesh that may cause scar-tissue around the exit hole.

Most guns have plastic parts which cannot be properly sterilized; giving rise to the possibility of spreading bacterial infections or more serious blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis B and C.

The second problem has to do with the shape and composition of the jewellery itself and the force applied by it to the body, making healing difficult. These guns were first manufactured to tag livestock and inflict unnecessary blunt trauma to the tissue. The studs used by the guns have clasps which trap bacteria and which, when combined with the too-short post used by the jewellery, compress the tissue. This does not allow for any swelling, makes cleaning difficult and reduces the availability of oxygen to the wound. In addition, the metal used for most of the gunned jewellery is of inferior quality and may inhibit healing by causing contact dermatitis or nickel allergies.

The best and safest option for any piercing is to go to a professional body piercer. These individuals have the proper training to perform safe piercings, unlike most physicians, and certainly unlike the poorly trained clerks piercing people in the high-street stores. Professional piercers observe proper sterile procedures, use single-use sharp needles which do not damage tissue, and good quality body jewellery made specifically for safe and speedy healing.

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