The Tongue Piercing Process

So you want to get your tongue pierced? But you have a lot of questions, right? Where should I go? What should I expect? Will it hurt? This is exactly where you should be looking to get those very answers.

The first you thing you should do is research the piercing salon. It should be sanitary and safe and the piercer should be willing to show your any and all health code records. If they are unwilling, get out of there fast! If you want a tongue ring, don't let price affect your decision. NEVER choose a questionable salon just because the price of a tongue ring is cheaper; it's so not worth it.

On the day of your appointment, eat a good meal before going to get your tongue ring. Consider filling food like pasta and grains. After getting a tongue ring, some people say they cannot eat much solid food right away.

When you arrive at the salon, the employees will have you fill out some paperwork. They will ask you to provide some information, as well as provide idea to ensure that you are old enough to get a tongue ring. Most piercers will have you pay at this time. After that, it is time to pick out your new body jewelry. There will likely be lots of body jewelry to choose from, but they will probably limit the tongue rings you can use for the piercing.

After you select your new tongue ring, the piercer should take you to a clean and sterile environment, usually will a chair or a table to lay on. During this time, the piercer should absolutely be wearing gloves. Also make sure that the needle and other tools come in a sterile package. The piercer will mark your tongue after selecting a spot that will not interfere will blood vessels and nerves. This is another reason to go to a trained professional; he or she will have been educated in the anatomy of the tongue and know how to perform the piercing safely.

After marking a spot and checking that you're satisfied, the piercer will place a clamp on your tongue. The clamp sort of looks like a long pair of scissors with two circles on the end where the needle will pass through. Unlike piercing guns (used primarily on ear lobes), the tongue ring itself is not actually used to pierce the tongue. The piercer will use a hollow surgical grade needle to actually pierce the tongue. This is a tool that should come in a new, sterile package. Your piercer will hold out the clamp and push the needle through your tongue. This is the part many people expect to hurt. Although you shouldn't expect it to be painless, many report that the clamp itself is more uncomfortable than the needle and actual piercing.

At this point, the piercer will be ready to insert the tongue ring. After removing the bottom ball, the piercer will place the end inside the hollow needle. This makes it easy to actually insert the body jewelry. The tongue ring will stay inside the tongue after the piercer removes the needle the rest of the way. After that, the piercer will screw on the bottom ball and wipe away any blood or spit. Next you should receive instructions on how to clean and care for your new tongue ring.

The process of actually piercing your tongue should take no more than five minutes. Most tongue rings are 3/8" but they may use a longer tongue ring to allow for swelling during healing. Between two and four weeks later, your tongue should be fully healed. At this time you can change your tongue ring to one that expresses your personal style.

Jade Greene is an expert on tongue rings and other body jewelry.

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