Our Industry Mourns; a Memorial for Mark–P

• Our Industry Mourns; A Memorial for Mark–p. 8 • The Importance of Downsizing–p.10 IN THIS ISSUE THE POINT 4 THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL PIERCERS FROM THE EDITORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 6 Brian Skellie—President PRESIDENT’S CORNER Cody Vaughn—Vice-President Aaron Pollack—Secretary 8 Paul King—Treasurer OUR INDUSTRY MOURNS; A MEMORIAL TO MARK (Currently Unfilled)—Medical Liaison 10 Ash Misako—Outreach Coordinator THE IMPORTANCE OF DOWNSIZING Miro Hernandez—Public Relations Director Steve Joyner—Legislation Liaison 12 Jef Saunders—Membership Liaison COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY IN THE DIGITAL AGE ADMINISTRATOR 14 Caitlin McDiarmid RESPONDING TO NEGATIVE CRITICISM ONLINE EDITORIAL STAFF

Managing Editor of Content & Archives—Kendra Jane Berndt 16 TECH TIPS FOR THE STUDIO Managing Editor of Content & Statistics—Marina Pecorino Art Director & Contributing Editor—Jim Ward 18 Contributing Editor—Elayne Angel ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIES ADVERTISING 22 [email protected] PIERCING TRENDS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE Front Cover: Mark Siekierski & John Kittell Photo by Matte Erickson 24 ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL PIERCERS THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE—A BOOK REVIEW 1.888.888.1APP • safepiercing.org • [email protected] Donations to The Point are always appreciated. 28 “FDA APPROVED”—LET’S GET REAL The Association of Professional Piercers is a California-based, international non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of vital health and safety information about body 32 piercing to piercers, health care professionals, legislators, and the general public. Material submitted for publication is subject to editing. Submissions should be sent via email IN THE OFFICE to [email protected]. The Point is not responsible for claims made by our advertisers. However, we reserve the 34 right to reject advertising that is unsuitable for our publication. THE UKAPP—PART 2 38 NEWS FROM A.P.T.P.I. 42 DONATE TO SCIENCE

ISSUE 74 3 someone you are not, omit the Read on to see how technological advances have for the chance to feel so close, despite being so far away. FROM THE EDITORS parts of your person at will, helped to make our industry safer for clients and pierc- What started as a quick comment, ended up evolving or remain completely anony- ers alike; how the etiquette of more formal times in the into a rough draft for an editorial. It’s pretty incredible KENDRA BERNDT mous) is that the rules of social past still have a place in our conversations on the inter- what you can create with technology. MARINA PECORINO engagement seem to be falter- net today, and don’t forget to double tap and share this • Jim Ward JIM WARD ing; no tone or body language publication. One of the joys of having been a part of this industry The Point Editors to accompany it. In this issue, • Marina Pecorino you’ll find an article by Miro since its beginning has been seeing the technological ad- Hernandez explaining how I initially struggled to come up with direction for this vances that have brought it to such an astounding degree • Kendra Jane B to put your best foot forward editorial, partly because I feel that I’m somewhat of an of professionalism. outsider. I’m connected to the industry, obviously, but Young piercers have no idea what things were like e are in a world while communicating online. When I was younger my for now, I live my days in corporate America. On an is- when Gauntlet was born in 1975. For starters, imag- where we double sue geared toward technology in the industry, my brain ine a world without the cell phone, personal computer, tap dozens of mom often told me if I had nothing nice to say I was to say immediately jumped to marketing, as this was one of and the internet. As the old cigarette commercial said, times a day, use my primary business roles during my time as a piercer. “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Wour smart devices to track the nothing at all. As much as it may pain me, I have to admit my Honestly though, I think the biggest impact technology When I first began my piercing business, I had to use a most minute details of our days, has for me currently is allowing me to connect so easily pressure cooker to sterilize instruments, later graduating and start to sweat at the thought mom was right. This statement has saved feelings from being with all of you. to ever more sophisticated autoclaves. With the advent of no wifi. In a relatively short Throughout my life, I’ve found it difficult to stay in of the Statim, you are now blessed not only with more amount of time our industry hurt, friendships from being ru- ined, and embarrassing things touch with friends when there is physical distance; I reliable sterilization, but are able to accomplish it within has embraced technology. We have great intentions, but my follow through can be mere minutes. as piercers know what an im- from happening. Inevitably, we all face some form of negative lacking. Social media allows communication with my The first piercing needles were veterinary hypodermics portant role social media and distant friends to become seamlessly integrated into my with the syringe couplings cut off. We sterilized and re- technological advances have on online criticism in our professional lives. Courtney Jane Max- day-to-day life. I can now feel connected and do my used them over and over while they became duller with our jobs. As someone that has introverted “lurk and like” while allowing people I care every use and often had to be used with a needle pusher. been given the good fortune well has shared some tips to help you stay cool and collected when about to do the same. Nowadays, you have access to disposable needles that are of being able to reach many of Recently, I was trying to explain to my partner how so sharp they pierce the toughest of tissue like butter. my peers on a regular basis; I dealing with a bad review on a social media platform. supportive and appreciative the volunteer family is, even Even though I made every effort to provide the high- want to take this opportunity to though many of us have only met in person a handful est quality body jewelry, in those early days we had little hopefully provide you all with We live in a world where we are force fed the idea that more of times, if that. We’re not a daily face to face interac- understanding as to which materials were most suitable for some food for thought. A tion in each other’s lives, but we still feel like family. I for the purpose of piercing. The industry is now blessed few “rules” if you will to navi- is better. I firmly and truly believe moderation is the key, not believe this to be true throughout the body modification with an abundance of jewelry choices produced to the gate the waters of the tech ocean community, which is one of the things I love most about most stringent of manufacturing standards. we are all trying to stay afloat in. just when it comes to the do- nuts I eat or the coffee I drink, having chosen this path. In many ways, my continued Many of you are familiar with Gauntlet’s publication To be engaged in ones work, involvement in the industry is made possible because of Piercing Fans International Quarterly (PFIQ). Thanks to ones passion to apply oneself but very importantly in the social media I use. I choose to the technology we have at our disposal. the personal computer and the marvel of desktop pub- fully and wholly is an amaz- It amazes me to realize that, as a result of my involve- lishing, I’ve been able to say goodbye to the typewriter, ing thing. This used to mean be choosey which means I do not use every type of new and ment with this industry, I’ve developed friendships the T-square, the drafting board, and all the art supplies spending hours pouring over with awe-inspiring people all over the world. Unfortu- that were used for years to produce the magazine. With a books, old letters, even mi- fancy social media that pops up. I do not snap, tweet, and nately, the last year seems to have dealt a lot of hard few mouse clicks, design and layout has become a breeze. crofiche, or (yikes) actually blows to our community. Having friends that span the Technology is here to stay, and will continue to benefit talking to people. The art of in fact I do not spend the same amount of time tumbling or far reaches of the globe can be extremely tough when our profession. I only hope that one day human kindness the spoken word is no longer someone is going through a particularly hard experi- and compassion will catch up. what it was. The internet has booking that I used to. I have chosen the types of technol- ence, and all I want to do is give them a hug. Technol- On another subject, for the last several issues of The made so much possible. With ogy makes connecting over these vast distances a little information a click away, one ogy that work best for me and I Point I have participated as one of the Managing Edi- make them work as effectively less difficult and allows us to show our support, even tors. With this issue my title changes and I become the can fulfill every need and want when physical proximity isn’t possible. for knowledge in seconds en- and efficiently as possible. This publication’s Art Director. I will still be an occasional means that as much as technol- I have to admit that this editorial started out as a quick Contributing Editor, and while I’m busy doing the lay- abling our passions to ignite comment in the APP volunteers group, while curled up and take off. The flip side to ogy has become part of every out and design, I get to edit the editors. Over time I facet of my day to day life, it is in bed. I only got a few words in, when I suddenly re- also hope to be able to bring some fresh design ideas to this 24/7 access to internet alized that what I wanted to express is my appreciation anonymity (you can become not my life from day to day. these pages. Enjoy!

4 THE POINT ISSUE 74 5 THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER dures by thoroughly cleaning the worker’s hands and the subject site with a germicidal product was an enormous step that has become part of TECHNOLOGY our established thinking. Materials themselves can be used to leverage the natural properties for infection prevention: of copper (Cu+) and silver (Ag) that make touch and transfer surfaces inhospitable to microbes, Why the introduction and other embedded compounds have been de- of more technological advances veloped for similar purposes. Some even work with nanotech surface treatments. help to reduce cross contamination risks Instrument cleaning technology is constantly improving on the basic two fronts of physical Brian Skellie action and chemical reaction. Advancements in products safe for the worker and environmen- APP President tally friendly have brought forth alkaline or en- zymatic detergent, or peracetic acid options. he benefits of thousands of years of ad- Consumables have long been a source of vancements in infection control are ap- worker and client protection and potential plied and built upon daily: a brief history oversight. Gloves and other Personal Protec- of sterilization. tive Equipment (PPE) do create a barrier when T Asepsis is the most ef- used correctly, but do not take the place of ad- fective technological ad- The end of the operating theater equate hand hygiene and application of asepsis. vancement for a purpose- For further protection against exposure to en- ful reduction of microbes follows through with checklists, review, and re- vironmental hazards, wearable vapor detectors to an irreducible mini- minders for implementation. Primum non no- can be used to alert the worker of chemical haz- mum. This begins with cere = above all else we should do no harm. ards from cleaning and disinfecting products. policy and training, and Physics was the first step in decontamination, Essential detectors for sterilization or cleaning using thermal energy: fire and the effects of the parameters should be used for validation of sun. Advances have been made in E-beam and each process. Test Soils with protein detection radiation, both ionizing and non-ionizing, for for washing instruments, even manual cleaning sterilization. As a result, new equipment and should be tested, and Chemical and regular Bio- supplies are now available providing an almost logical Indicators for sterilization loads. infinite sterilization shelf life. Part of what was Cleaning appliances have made validation found useful from the sun, apart from drying, tests easier and more repeatable, with the avail- was the power of short wavelength ultraviolet ability of small automated instrument washers light to disrupt the DNA of cells. This has been and medical and dental ultrasonic cleaners. harnessed for disinfection of exposed environ- Our last line of defense against cross contami- mental surfaces, air, and water, but this form of nation comes from our environmental air qual- sterilization is not appropriate for initial piercing ity, which can be improved with air cleaners jewelry. Further study of properties of the sun equipped with HEPA filtration and UV, thermal have resulted in functional plasma etching and or plasma disinfection, and floor scrubbers to

cleaning processes and H2O2 gas plasma steril- vacuum up the dust, wash and dry the floor au- ization. At some point, gadgets for disinfection tomatically and robotically. of procedure rooms such as UV-C robots and The health and safety of our clientele and per-

hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) vapor foggers may sonnel depend on adequate sterilization and dis- have an application in scale for our trade. infection. The advancements listed have changed Chemistry was the next big step in the fight the way we do our jobs and protect ourselves from against preventable iatrogenic infection with risk. As we look towards the future it is impossi- Top, Chamberland’s Autoclave (1880), the first steam steril- germicides, from chlorine solutions and carbol- ble to know the impact further technological ad- Top to bottom, Antonj van Leeuwenhoek’s microscope izer patterned after Papin’s “digester (1680), the first pres- ic acid to EO gas. Recognizing the potential for vancements will have, but they will undoubtedly (1683); Joseph Lister’s antiseptic sprayer (1867); outmoded sure cooker. stopping infection transmission during proce- continue to change how we practice our trade. surgical equipment from the late 1800s.

6 THE POINT ISSUE 74 7 was always quick to crack a OUR INDUSTRY sarcastic joke if the right person came within ear shot. He MOURNS; liked to tease piercers by giving them a heads up about a new color or line being released MEMORIAL soon. Mark had a gift for giving just enough information to get FOR MARK them interested; just a taste, but never enough. It was easy to get RYAN OUELLETTE frustrated at how well he could Precision Body Arts keep a secret until the next Conference, when you would finally get a peek at what Neo- Metal was working on. He really cared about our industry. One thing Mark Siekierski on titanium: riting something like this is never easy. When NeoMetal started vending at the BMXnet How can you really express your mem- that always stuck out in my memory was how he Conference, it was Mark who went to Germany to ‘Gold is not an upgrade from titanium. Titanium cannot be ories and feelings for someone with a seemed to have a photographic memory for any showcase their line. It was great seeing him interact W shop anywhere in the world using their jewelry. upgraded; it is its own upgrade. That last part makes no few lines of text? with piercers in that kind of environment. People Someone would come up to the NeoMetal table sense, but titanium cares not what the Homo sapiens brain Mark Siekierski is someone we have all been who only got to see threadless jewelry online had impacted by in this industry. Not all of us talked and say “Hi, I’m from X shop” and he would im- the opportunity to meet someone from the com- can or cannot comprehend. Titanium is named after the to him in person, or even on the phone, but he mediately know the city and start calling them pany and have every facet of their line explained Elder Gods of Greece, the Titans. TITANIUM HAS A HIGH left his fingerprint on our industry every day by name. He never talked down to anyone or to them. Seeing piercers carrying away their first STRENGTH TO WEIGHT RATIO. You can make a jet fighter through his hard work and dedication. shrugged anyone off. If they bought one piece NeoMetal starter pack always put a big smile on or one thousand he was appreciative that some- with titanium; a jet fighter made of gold would be soft, The Siekierski family has been making body Mark’s face. Not because of potential income, as one out there in the world cared enough about I’m sure most regular customers know NeoMetal heavy, and wouldn’t fly.’ jewelry for this industry since the Gauntlet days; today most people would know their product by what his family was making and wanted to offer has grown so fast they sometimes struggle to keep the name NeoMetal. I can’t remember exactly it to their clients. At a conference where com- up with demand. Mark was happy because he when I started ordering jewelry from NeoMetal, panies have huge flashy booths fifty feet long, took pride in the respect his family’s company has but my guess would be the early 2000s. That was it was really endearing to see Mark and his earned worldwide. a time when a substantial order for me was $200, brother-in-law, John, standing behind one small At the end of the day he would want to sneak rather than $2,000. I would call the NeoMetal line table, enthusiastically showing off every piece of out to a quiet dinner with a few friends, rather with so many questions that a very nice woman threadless jewelry they make. than party with the throngs. I was fortunate named Sue would hand the phone off to her much enough to share a few meals with him and it more patient son, Mark. After a few months of never felt like I was being wined and dined by “NeoMetal, this is Mark” I became accustomed to someone trying to make a sale. It was just din- hearing his voice when I called. ner with a friend. No industry talk, just Star Over the years of the occasional chat after an Trek or video games or whatever came up. I feel order or stopping by his booth during the Expo like I’m rambling. Like I said, it is hard to make I’d say we became friends. I’m very comfortable a salient point when you’re emotional. with nerd culture, and Mark certainly would fall Over the coming weeks and months be pa- into that classification. He would give me that tient with NeoMetal. I know we all stress out wry smirk and force me to give him a split fin- over wait times; we stress out when we don’t ger Spock-esque high five. At a conference full have the post size we need. At the end of the of 1,000 people being “cool”, it was refreshing day just remember what is really important to to have someone more interested in teaching you, and know what it really means to not have me the Dothraki language (yeah, from Game of something, or someone, around when it re- Thrones) than in hitting the bar. ally matters. Every time you bend that pin for He always had such a calm demeanor. It was tension, every time you snap an end piece into like he was researching us so he could write a place, remember Mark. Because he remembered book someday. He was quiet and composed, but every one of us like we were his family too.

8 THE POINT ISSUE 74 9 THE IMPORTANCE Not all, but most piercings initially require OF jewelry that is longer in length or wider in diameter in order to accommodate for the DOWNSIZING swelling. CODY VAUGHN APP Vice President With most cartilage piercings, longer jewelry being left in for too long can cause the piercing channel to shift its angle. The two most critical (and popular) piercings that come to mind are helix and forward helix piercings (see Figure 2). At first glance you would probably just assume the top two piercings were done crooked. While that’s possible, for this writing we will assume they were pierced correctly and perpen- dicular to the tissue (straight). Figure 1 See that bump on the second from top car- Figure 3 tilage piercing? That’s not an infection, or ke- So how soon after getting your piercing can o you have likely heard reputable pierc- loid, or scar. That’s an irritation bump that is you get a snugger fitting piece of jewelry put in? ers cover a lot of things when it comes most likely there due to the extreme angle the That’s the tough part. It can vary greatly from to the healing of your body piercing. piercing has taken. That angle places pressure one client/piercing to the other. After a few Aftercare, jewelry quality, etc. An often on the piercing channel, causing the dreaded You’ll find quite a few piercers who have been piercing for weeks, some people are ready. For others it can overlooked step that is critical to the cartilage bump. take well over a month or two. many years aren’t big fans of using really thin jewelry in overall healing of your piercing is downsizing. There are many factors that could explain the S Missing that open window when swelling cartilage piercings. For this writing, let’s focus on cartilage piercings top two cartilage piercings having such extreme has come down can be problematic. Now that as this is an issue that pops up frequently. angles. Sleeping on the piercing at night, catching longer jewelry may get caught or snagged on Not all, but most piercings initially require and snagging it, etc. These things are all the more something, causing you to have to go through jewelry that is longer in length or wider in di- problematic with jewelry that has been left long a period of swelling all over again (and delaying ameter in order to accommodate for the swell- for too long (not downsized soon enough). you in being able to downsize). ing. While some may find this longer length You’ll find quite a few piercers who have been This is exactly why frequent follow ups with annoying, it’s a necessary precaution to prevent piercing for many years aren’t big fans of using your piercer is essential to make sure you don’t jewelry from embedding into tissue once swell- really thin jewelry in cartilage piercings. And waste your money on a quality piercing with ing takes place. Figure 1 shows an example of a rightfully so. While thicker jewelry can still an- quality jewelry only to have it angle so bad you freshly pierced tragus. gle if not downsized, they generally tend to be a no longer find it aesthetically pleasing . You may think that jewelry looks awfully little more forgiving as the slightly thicker gauge And one last thing, because this comes up all long, right? Well after 2–3 weeks that flatback can provide a bit more stability. the time: When you come in for a shorter piece was sitting perfectly flush to either side of this With the growing common practice of 18g of jewelry, of course you have to pay for it. Jew- client’s tragus due to the swelling that occurs jewelry being used in cartilage piercings, having elry is never free. Please say it with me: “I under- with cartilage piercings. So we need room for regular checkups with your piercer is crucial so stand I will have to pay for jewelry when I am swelling, but excessively long jewelry is prob- snug fitting jewelry can be put in as soon as the requesting new jewelry.” lematic as well. Jewelry that is too long will get piercing is ready. Here’s an example of a client Okay. I feel better now. I hope some of you caught and snagged much easier, causing irri- who had a forward helix piercing done with lon- piercing enthusiasts find this information helpful! tation and a longer dragged out healing time. ger jewelry, then later stopped in for a snugger This is another reason why going to a reputable fitting piece as the swelling had gone away at this Editor’s Note: This is reprinted from a July 15, Figure 2 piercer is so important. point (see Figure 3). 2015 Tumblr post.

10 THE POINT ISSUE 74 11 cap. How many times have you witnessed, in a come to mind when I think of the importance COMMUNICATING public or private forum, a screencap of an image of nonverbal communication. At this point, if taken from a “personal” page or a “private” fo- you haven’t caught on yet, you’re probably ask- rum, used against someone maliciously? Not so ing yourself what this has to do with internet EFFECTIVELY personal or private anymore, huh? etiquette and being impeccable with your word. Many of us, at one point or another in our life, It has absolutely everything to do with it! These IN THE have been told there are three things that you nonverbal identifiers can not be translated don’t talk about: religion, politics, and money. through text on a screen. An individual read- DIGITAL AGE While this may not hold as much weight these ing your words and seeing your emojis has to days as in days of yore, there is still something infer the tone of the message you are trying to MIRO HERNANDEZ to be taken from this. Personally, I think that convey. It can be difficult to distinguish whether APP Public Relations Director freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, and you are being serious, malicious, sarcastic, or having the privilege and ability to speak on genuinely concerned. The overall message is topics that we are passionate about is what de- often left open and subject to interpretation by ith the advent of fines us. That being said, there is absolutely a whomever’s eyes are reading it. This is where it is the internet and time and place for this to happen, and a social of utter importance to be clear and concise with World Wide Web, media outlet used to promote a business is not the point you are trying to make; in other words, times are quickly the place to do so. be impeccable with your word. Wchanging for all. You literally These days, we live in a society where people While I make no claims to be an expert in the have easy access to the entire are very easily offended and feelings can get field of internet communication, this is all based world at your fingertips. Long hurt. I’m a firm believer that the greatest thing off of my personal observations and thoughts on gone are the days of AOL and the internet has given us is “butt-hurt”. That the subject matter. My background is in speech slow dial-up connections. In fact you don’t even meet their expectations. Having a strong social “friend” you thought was really cool and under- communications with an emphasis on interper- need a computer or a laptop to access your email media presence has the power to either make stood “where you’re coming from” may take of- sonal communication. So naturally, communi- or the World Wide Web, and it is no longer nec- or break businesses these days. In the case of a fense to your thoughts and feelings on a particu- cation, and the lack thereof, is something that I essary to hear the screeches and squeals from negative review, it is essential to be prepared to lar topic that you may have felt was a non-issue. feel very strongly about. If you are touting and your modem just to find out “you’ve got mail.” respond politely and professionally. You may be Not only have you lost a friend, but that person claiming yourself to be a professional, do so in It is all right at your fingertips on your nearest faced with a firestorm on social media, lashing could’ve been your biggest supporter. The per- a manner that is according to and in line with smart device. As the landscape of the World out based on an inappropriate comment. Under- son that was initially quick to sing your praises your claims in all aspects of your life, even the Wide Web started taking shape, turning to the standing the tool you are using is imperative to is now telling the world how horrible of a person internet. Some people may say that the internet internet for all your questions and needs quickly the integrity of your business. you are and telling others to no longer frequent is not real life and should therefore not be taken became the new norm. “Just Google it” is now First and foremost, it is absolutely impera- your establishment, possibly over something too seriously. However, when it has the potential the answer to any question that is posed and the tive to understand, that once it goes out into as benign as not seeing eye to eye on whether to impact your way of life, the internet should internet is full of plenty of answers, both good the World Wide Web, it has been put out for New York style pizza is better than Chicago style absolutely be taken seriously. and bad. all eyes to see and will become a permanent pizza. Simple rule of thumb: if the topic has po- Along with the rise of the internet, new and part of the recorded history, even if you de- tential to offend and you can’t handle yourself in different platforms have risen as a means for lete it. The most common fallacy that I see and a manner that goes hand in hand with how you businesses to promote themselves. Shelling out hear repeatedly is “but it’s my personal page. want your business to be perceived, don’t post it. hundreds of dollars for an ad in the YellowPages I’m free to do as I please with it.” While this is In Don Miguel Ruiz’s bestseller, The Four is no longer necessary when you can get free technically true, personal page or not, there is Agreements, one of the agreements was “be im- promotion through the internet. When an in- no disclaimer to let viewers know this. It is not peccable with your word.” While the meaning of dividual is seeking an establishment that offers shrouded by a safety web or warnings. By us- this can be open to interpretation, I will apply it a specific type of service, websites likeGoogle, ing your “personal” page as a means to promote in a manner that is in line with what has been Yelp, and Facebook seem to be their first stop. Do yourself and your business, you are providing brought up thus far. When we are communicat- a great job and offer the highest quality of service your viewers with a direct reflection of who you ing with individuals directly in person (verbal and people are quick to sing your praises, loud are and the nature of your business. In essence, communication), there are many things we can and proud, through digital reviews. However, the internet has made us our own bosses and pick up on indirectly through the individual’s along with the good comes the bad. If they are masters of our own domain. nonverbal communication: body language, eye quick to be loud and proud with a review of an A perfect example of your personal page not contact, voice inflection, pause and timing, exceptional service, they’ll be even quicker and being so personal and the rather serious rami- etc. The phrase “you’re not saying anything, louder when the service that is offered does not fications that can result is the infamous screen- but you’re telling me everything” will always

12 THE POINT ISSUE 74 13 and handle clients, but consistency in how you handle • Don’t call someone a liar, even if it seems like they are RESPONDING difficult online situations will be much more beneficial lying. It makes people furious, and if somehow you are long term than playing into the negative spiral that inter- wrong, it makes you look extremely unprofessional. If TO NEGATIVE CRITICISM net arguments can create. you have solid evidence that what they are saying isn’t Once you have read a critical or negative review, take true, present the evidence and ask if perhaps there some time to process what was said. There are a lot of was some confusion. Giving people the benefit of the ONLINE things to consider, and jumping to reply quickly can lead doubt is often the only way to “win” in this situation. to an overly emotional response. Here are some things to If you think it’s pertinent to make it clear that some- COURTNEY JANE MAXWELL keep in mind: thing isn’t true, stating it in a way that doesn’t direct Saint Sabrina’s • Criticisms can often be dramatizations; it is habit for the statement at the client is a really great way to get many people to play up a story in their favor. The per- the point across while still sounding professional. spective from the critic can make this “version” of For example: “We have a very strict policy that no- the story seem like it is accurate. On the other hand, body gets pierced without doing paperwork,” rather sometimes people are just angry and really do try to than, “There is no way you got pierced here without spin a situation in a spiteful way. As with any con- doing paperwork.” flict, accepting the way people may think and express • Remember not to disclose information about your cli- themselves is important in allowing you to under- ent and/or their visit that should be considered pri- stand the situation. You can’t change people or how vate. Even if there are no legal repercussions, it will they choose to express themselves, and getting angry make potential clients reading it very uneasy to think at the way they react is a waste of time. In the end it that you could be provoked into sharing their person- is counter-productive to your goals. Attempting to al information where the public can see. If details of understand them better may allow you to handle the this nature are necessary, it may be appropriate to re- situation more effectively. ply publicly that, out of respect for the client’s privacy, • Think like the client. Walk yourself through the details you would prefer to contact them directly to discuss of their criticism and genuinely try to consider how the the matter. It assures that onlookers won’t think that experience may have unfolded from their perspective. you simply ignored the situation. • Never reply without getting the full story! Speak di- In the end if communication like this isn’t your strong suit, I suggest taking time to read other people’s reviews. he internet has become such an integral handle complaints with integrity? What kind of rectly with any staff members involved in the situation Check out reviews from people who you respect and part of our marketing, allowing our cli- customer service do you give? Do you keep your that led to the criticism. Also be prepared to consider shops whose business approach you admire. Then read ents to leave feedback about our service. cool when people are being unruly? What type that your staff/co-workers are just as human as clients. reviews from random other studios as well; finding ex- Sooner or later, we all encounter one of of policies do you have, and why? Your response Their perspectives may create some bias in the situa- amples of what you don’t like can be just as helpful. When Tthe least fun parts of the piercing gig: dealing is a reflection of your business, and it can have tion as well, even if they are trying to avoid that. you find ones you like, analyze what you like about them with a bad review or negative feedback/criticism a dramatic impact on how readers perceive the • Don’t assume that the customer is always right, OR and consider why you think it was an effective response. on our social media. These reviews can be true, negative review itself. that the customer is always wrong. Keep an open You won’t have the benefit of knowing the entire story false, simple misunderstandings, and everything When deciding how to respond, having a mind and remember to see past the presentation and behind the situation, but it’s still a very helpful way to in between. Some will be incredibly easy to deal solid idea of how you want to present yourself/ look for the content of the complaint. prepare yourself and get an idea for how you want to with or even ignore, “they wouldn’t pierce me your studio to the public is extremely beneficial. handle that type of situation. I also suggest looking for because I was drunk—how rude!” Others can Using your company’s mission statement as a • Don’t make the mistake of invalidating someone’s ex- places where the original poster can publicly reply to the make you and/or your studio look bad, espe- guideline for this will point you in the right di- perience; it’s a sure fire way to offend people. No mat- person’s responses. It’s good to see how clients react to cially if you do not take the opportunity to reply. rection. It can also serve as something to refer ter how inappropriately someone may react, telling these responses, as it can give you clues on which ap- On many review websites, you can reply pub- back to if you are unsure what the tone of your them “your feelings aren’t real” is not going to get you proaches work best for the type of results you would like licly to the original poster. When responding reply should be. It also keeps you from kicking anywhere you want to go. to see in a particular type of interaction. to negative feedback publicly, the first thing to yourself later. Having a well laid out plan from For example: “We are really sorry if our policy about Developing a good method for handling negativity consider is that this response is therefore not the beginning makes it much easier to navigate handling jewelry made you feel singled out. We have online is an incredibly valuable skill in our profession, only for the original poster, but for the public the trickier situations in business. Embarrass- policies in place specifically to keep the shop as clean although it can be a challenge. While this subject could who may be reading later. It then becomes wise ing online interactions from the past have a way as possible for ourselves and our visitors. It may seem easily become an entire novel, the points highlighted to consider both perspectives (the current cli- of sticking around, so it’s always good to think a little odd at first, but we like to take every precaution here are intended to help steer you towards better results ent as well as future ones) when writing your re- about potential readers to see how any online when it comes to our clients safety!“ Rather than, “our when managing online reviews. Here’s to not having to plies; your response doubles as a chance to show interactions may come back to haunt you. There counter person wasn’t being rude. He was just doing use these skills too often! the public how you handle business. Do you are many different ways to run a piercing studio his job.”

14 THE POINT ISSUE 74 15 TECH TIPS FOR THE STUDIO BODY PIERCING SHOPS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS JULIE TAYLOR & APRIL THOMAS Outreach Committee PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM COVERAGE FOR MINORS INSURANCE BROKERAGE GUEST ARTIST PIERCERS

ADVANCED PIERCING

TATTOO SHOPS INSURING THE BODY PIERCING e don’t use machines to create beautiful INDUSTRY FOR TATTOO REMOVAL piercings, but for most of us, being a piercer COMMUNICABLE DISEASE involves much more than the installation SEXUAL ABUSE

of jewelry. As our jobs as body piercers be- APPRENTICESHIP

Wcome more multi faceted it is now common place to CONVENTIONS find more efficient and economical ways of doing all of the parts that now make up our job. This is where we MOBILE UNITS can use technology; it can make many of our tasks PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY more efficient and improve workflow; the integra- 415.475.4300 PROPERTY COVERAGE tion of multiple technological tools can provide TATTOO-INS.COM LANDLORD ENDORSEMENT even more benefits. In this article we will take a SIGNS / GLASS / FLASH quick look at some of the ways piercers can cur- CYBER PROTECTION rently use technology in their studios to improve Novato, California 94949 WORKERS COMP efficiency. CA LIC #OB17238 / CA LIC #OH27235 TATTOO & BODY PIERCING Point of sale system (POS) SUPPLY DISTRIBUTOR • Create your next order automatically based on custom targets • See inventory instantly • Manual counting of each piece is re- Website • Use software for many of the above tasks while at quired less often • Showcase all your info and portfolios together with home or away, including POS, CCTVs, Google, so- • See sales in real time from home or aftercare, driving directions, links and more cial media, and more (this article was written en- away • Collect data from here to shape marketing efforts tirely with the Google Docs application). • Track a variety of statistics, from best • Digitally book appointments to commit online Each one of these categories of technology could have sellers to busiest time of day shoppers an entire issue devoted to it. This quick reference was • Integrate with search engines for higher SEO results • Use reporting features to identify business opportu- Digital waivers not meant to provide you with the information to best nities or trends • Integrate with social media (provide links between) implement and utilize each of these technologies with- • Nothing to file or store, saving time and space Client tracking software (sometimes integrated with POS) Cloud storage & file transfer systems in your shops and business models. Instead, we hope CCTV cameras • Set up and maintain client reward program (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) this quick reference will help readers determine which • Watch business from afar • Single out groups for marketing (birthdays, top gold • Share photos and documents among team members technologies could make a meaningful impact in their • Added security purchasers in the last 6 months, all nostril piercings • Work on projects from home studio. Hopefully this reference guide will allow you to this month, etc) Online appointment booking • Less (or no) risk of losing work as a result of hard- isolate an area or procedure that can be improved upon • Generate contact list for an email newsletter (sometimes integrated with POS) ware failure and give you the tools to begin the research process. • Send reminders for check ups and other appointments • Access schedules from home or away Google maps • Access sizes, wish lists, dates of services and other • Clients can book themselves, reducing phone calls • Show business by name details for individual clients and emails • Makes clients’ experiences easier • Commit phone clients by booking and scheduling Social media • Reduce calls for directions appointments • Lower priced or free, targeted, advertising Mobile phone Accounting software (also may integrate with POS) • Easily respond to clients in a frequently used plat- • Take photos to help line up paired piercings, show • Track even more statistics form clients ear or other placements that are hard for • Have year end figures ready at tax time • Scheduling software allows the streamlining of them to see, as well as portfolio photos. • All calculations are done by the software posts to multiple platforms over multiple days in • Access your portfolio anywhere • Handle payroll one session.

16 THE POINT ISSUE 74 17 groove” getting it all out of the find for the clients seeking your ser- There are now more services avail- ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIES way at once. vices and products; this is essentially able than ever to make web develop- the basics of search engine optimiza- ment possible for beginners. Here are MARINA PECORINO • Engagement—Certain types of posts are more likely to get a wid- tion (SEO). a few tips to help you along the way: The Point Editor er spread of reactions from your Thetotal number of websites • Be honest with what you’re ad- audience. Posts with at least one currently on the World Wide Web vertising. Despite what the name image are more likely to be shared is mind boggling, and new sites would imply, SEO isn’t about ca- than posts without images. People are being added every day. For this tering your website to the search are more inclined to interact with reason, search engines need a way engines, but more about using web t’s been a while since I have had content that evokes certain emo- to keep track of and catalog what’s development tools to maximize the the chance to browse the inter- tional responses; awe, laughter, available. To do so, search engines number of clients that find you by net for piercing shop websites and amusement are the most like- send out web crawlers (also known looking for what you’re offering. By in my spare time; it’s actually ly to be shared. Unless you intend as bots or spiders) to methodically implying a level of service or prod- fairlyI intriguing to me. The design of index websites and return informa- to be the epicenter of debate, it is uct that the client won’t find upon marketing materials has a lot to say best to stay away from controver- arrival, you’re bound to end up with about how each shop is choosing to sial topics, but a well placed poll frustrated visitors writing bad re- present itself to (potential) clients. question or invitation to share a Although websites have the views, rather than lifelong clientele. In Issue 73, I shared some tips particular post can spread like disadvantage of associated cost Therefore, it’s incredibly important and tricks for taking portfolio pho- wildfire. Here are a few bites of to be honest on your site about what tographs. In this issue, I’m going to food for thought: infographics (web design and development, your business has to offer; phrase get down to business (excuse the pun (graphic depictions of informa- hosting, domain registration), and brand your web presence for #sorrynotsorry) talking about online tion) and listicles (those clickbait the clients you want, but be realistic. marketing. These days, it’s so easy to they have some serious advan- numbered lists everyone loves to • Text is important. With the ex- get sucked into the glowing screen in hate) are the most widely shared tages that aren’t as feasible front of you without putting it to use ception of intentionally hidden post types. Tuesday is overall the with their no-cost social media content (credential information, as a powerful marketing tool. I’m hop- best day to post content. ing this article will help make the time counterparts. duplicate content, etc.), all text on you spend online for business more Hopefully, after reading the points a website is indexed by crawlers. efficient and effective, so you can get will yield innumerable articles with allow more chances to strike a above you have discovered some- Some of this text is seen by view- back to posting pictures of cats. a mix of good and not-so-good in- chord with viewers. Although thing about social media marketing tion to the search engines about ers, but sites also contain a lot For the sake of “print” space, I’m formation. Here is a small list of my there is a lot to be said about au- that you weren’t aware of previously. what text and images were found on of text that is only visible when going to assume that most readers favorite Dos and Don’ts: tomation in regards to time man- That means it’s as good a time as any each website and where those ele- looking at the source code. These to discuss websites and search en- elements only visible when look- already have a basic grasp of market- • Humanity—Have a sense of hu- agement, be careful about repeat- ments were located in the coding. ing on social media. For those of you ing the same posts over all your gine optimization. Search engines use this information ing at the coding—like meta tags, mor and try not to sound me- Although websites have the disad- keywords, alt text on images—are that feel there’s more to learn, many chanical. Clients are less likely to social media platforms. Try to along with complex algorithms to social media platforms offer a conve- cater the content to the audience vantage of associated cost (web de- determine the relevant results for important tools for developers to be drawn in by a robotic message. sign and development, hosting, do- provide additional information to nient business resource guide: Face- When the media has a personality, and mechanics of the different a search, even tailoring the results book Business, Instagram Business, platforms you’re utilizing. main registration), they have some based on a particular user’s past be crawled. There are numerous clients are more likely to become serious advantages that aren’t as fea- tools online to help you choose Pinterest Business, and Tumblr Busi- engaged in the content. Think of • Frequency—Post, share, and in- search history. ness. Some of them also offer forums sible with their no-cost social media Consequently, web developers text that will attract a broad audi- those days in the studio when your teract consistently. It is a valid use counterparts. The main advantage: ence, like this free keyword tool and communities where business us- personality is shining through and of your time to be online at work have learned how to build websites ers can discuss their experiences and total control over style and the inner to make pertinent information more with daily approximations of data, your clients are eating it up; the as long as you are making sure to workings. The overall appearance broken down by search engine ask questions. If you have a question same applies to social media. focus your attention on the busi- available and meaningful for web about using a particular feature, there is certainly important if you’re par- crawlers, to improve the chance that and demographic information. • Diversity—Use a mix of images, ness at hand. Dedicate a few min- ticular about aesthetics, and let’s face These types of tools take some of are lots of articles available directed utes of your work day to posting their site will have a high ranking at businesses with how-to guides like videos, and text to share all as- it, we’re in the body modification in relevant searches. Search engines the guesswork out of choosing pects of your shop with potential and responding to clients. With industry; how things look is pretty what text is best to draw the most this beginner’s guide to hashtags. certain platforms, like Facebook, often provide guides on improv- Like anything else on the internet, and returning clientele. Don’t much our business. More impor- ing SEO, but information about the appropriate audience. limit yourself solely to one type you may also choose to dedicate tantly though, total control includes a quick search for terms like “Tum- some time to plan and schedule algorithms used are generally kept • Images have become more pow- blr marketing strategies” or “social of post or one social media plat- using the elements of web develop- secret to reduce exploitation by dis- erful than ever before. Search form. Variety in advertising will posts for the upcoming week(s), ment to make your website easy to media tips for small businesses” spending an hour or two “in the honest developers. engines have evolved to the

18 THE POINT ISSUE 74 19 point that images are now be- etc.) and how those individual crams as many keywords into an ele- ing indexed, allowing users to pages will relate to one another. ment as possible. This isn’t generally do a search for particular type of Properly utilizing internal links, done maliciously, but in an attempt to picture, much like searching for breadcrumbs, and sitemaps will reach all possible audiences; I have to a specific set of words or answer assist search engines in under- admit that I was guilty of this early on. to a question. When your smart- standing your site’s navigation Instead of using “gauge”, “plug” and phone or digital camera creates and help your viewers find what “stretched lobe jewelry” as keywords an image, it assigns the image a they’re looking for. for the same entry, it’s best to choose generic filename like “IMGfive- • Duplicate information will bog one term that is likely to reach a wide bazllion.jpg”. Renaming photos down viewers and bots. The audience, while encouraging appro- with something more descriptive proper and consistent use of in- priate language. It’s also a great idea to and enticing like “Opal-Rose- ternal links throughout a website diversify terms where possible, only Gold-Philtrum-Piercing.jpg” will can make a huge impact on the reusing the most important. If a par- assist web crawlers in identifying user’s experience and ability to ticular site is especially spammy or the photograph. Just make sure navigate the site. Web develop- dishonest, it can even be de-indexed, that the filename you choose ac- ers use anchor text (this article meaning that it no longer appears in curately describes the image. Web is full of anchor text) to link text search results. Avoid these penalties developers also have the ability between pages or to reference by being conscientious during devel- to add alt text, also known as al- outside sources rather than du- opment and do research throughout ternative text, in case the image plicating information. It’s best to the process. can’t be loaded. Using descriptive use single words or short phrases The topic of online marketing is terms in the filename and alt text for anchor text; these words or certainly not a simple one and is will improve the chance of your phrases should provide a preview not something that can be learned image showing up in a relevant (or keyword) of what the link will from a single article. I have tried to search, but it also allows users to contain. As an example, if a shop provide you with a quick overview, get an idea of the subject matter in wants to include a link to a blank but there is much more to learn, the image in cases when the image copy of their piercing waiver, it even on the topics introduced here. isn’t visible. would be best to use the words Throughout this article, I have pro- • Make your site as easy to navi- “piercing waiver” as the anchor vided additional resources, but there “ ”* gate as possible. A sitemap is text. Avoid using ambiguous an- is far more information available, Essential reading… essentially a blueprint of your chor text in sentences like “a copy like this basic website term glos- website (generally set up in a hier- of our piercing waiver can be sary. We have the advantage of infi- archical format), showing where found here” with the anchor text nite access to instructional websites running certain types of information are being “here”. and tutorials available to explain the basics and more advanced tech- housed on the site. It is common As I mentioned before, search en- for web developers to make their niques involved in online market- the gauntlet gines use complex algorithms to take ing and web development. Instruc- An Intimate History of the Modern Body Piercing Movement by Jim Ward sitemap—much like a writer all of the elements (included the ones tional websites like these are where In this revealing autobiography, Jim Ward, considered by many to be the father of the modern piercing composes an outline—before listed above) of a website and deter- generating site content. Decid- I have collected my knowledge over industry, tells the engaging and candid story of discovering his own fascination with body piercing, his mine how relevant it is to a user’s founding of Gauntlet, the world’s first body piercing studio, and how he transformed a personal fetish and ing the format and organization many years. If all this talk of tuto- search. Unfortunately, there are dis- rials has you excited and ready to backroom, amateur pursuit into a respected profession and spearheaded a world-wide social phenomenon. ahead of time allows a developer Essential reading for everyone with an interest in body piercing; you, your shop staff, and your customers honest web developers who know learn, here’s a great resource of free to determine the best layout for these tricks and will manipulate them will treasure this book. a website, so that similar content web dev tutorials. I encourage you for more information and to order a copy of Running the Gauntlet signed especially for you by the author, to increase the ranking of their sites, to dive in and enjoy the adventure. visit runningthegauntlet-book.com. Also available wholesale and retail at safepiercing.org/publications/ is together and that important even with searches that may not be information is easy to find. Once The greatest feature of a website is running-the-gauntlet. * relevant. This is precisely why search that it can be developed over time, “Essential reading for anyone who wants to a sitemap is set up, developers engine penalties are used to coun- •• Deluxe,Deluxe, large-format, large-format hardcoverboth hard and soft cover understand how modern body piercing essentially have a cheat sheet of starting off simple and small, and arrived at the place it currently occupies.” teract potential misuse. One of these • Over 180• Over pages 180 pages which individual pages of a site building into something full of in- James Weber, Former President penalties, particularly common for formation, images, and content to • More than• More 250 than photos, 250 over photos, half over of them half in of color them! in color! Association of Professional Piercers will need to be built (portfolio, beginners, is known as keyword stuff- pricing information, aftercare, make your clients excited to come www.runningthegauntlet-book.com ing. This is when a web developer visit your shop.

20 THE POINT ISSUE 74 wHOlESAlE ORDERS NOw AvAIlABlE THROugH THE APP! 21 The Piercing bible The definiTiVe gUide To sAfe body Piercing by Elayne Angel

This one-of-a-kind comprehensive resource covers everything piercers and piercees need to know about the subject. Piercing pioneer and authority Elayne Angel shares her exhaustive knowledge about piercing techniques, jewelry, placements, aftercare, troubleshooting, and more.

ABOuT THE AuTHOR - ELAYnE AnGEL has been a professional piercer for more than 20 years and has performed over 40,000 piercings. She was awarded the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Professional Piercers in 2006 and is a contributing writer for PAIN Magazine. She lives in Mérida, Mexico. Visit www.piercingbible.com for more information.

Available for wholesale or retail purchase through the APP office: 1 (888) 888-1APP or APP website: www. safepiercing.org $20.00 A portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to the APP. PaPerBack

To sell The Piercing Bible in your studio, 6 x 9 Inches place a “retailer order” with the publisher: Photos & IllustratIons email [email protected] 308 Pages or call 800.733.3000, ext. 86384 ISBN: 978-1-58091-193-1 o matter what your opinions are on the dence” that has been seen is purely anecdotal. PIERCING TRENDS current trend and associated claims re- We should all know that individual experience is garding daith piercings, you can’t deny irrelevant in relation to things such as cures for AS AN their existence and the impact that medical conditions. Since you can read all about Ntrends like these - I’m looking at you, triple for- confirmation bias, case studies, and double blind ward helix - have on the piercing industry. Per- experiments in Jef Saunders’s recent blog about OPPORTUNITY haps more important to consider, is the way that the speculation that daith piercings cure mi- these trends influence how clients or potential graines, I won’t delve too deeply into this. TO EDUCATE clients perceive us. With the way that informa- While there isn’t a whole lot of reason to define tion is shared these days - mostly thanks to the what anecdotal evidence is or explain the general RYAN CLARK prevalence of social media - there is likely always lack of scientific consensus to someone who just Immaculate Body Piercing going to be a “new” trendy piercing. To most of walked in looking for a piercing, you should be us, these piercings will be old hat. They may not able to if needed. The same way you can explain (read: hopefully won’t be) touted as some sort of that a vertical hood piercing isn’t going to cause miracle cure for some ailment. Regardless of the nerve damage to the clitoris, you should be able circumstances, there is much to be gained from to explain that a daith piercing probably isn’t go- When a client walks in asking about the headache cure, we anything that is bringing potential clients into ing to cure their migraines. If the client still wants your studio. Being honest and transparent is al- the piercing (and many, if not most will) then should be telling them that there’s absolutely no verifiable ways going to be more important than making a you can at least carry on with a clear conscience. evidence to support that a daith piercing cures anything sale. However, there are many things to take into The type of clients who end up in your studio other than an unadorned ear. consideration when you find someone at your because of trends like these present a unique op- counter who likely never expected themselves to portunity. Many of them have preconceived no- end up in a piercing studio. tions about piercing studios, and piercers, that are unsafe. They will inevitably pass this infor- First and foremost, it’s always going to be im- they will find simply aren’t true when visiting mation onto their friends and loved ones who portant to dispel myths. We all know there are studios that meet industry standards. Again, a ask about the rad new piercing they got. In turn, many associated with piercings; from not be- huge part of our job as piercers is to educate, and this single piercing experience has the potential ing able to breastfeed after getting nipple pierc- these situations often become excellent chances. to save an untold number of people from the ings to, more recently, daith piercings being a When your client decides they still want a daith bad experience of being pierced by untrained cure for migraines, anxiety, and whatever else piercing, you get to inform them that they’re not hands. the internet has come up with since the writing stuck with the poorly-sized curved barbell that I think it is sometimes easy for us to lose sight of of this piece. Remember, it is our job as ethi- they probably saw in whatever article they read. what we’re really trying to accomplish as pierc- cal piercers to disseminate information about You have the opportunity to inform them that ers. Obviously we are trying to do clean, safe piercing to our clients and a large part of that real body jewelry comes in many sizes, styles, piercings, but that’s only one facet of the job. is diffusing misinformation, even when do- and implant grade materials. The term stan- Many of us are guilty of worrying excessively ing so means potentially losing a sale. I’d go dard, doesn’t really apply; the sky’s the limit now about the opinions of our peers, yet failing to so far as to say especially when it means po- a days with body jewelry designs. go above and beyond to impress the people who tentially losing a sale, because building trust is You become an ambassador for the entire matter most: our clients. These are the people infinitely better for business than taking some- piercing industry every time one of these clients who are literally giving us a reason to come to one’s hard-earned money under false pretenses. walks through your door. While we should all work every day. By no means am I saying that Since the current trend centers around daith be doing our best to give every client the best you should disregard the opinions of your peers; piercings being the miracle cure for migraines, experience they can have, these types of people in a tight-knit industry like ours, they definite- we can use that as an example. When a client should be given extra consideration. You can ly do matter. However, your personal feelings walks in asking about the headache cure, we teach them about jewelry standards, especially should always take a back seat to the health, should be telling them that there’s absolutely no in regards to what to look for when choosing a safety, and mental-well being of your clients. So verifiable evidence to support that a daith pierc- piercing studio. You can correct misconceptions when someone is desperately searching for re- ing cures anything other than an unadorned ear. about allergies to everything except gold, while lief, it is unethical to not be upfront about your As ethical piercers, these types of misconcep- explaining that you offer a wide selection of almost certain inability to provide that relief tions should be cleared up before talking with jewelry including nickel-free gold, if that’s what with a piercing. However, if you take the time the client about doing a piercing. There really they would like. When they ask if you’ll be using to be compassionate and informative in your isn’t any wiggle room on this, because it’s fact a gun (and there is a good chance they will) you response, you just might end up with a lifelong whether we want to accept it or not; any “evi- have the chance to explain how piercing guns client anyway.

22 THE POINT ISSUE 74 23 t is important to keep in mind the time As a historical text this book offers a look at are the next to be covered and receive more at- frame this was published and how its pur- what it was like for the body modification en- tention than any other piercing at this point in pose in a library or collection will have thusiast in its infancy, not just in North Ameri- the book. This, again, indicates a direct link be- changed since its original publication. ca, but worldwide. It is a unique combination of tween the roots of the piercing movement and IfI this review had been written 20 years ago - instructional text containing brief descriptions the kink and fetishists of the time. This latter when this book was one of the few available on of healing times and proper jewelry used to per- section for the book includes several excellent body modification - it would have been an im- form certain piercings, including septum, navel, photos highlighting nipple piercings and their portant and excellent educational tool for both and nipples. Male and female genital piercings accompanying jewelry in both color and black the enthusiast as well as those considered pro- are also discussed later in the book. These small and white. These collections of photos are an fessional piercers. Keep in mind that at this time written tutorials - complete with hand drawn di- excellent window into the rise in popularity of there were very few piercing establishments that agrams by Alan Oversby (aka Mr. Sebastian)— piercing in the ‘80s and ‘90s. However the anat- offered individuals who pierced as a profession. are a key part to our history. omy of a nipple piercing that is covered in this Fast forward to now, when the educational At the time this was written, few piercings in literature would now be considered outdated; as body of literature for the body modification North America were done for fashion reasons; an industry standard, it is now agreed upon that industry has grown significantly; this text now most body modification was rooted in sexual- it is not necessary to pierce into the areole no serves much better as a historical account as ity or due to the love of physical adornment. matter what the anatomy of the nipple. opposed to an educational reference. I also see The author mentions that at the time of pub- From here, Clarke goes on to give answers it as a very important piece of the history of lication, “Sleepers” were the most common, to the most commonly asked questions about our industry, helping to bring piercing from comfortable style of jewelry. She mentions re- the kink and fetish world (which you can tell peatedly that the dominant styles of jewelry at influence this book quite heavily) to the more the time were ball closure rings (BCR). This is mainstream. what UK and English speaking Europeans have “Press about piercing at that time [the early always referred to this style of jewelry as, con- ‘90s] was written by us for us: PFIQ. Body Play. tinuing to this day. Whereas North American Body Art and Piercing World out of the UK. English speakers call this style of jewelry cap- For many of us—myself included—these pub- tive bead rings (or CBR). Most jewelry avail- lications opened our eyes to a completely new able was made from gold, silver, or surgical world. My aspirations to be as a piercer and steel. This is also the time that men’s ear pierc- body modification artist were directly shaped ings went from having very strong political ties by what I read in these publications. to fashion statements. However nostril pierc- And now there is the internet. Piercers to- ings were still rare and piercings like the sep- THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE day are introduced to the world of piercing and tum were only seen at home or at private func- body modification with a flood of information tions. Clarke explains that piercing went from by Pauline Clarke that was not readily available in years past. Sites the enthusiast to the public for fashion. like rec.arts.bodyart and BMEzine.com shaped Clarke begins the list of piercings in this text Second edition 1984 body modification for the new generation. The with facial piercings, such as the lip and ear. ISBN 0952117509 problem in years past was too little information Healing times are subjective and outdated, be- Published in 1992 by PAUK, was available; now it’s too much information to ing quite a bit shorter than what we may sug- sort through” - James Weber The Point: Issue 41 gest now. She sites the piercing gun as the most 153 Tomkinson Rd, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 8DP England It is interesting to note that the above com- common method of performing an ear pierc- ment by James Weber was 33 issues ago; it has ing. However, she does state that if you want to A Book Review by Kendra Jane B been over eight years since that statement. Many wear a ring immediately the piercing will need Body Piercing Archive of those websites are no longer what they were to be done with a hollow needle, but states that in readership or participation and others have this method is slower and more painful. This simply been replaced all together. Our industry is important, indicating that even decades ago is experiencing unprecedented and exponential people realized there were differences between growth. This makes books such as Eye of the piercings performed with piercing guns and Needle so much more important to preserve hollow needles. and archive as they are the written history of our From here she moves on to talk about the na- industry. This book is an indispensable addition vel piercing. Much of the information included to any collector’s library. for this piercing still holds true. Nipple piercings

24 THE POINT ISSUE 74 25 Malloy. This is followed by a story by England’s pioneer OTHER TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR both tattooing and body piercing, especially within the in the modification world, Mr. Sebastian. She rounds out gay leather community. His correspondence with both • Beyond the Eye of the Needle this collection of history with letters and stories from ISBN 0952117509 Doug Malloy and Jim Ward si well documented and even Will and Ethel Granger. Published in 1992 by PAUK being sponsored by Malloy, he visited Los Angeles. Mal- The remainder of the book is largely dedicated to 153 Tomkinson Rd, Nuneaton, loy was also responsible for trip to London that included genital piercings accompanied with personal testimoni- Warwickshire, CV10 8DP England companions Jim Ward and Sailor Sid Dillor. These visits als, great photographic examples, and more illustrations This book serves as a sequel to Pauline Clarke’s previ- and written correspondences between all of these par- from Alan Oversby. These illustrations are much like ous book, The Eye of the Needle. Beyond The Eye of The ties were critical to the global spread of the techniques the earlier examples, going over the technical aspects Needle leaps forward through a decade of events since and technology used in contemporary body piercing. of these piercings (accurate and citing best practices for those early days of body piercing, and contains many SOME OF THIS CORRESPONDENCE CAN BE SEEN the time of publication). The focus on text and images beautiful full page photographs of people showing their AT THE BPA EXHIBIT IN VEGAS THIS JULY. related to genital piercings acts as another great indica- interest in body piercing while adorned with a variety Oversby’s connection and involvement in body tor of the connection between sexuality and the roots of of body jewelry. This publication presents multiple ex- modifications goes far beyond just these letters and vis- the piercing industry, not only in North America, but in amples of piercing placement and stretched piercings, its mentioned above. However, as this article does not other parts of the world as well. including facial, nipple, navel, and genital. It features the focus on him as a topic we will keep the description of To round out her book Clarke briefly touches on various groups of people that are all part of the fraternity him brief. stretching, the tribal roots of our industry, and nipple of “Body Piercing Enthusiasts,” portraying its signifi- REFERENCES training. She closes the book by offering her own account cance as a part of life. Pitts-Taylor, Victoria, In the Flesh: The Cultural Politics of of her modification journey, including her thumb web • Spheres of Adornment Body Modification, (Macmillan, 2003), 95, piercings and her labia piercings done by Mr. Sebastian. ISBN 0-312-29311-9 As a historical piece of literature this personal account Publisher Piercing World, 1996 ISBN 095281790X, 9780952817901 V. Vale & Andrea Juno, Modern Primitives (Re/Search really gets demonstrates how far our industry has come Published in 1992 by PAUK, Publications, 1989) in the past 40 years, from bedrooms and basements to 153 Tomkinson Rd, Nuneaton, ISBN 0-940642-14-X board rooms and run ways. Although Clarke’s book no Warwickshire, CV10 8DP England longer serves as an educational reference, it would have “The Beginnings of the Modern Body Piercing Move- Spheres Of Adornment incorporates body piercing, ment”, Body Modification E-zine article body piercing, such as “does it hurt?” Trying to address when first published. It offers a colourful and intimate tattoo, and fetish dress, while exploring the fascinating the ideas of pain versus pleasure, and how one can be- account of body piercing as it was in the beginning. It realm of body decoration. This book displays full page “A Visit to London”, Body Modification E-zine article is the perfect example of how kinks, lovers, and BDSM come the other, again ties the roots of piercing to the photos of decorated people of alternative facets: show- “Obituary: Mr Sebastian”, The Independent, 22 May 1996 S/M and kink cultures. She also offers other examples, practitioners helped to bring piercing from the closet to ing body jewellery, tattoo styles, provocative PVC and what has become common day practice. stating that the simple act of adorning the body is able leather wear. Editor’s Note: In this review I state that Doug Malloy’s One important thing to note is that the very last page to affect the physiological aspect of a person’s well be- book was called Adventures of Body Piercing. The origi- ing. She supplements these ideas with several first hand of this publication is a set of standards that were set forth • Piercing World Published by PAUK nal title was The Art of Pierced Penises and Decorative accounts or testimonials from people and why they for UK piercers by PAUK (Piercing Association of the 153, Tomkinson Rd, Nuneaton, Tattoos and was republished by Gauntlet as The Adven- have chosen to seek out body piercings and their moti- United Kingdom) and the Director of Public Health; this Warwickshire, CV10 8DP England tures of a Piercing Freak. vations in becoming modified. would have been one of the first sets of standards for the Quarterly, full-colour publication. Annual Subscrip- From what would have been modern accounts of body professional piercer, dictating what and how they may tion: pounds 16 UK, pounds 20 Europe, pounds 25 over- modification, Clarke goes further into what she feels are do parts of their job. seas. Subscription to Piercing World grants automatic the different aspects of body piercing. She refers first to ABOUT THE AUTHOR PAULINE CLARKE membership to PAUK. The publication features detailed personal expression, such as dressing for pleasure, and Clarke married in 1959. It was through her husband’s color and black and white photos of piercings and tat- then moves on to discuss the idea of collectors - those interest in body piercing that led her to put compose this toos, unusual jewelry designs, multiple piercings, and who had a true passion for piercing and modification. book. After having two kids and writing children’s novels, piercing techniques including all genital piercings. As with previous sections of the book, Clarke includes her aspirations had always been to become a journalist. http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/pauline_clarke.htm several pages of both color and black and white photo- It was after her first tattoo in 1965 that the door was SIDE NOTE ON ALAN OVERSBY graphs as examples. really opened for what was to become her future and the Moving onto the next section of the book, Clarke focus of her journalistic career. By 1981 she had become Alan Oversby (20 February 1933 – 8 May 1996) was talks about the pioneers - those people we look to as the much more involved in the tattoo community and in one of the primary figures in the development of contem- founders of the modern body piercing movement as a 1983 she was named Miss Tattoo, Great Britain. This led porary body piercing in Europe. He was better known by whole. From Doug Malloy to Alan Oversby, she offers to many magazine features and interviews, and eventu- his professional name Mr. Sebastian. their accounts and written dialogue and as well as her ally to the creation of PAUK (Piercing Association of the Originally an art teacher, Alan Oversby left his initial stories of their meetings and visits. She starts with a re- United Kingdom). She then followed up with a quarterly profession to pursue his interests in tattooing and pierc- printing of the Adventures of Body Piercing by Doug publication called Piercing World. ing instead. From his studio in London, he promoted

26 THE POINT ISSUE 74 27 FDA does not have a system in place “FDA APPROVED”—LET’S GET REAL to approve the vast majority of nonprescription OTC drug products PAT McCARTHY intended for human use either. It Owner of Piercology and APP Past President is up to the manufacturer to insure their product(s) follow the existing monographs and prove their products are both safe and effective. At appearance” [FD&C Act, sec. 201(i)]. Among the products first glance it seems as if the govern- included in this definition are skin moisturizers, perfumes, ment is relying on an “honor” system The FDA published a final regula- lipsticks, fingernail polishes, eye and facial makeup prepa- they believe responsible companies tion (21 CFR 201.66), establishing rations, cleansing shampoos, permanent waves, hair col- will follow. standardized content and format ors, and deodorants, as well as any substance intended for Unfortunately, the result of leav- for the labeling of OTC drug use as a component of a cosmetic product. ing it up to others is that some claims products. The FD&C Act defines drugs...as “articles intended for seem “too good to be true”. Is it pos- use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or pre- sible for example that a single prod- vention of disease” and “articles (other than food) intended uct can be effective as a “skin prep” cases of companies using “NDC- So why do some companies claim to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or and gentle enough for “aftercare”? like” numbers on their labels with- their products have been “FDA ap- other animals” [FD&C Act, sec. 201(g)(1)]. The concept of “electrified water” out ever applying for or obtaining proved” when in fact it’s not an ac- Under the FD&C Act, cosmetic products and ingredi- seems promising, but if sealed pack- the legitimate NDC. Typically how- curate statement? Do they think we ents, with the exception of color additives, do not require aging is required to prevent a reduc- ever, the vast majority of companies are easily fooled? Maybe... FDA approval before they go on the market. Drugs, how- tion in efficacy how do we know if file an application to obtain the NDC The FDA website explains the ever, must generally either receive pre-market approval by the product works as promised after prior to offering the product for sale drug application of OTC classified pproved by the FDA” is a claim we’ve all seen FDA through the New Drug Application (NDA) process it’s opened, or after a few weeks or to the public. Does this mean all products, which states: “OTC drugs on corporate websites or mentioned in market- or they must conform to a “monograph” for a particular months. Critical questions should OTC drug formulas are approved are defined as drugs that are safe ing literature and online ads. Salespeople some- drug category, as established by FDA’s Over-the-Counter be asked regarding how a product in advance? NO! Does it mean the and effective for use by the general times refer to the products they promote within (OTC) Drug Review. These monographs specify conditions is manufactured and if the prevail- FDA has approved the product be- public without seeking treatment by Athe body art community as being “FDA approved”. Cli- whereby OTC drug ingredients are generally recognized ing monographs are being followed. cause an NDC number has been a health professional. Because there ents who come to Piercology often ask me or my piercing as safe and effective, and not misbranded...(and) state re- Also important to question: how has assigned? NO! Obtaining an NDC are over 300,000 marketed OTC staff if the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has quirements for categories of nonprescription drugs, such as the product been tested and where number means the manufacturer drug products, FDA reviews the ac- approved the products we use. I’m sure many of you have what ingredients may be used and for what intended use. can the test results be found? has provided the required informative ingredients and the labeling of The FDA issues “Establishment tion and followed the correct steps over 80 therapeutic classes of drugs. faced similar questions or simply wondered yourselves. In other words, the FDA does not approve cosmetic I’ve done some research in order to clarify the issue Licenses” to manufacturing facilities during the application process. This OTC drug monographs are a kind products or formulas. It is essentially left up to a manu- that comply with rigorous standards includes stating the intended use of of “recipe book” covering acceptable and answer in a fair and honest way the following ques- facturer to insure their product complies with the stan- tions. Does a manufacturer or distributer have the legiti- that include “Current Good Manu- the product and confirming the ac- ingredients, doses, formulations, and dards, packaging, and label requirements. We all want facturing Practices” (cGMP) so it is tive and inactive ingredients are not labeling. Once a final monograph is mate right to claim a particular product was approved by to think “natural”, “botanical”, and “herbal” formulas are the FDA? If the product has an Over-the-Counter (OTC) important to know where the prod- restricted or used in amounts be- implemented, companies can make safer and better in some way. Maybe they are, but I re- ucts we use and recommend come yond the established limits. Also, the and market an OTC product with- drug label and a National Drug Code (NDC) number main skeptical until I know where the ingredients come what does that really mean? from. Topical antiseptics for example OTC drug label structure and claims out the need for FDA pre-approval. from and if they have certificates of authenticity. I want should be manufactured following must all fall within the prevailing These monographs define the safety, This is what I’ve discovered: answers to questions such as where was the formula The classification of cosmetics and drugs are defined cGMP regulations to insure the fa- FDA monograph. effectiveness, and labeling of all mar- developed and manufactured, is there a scientifically cility has appropriate procedures in A section of the FDA website sup- keting OTC active ingredients.” by law, based on their intended use. Each classification based and tested preservative system to prevent bacte- has associated laws and regulations. There is a lot of in- place to prevent the presence of ob- plies a frequently updated NDC di- DailyMed is a website operated by rial growth, is there stability testing, and has the prod- jectionable microorganisms in drug rectory, which clearly states: “Assign- the US National Library of Medicine formation available, so let’s start with a few excerpts di- uct been tested against the type of bacterial concerns we rectly from the FDA website: products that are not manufactured ment of an NDC number does not in (NLM) to publish up-to-date and face in our professional lives such as Staph, E.coli and as sterile. A licensed facility typically any way denote FDA approval of the accurate drug labels to health care The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) MRSA? I’ve often wondered how some non-OTC prod- has the staff, equipment and pro- product. Any representation that cre- providers and the general public. defines cosmetics by their intended use, as “articles intended ucts on the market have “healing claims” yet despite their cedures in place to validate the raw ates an impression of official approval The contents are provided and up- to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced intended use they are not registered as an OTC drug with materials, formulas and every stage because of possession of an NDC dated daily by the FDA. As a handy into, or otherwise applied to the human body...for cleans- an NDC number? of the production process. number is misleading and constitutes reference source that lists individual ing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the Contrary to what some people hope or believe, the Incredibly, there are documented misbranding. (21 CFR 207.39)” OTC drugs that have been assigned

28 THE POINT ISSUE 74 29 SELL BOOKS IN YOUR STUDIO! APP PRICE INCREASES—CONFERENCE COMMITTEE The 2015 APP Conference in Las Vegas was the biggest event we’ve hosted, and with twenty years of Conferences behind us, where do we go? In the last couple of years we have seen new members on the Board of Directors and changes to the Conference This one-of-a-kind comprehensive resource covers everything piercers and piercees Committee. With new faces come new ideas and need to know about the subject. Piercing pioneer and authority Elayne Angel shares with these ideas come changes. her extensive knowledge about piercing techniques, jewelry, placements, aftercare, We will see changes in 2016 to the scheduling and troubleshooting, and more. structure of Conference, including some changes in pricing. In 2016, and over the next few years, the APP ABOUT THE AUTHOR—ELAYNE ANGEL has been a professional piercer since the 1980s and has performed over 40,000 piercings. She was awarded the President’s will be doing gradual increases in prices pertaining Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Professional Piercers in 2006 and is to Conference. No drastic increases will happen all at a contributing writer for PAIN Magazine. She lives in Mérida, Mexico. once, but we will see small increases on a few items Visit www.piercingbible.com for more information. over the next few years. Price increases are an inevita- WHOLESALE COST AVAILABLE! bility needed for any business or organization to con- Place a “special markets” order with the publisher tinue growing. While nobody likes to hear prices are Email: [email protected] going up on anything, it’s important to note why. Or call 866.761.6685 for a 13-book minimum Historical figures of Conference fees show that For autographed retail copies: 215.923.7335, or visit prices have stayed the same for many consecutive http://www.infinitebody.com/shop/the-piercing-bible.html years. When prices have increased in the past, they have been small increases and have remained for years thereafter. As Conference attendance has increased over the years, so has the cost of making it happen. The upcoming price increases that will be in effect for our 2016 Conference are as follows: • Initial Vendor booths will increase for the first an NDC number, it is important to know the informa- I’ve seen enough in my 22+ years in this business to time since 2013 by $25; additional booths will in- tion provided usually comes with this disclaimer: “Most know it’s OK to be skeptical. It’s OK to question what crease by $50 over the counter (OTC) are not reviewed and approved you do as a professional and strive to be the best you by the FDA. However, they may be marketed if they can be. It just makes good sense to protect yourself and • Banquet dinner tickets will be increased this year comply with applicable regulations and policies. FDA your clients in order to grow your business. Because by $10 if purchased early; this is the first increase has not evaluated whether this product complies.” your friend or another artist uses a product does not since 2003. Banquet ticket prices onsite will in- The bottom line is this, don’t be fooled by marketing prove anything! Before you choose to work with any crease by $30. Buying tickets early helps the APP claims that a particular product has been “approved” by product, or recommend it for your clients, find out plan the event in an economical way; help us keep any government agency, including the FDA. My best ad- where it comes from, and what testing has been done the event low cost and the waste to a minimum. vice is to look up the NDC number on a site like Dai- to prove it is both safe and effective for the intended • Daily Expo Passes will increase by $10. lyMed, find out the origin of the product, and ask the purpose. Good luck and may your business grow and For now, the APP will not be increasing the price manufacturer or distributor for documented test results prosper in the future. of membership dues or full-Conference registration, from a recognized and trusted lab to substantiate their Some background: Pat is the owner of Piercology in though in the coming years we will see small in- claims of safety and efficacy. It always pays to ask ques- Columbus, OH, one of the oldest and most success- creases to Conference passes and individual classes. tions, for your sake and for the sake of your clients. ful piercing studios in the USA. He was the first elected The Board and various committees will send out a Many products used in our industry may be well in- President of the Association of Professional Piercers. He notice ahead of time so attendees have ample time to tentioned, including those meant for aftercare, but it’s is the founding and current President of the Association budget accordingly. important to know if the manufacturer follows aseptic of Body Art Professionals in Ohio. Pat has been working We are doing our best to maintain Conference cGMP techniques and the FDA monograph rules that with Ohio legislators on body mod studio regulations, prices at levels that keep the event reasonable for cover acceptable ingredients, doses, formulations, and and he frequently lectures Ohio Health Inspectors on attendees while being in line with the always in- labeling of an OTC drug product. “Natural” does not au- bloodborne pathogens and best practices in piercing and creasing price of holding an event of this size. tomatically mean it’s better, safer, or more effective. Ask tattoo studios. We hope to see you all this July. to see bona fide test results.

30 THE POINT ISSUE 74 31 member will benefit from this new I am prepared however to go with forward. We encourage our mem- IN THE OFFICE system - this new technology - and the flow and tackle new challenges bership to provide feedback on how the changes that result. that come with new systems and any these changes affect the Association, CAITLIN MCDIARMID This management software sys- kind of change. I hope that those its members, potential members, APP Administrator tem will change my job. How it will who are reading this will watch as and the greater community of the change my job is not yet fully known. the Association takes this great leap piercing industry.

’ve been asked to write an ar- with smartphones (OnArrival) at our lish a member portal where mem- ticle about how technology has classroom doors. This has made the bers can access their record, upload changed over the course of my collection of data in our classes more documents, pay dues, get member UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE—BOARD INTROS tenure with the Association. accurate and streamlined the certifi- notices, provide an online applica- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you IWhen I first started working for cate production process. tion process, automate many of our will be successful. - Buddha the Association, I worked exclusively However, in the office, software has communications, and more! I find it very surreal that today February 3, 2016 is exactly six years after the first day of my pierc- on a desktop computer in my home stayed fairly consistent for us until This is a big undertaking and will ing apprenticeship. Today I celebrate that anniversary by preparing to attend my first Board Meet- with a phone line, a credit card ma- this year. We have continued to man- result in big changes. At this point ing. Thank you to the membership at large, for voting to give me the opportunity to serve my first chine, and a small closet full of sup- age our databases exclusively with in the office pretty much every day, term on the Board of Directors of the APP. plies and brochure stock. Excel. As we have grown, this has I think to myself “this would be so Kendra At that first Conference I realized that I stood in a very unique place in our industry; it is young That is how it remained for many become increasingly cumbersome. much easier if the system was al- Jane B. enough that I can (and have had) the chance to learn first hand from those individuals that brought years. During those years we con- Information is transferred from one ready in place.” I was probably about to the masses what we do. People like Fakir, Jim Ward, Elayne Angel, Paul King just to name a few. tracted out our Registration Staff spreadsheet to another or maintained a year later than I should have been I also realized that our industry is still young enough for me to have that type of impact on the (and processes) at Conference and on multiple documents, which not with my push for us to look at an generations of piercers to come after me. It is with humble gratitude that I thank those who have each instructor brought their own only takes a lot of time, but comes overhaul of how we manage things appointed me to work hard for our industry and The Association Of Professional Piercing. I could computer for their class. It was a with an increased risk of error. in the office and with our mem- not be more elated to be joining the board with Ryan Ouellette and Luis Garcia and look forward to great leap forward a few years down After Conference last year I be- bership documents applications what the next 3 years shall bring. the road when we bought laptop came frustrated with the problems and other matters. I know that Jef You will find me piercing in Edmonton, Alberta at Dragon Fx in West Edmonton Mall, and have computers for both the registration facing us in the office and the over- also cannot wait for these process- been a member since January of 2014. desk and our classrooms. whelming amount of time devoted es to be fully active. Like with all Back at home in the office I went to tasks which I felt could be auto- the projects this will take time; we I’d like to thank everyone who voted and has put their faith in me. Having served on the Board from a desktop computer to a com- mated. I did some preliminary re- want to do it right the first time. before (2005-2008), I am familiar with the inner workings of the organization, so I’m ready to jump bination of desktop and laptop search and began pitching the idea of The office has already taken its ac- in and get to work. I don’t know what position I’ll be taking yet, so it’s hard to make clear promises computers. Now I work solely on a the Association adopting a manage- counting program online. Members as to my goals. Rest assured that I’ll do my best at whatever position the Board chooses for me. laptop computer which moves with ment system. Jef Saunders was also are experiencing the benefits by be- For those that don’t know me, I’ve been piercing for 25 years, and instructing seminars and me whether working in the office, at looking for ways to automate the ing able to pay their dues directly classes for a little over 10 years. I currently work at NoKaOi in Philadelphia, PA, where I’ve been the home, or at Conference. application process by taking it fully from their invoices. We see the ben- Luis senior piercer for 14 years. I’m blunt and to the point, and see little reason to mince words, but have We have certainly utilized pro- online. While it took a lot of work efits as those payments get recorded Garcia been told I’m very approachable about any piercing topic. grams such as Cvent for registration and we looked at a lot of systems, we in real time, saving Paul King, Em- in the past few years and have added were able to narrow it down and se- ily (our clerk), and me a lot of data Hello, my name is Ryan Ouellette. I started piercing in the late ‘90s and I’ve had my own shop, to the Cvent family of programs with lect one (with approval of the Board) entry. Paul and I can also both work Precision Body Arts, in Nashua, New Hampshire since the fall of 2000. I started attending Confer- the CrowdCompass app starting last which we feel very excited about. in the program whenever we want, ence in 2001 and it made a huge impact on my career. The APP has always been a driving force for year. These programs have allowed us I am happy to announce that the which keeps us from getting too be- me. I’ve looked up to its Members, instructors, and conference attendees for years and I am very to register people ourselves, and even APP is on the cusp of implementing hind on the growing workload. happy for a chance to help out on the Board of Directors. I am nervous for the responsibility but I have them register themselves onsite. an Association Database Manage- So while it has taken us 13 years feel like I am at a point in my career where I can give the position the time it deserves. I look for- With these advances, we have also ment Software system. When fully to really change how we handle our Ryan ward to working with our members to advance the APP and help grow our industry. been able to compile statistics over a active, this program will change the daily tasks, our databases, and our Ouellette —Ryan Ouellette period of years which help us make way we do our “day to day” work. It office procedures, we ARE doing it Precision Body Arts decisions about each year’s Confer- will streamline almost all of our of- this year. I am happy to help steer 3 Elm Street (new location) ence. We’ve gone from stamping card- fice processes, consolidate all our da- the Association to this new level of Nashua, New Hampshire board cards, to collecting paper tick- tabases into one, provide a structure efficiency and growth. I am sure that www.precisionbodyarts.com ets, to bar code scanners, to scanning for committees to work from, estab- every member and every potential

32 THE POINT ISSUE 74 33 seemed that everyone was happy to ing a distributor in the UK with high tant; that a beard net’s proper name THE UKAPP—PART 2 finally have a physical outlet to share quality jewelry in stock and ready to is a “snood”. Worth the transatlantic information with other piercers in ship within days rather than weeks trip right there. RYAN OUELLETTE their own country. One attendee or months can create amazing pos- For me, the class that stood out Precision Body Arts brought up the fact that she and sibilities for local piercers. Hopefully the most was the Metals & Surface other piercers had tried to set up a the success of Industrial Strength Polish class from another 2015 Al D. similar group years ago, but due to a UK will spur other manufacturers Scholar, Aiden Johnson. Aiden has lack of cohesive community it never to follow suit and increase support an engineering background and his took off. Part of the event’s success in the United Kingdom like we have knowledge and interest for metals “The whole thing was a highlight for may have come from the support of seen in North America. was apparent in this class. I have tak- me, being kinda all alone with no sup- Industrial Strength UK, the official I was lucky enough to be invited to en material data classes before, and port network one day, then the next distributor of their parent company speak at the meet-up. I did a varia- while I learned a lot from them they having a hell of a lot of talented and for the US. Industrial Strength UK’s tion on the workshop classes I in- might have felt a little dry. Aiden friendly people to be able to talk to Paddy and Lee were in attendance struct at the APP Conference in gave us just enough information on was amazing.” with a great display of jewelry show- Las Vegas. First, I presented a Safe commonly used piercing industry —Gareth Rogers, piercer casing items that were previously Practices in the Sterilization Room metals such as steel, titanium, niobi- Old Forge Tattoo Collective only available by ordering from the portion. We discussed proper layout um, and gold to keep things educa- Sheffield, England United States. It was clearly appre- of sterilizing areas, how to process tional while also giving us historical n my last article I discussed ciated by attendees to have a major tools post-piercing through chemi- information to keep it interesting. some of the challenges faced jewelry manufacturer/distributor cal, manual, and mechanical means, With his knowledge base, I could by UK and EU piercers. In this present to support the event and the and the importance of proper PPE easily see Aiden developing similar article I’m going to write about new organization. I got the impres- and documentation. After a short classes to one day co-instruct at the whatI a group of British, Irish, and sion that a few piercers in attendance break we began Safe Practices in the APP Conference and other industry Scottish piercers have done in re- UKAPP BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Left to right, Aiden Johnson, Charlie hadn’t previously been able to see a Piercing Room. Here we discussed events alongside leading experts like sponse to those challenges. Remy Le Beau, Peter Monckotn, Sebastien, Kim Hutchinson, Nicole Holmes wide assortment of high quality jew- setting up your work area, opening Jason King and Brian Skellie. September 20, 2015 in Birmingham, early stages of the UKAPP’s mission counteract this classification such as elry in person before. You could tell packaged instruments, prepping the In addition to the materials informa- England—the first ever open meet- statement and goals. The UKAPP client petitions and reaching out to lo- that something as simple (and of- piercing site, performing the pierc- tion presented he also discussed sur- ing for the United Kingdom Associa- doesn’t want to start with too much; cal councils. If you have interest in this ten taken for granted) as accessibil- ing, and cleaning up afterwards, all face polish at length. As piercers most tion of Professional Piercers their main effort is to reach out to topic, in Issue 70 Paul King discussed ity to high quality jewelry was very with a focus on preventing cross of us understand why surface finish The work started in the early after- local piercers and bring as many to- when body modifications are consid- inspiring and encouraging. Paddy contamination. The attendees were is important, but not as many under- noon at the rented venue. There was gether as possible to help create a ered mutilation, specifically in regards took some time later in the day to engaged and participated with lots of stand the process of how body jewel- the typical bar area upstairs and a qui- community of professionals. UKAPP to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). give a presentation on high qual- comments and questions. My beard ry is hand polished. Aiden explained et meeting room downstairs. Things President Nici Holmes, stated their The next topic was the concept ity jewelry sales; increased flexibility net was a big hit for comic relief. I polishing with a bench grinder, pol- kicked off with the UKAPP officers goal was not to tell other piercers of a voluntary rating system. This was a major point in his talk. Hav- even learned something very impor- ishing wheels, and polishing com- (President, Nicole Holmes; Vice Presi- how to work, but rather to listen and idea was elaborated on by 2015 Al dent, Peter Monckton; Treasurer, Aid- get a sense for what the organization D. Scholar, Charlie Remy LeBeau. en Johnson; Secretary, Kim Hutchin- should strive to offer as it grows. She The idea is in an early stage of de- son; Outreach, Sebastian Wolfe also mentioned that one long term velopment, but the intent is to offer Pickersgill; Health Liaison, Charlie goal of the UKAPP is to establish cri- something similar to a star rating Remy LeBeau) nervously discussing teria for membership, but that push- system used for restaurants. The rat- the day’s agenda and beginning to set ing for a membership structure im- ing would focus on shop features up. Soon, there was a group of roughly mediately is not a priority while the and safety issues, such as the steril- 50 piercers from throughout the UK group is still in its infancy. ization facilities, piercing work areas, in attendance. The energy was great. A huge issue in the UK is the gov- and types of jewelry used. The rating As an outsider who has been to many ernment classification of consensual system is intended to be optional so many industry gatherings over the genital body piercings as genital mu- as not to create unfair competition years, it was inspiring to see something tilation, including piercings like the between future UKAPP members. from the beginning. clitoral hood. Many UK piercers have Once the officer introductions The meetup started with the offi- chosen to stop offering these services were finished, there was a meet and cers introducing themselves, discuss- as they may be held liable for legal greet among attendees. The energy ing relevant issues, and laying out the action. The group discussed steps to in the room was very positive. It

34 THE POINT ISSUE 74 35 THE UK APP

pounds. By the end of the seminar I had gained a better understanding of the time and precision required to achieve a mirror shine without damaging the jewelry. As an added bonus Aiden had brought a bench grinder and polishing set up so that attendees could each take a turn hand polishing pieces of jewelry. After scratch- ing some demo jewelry with sandpaper volunteers buffed and polished the piece to a mirror shine in just a few seconds. I saw more than a few smiling faces as a result of this hands on exercise. It was a great learning experience and a creative way to keep people interested. Once the classes were finished there was more time to socialize while the orga- nizers packed up. I saw a lot of new friendships and professional connections made that day. You could feel the vigor and en- thusiasm as people began talking about future meetings and making plans to stay in touch, visit, and shadow each other. Overall, I don’t think it could have gone better. This group of dedicated piercers should take great pride in what they put together. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the UKAPP. These British, Irish, and Scottish body piercers have really shown how much they care about their industry and I applaud their hard work.

36 THE POINT ISSUE 74 37 ITALIAN SUSCON 2015 (English Translation) From the 20th–22nd of September 2015, in Tirrenia, Pisa, Italy, the Italian association of professional pierc- NEWS FROM A.P.T.P.I ers and tattoo artists (A.P.T.P.I.) organised the 11th edi- Associazione Piercers Tatuatori Professionisti Italiani tion of Italian SusCon, a three day seminar on body suspension rituals. Italian SusCon 2015, as from previous editions, continued to attract a considerable number of participants, 75, coming from different parts of the world: Italy, Norway, USA, Israel and Germany. ITALIAN SUSCON 2015 Guest of honours of this year edition of Italian (Italian Original) SusCon were: pioneer of body suspension Fakir Musafar and the neurologist Dr. Franco di Palma. Dal 20 al 22 settembre 2015 si è svolta a Tir- Fakir Musafar (USA) father of modern suspension renia (Pi) italia l’11ma edizione dell’italian rituals and body modifications, for the first time in suscon, seminario sui rituali di trazione e sos- Italy, presented the personal journey that led him to pensione corporale. anche quest’anno i parte- quest’anno e’ stata data un’impronta piu’ rituale experiment, develop and bring ancient body ritu- cipanti sono stati numerosi, circa 75 persone, vista la partecipazione di fakir. E’ stato organiz- als to contemporary culture. Neurologist Franco di provenienti da diverse parti del mondo come zato un rituale, “moon dance”, sulla spiaggia al Palma, in his lecture entitled “The Pain”, explained italia,norvegia,stati uniti,israele e germania. quale hanno partecipato circa 40 persone. Ogni the benefits of pain and how our brain reacts to it. Quest’anno abbiamo avuto come relatori un partecipante dopo essersi fatto inserire due During Italian SusCon the crews suspended a to- pionere delle sospensioni corporali come Fakir ganci nel petto e dopo una meditazione spiri- tal of 35 people. Thanks to Fakir Musafar’s participa- Musafar e il dott. Franco di palma. Fakir Musa- tuale personale ha partecipato in primis ad una tion, this edition of Italian SusCon, gained a more far padre delle sospensioni e modifiche corpo- preghiera collettiva, poi in fila indiana, tutti si ritualistic and mystical atmosphere. The famous rali moderne dagli usa e per la prima volta in sono diretti in spiaggia al tramonto dove ogni “Moon Dance” ritual, held on the beach at night, was Italia, ha presentato il viaggio personale che lo partecipante e’ stato agganciato ad un unico attended by 40 people. After a collective prayer, each ha portato a sperimentare e sviluppare antiche anello centrale. Ognuno poteva cosi’, sentir- participant was inserted two chest hooks and given pratiche rituali antropologiche portandole nella si legato materialmente a tutti i partecipanti. some time for a personal spiritual meditation. Then cultura contemporanea. Il dott. Di palma, neu- L’atmosfera era magica e spiritale e il pulling di the group, queued to the beach at sunset, where each rologo, invece ha trattato nella sua lezione “il gruppo e’ durato circa un’ora con un sentito sot- participant was hooked to a central circular ring, dolore” spiegandone il significato, i suoi ben- tofondo musicale di 12 percussionisti. given the feeling that everyone was physically con- efici e come il nostro cervello reagisce ai suoi Le sospensioni corporali come ogni anno si nected. The ritual of collective pulling was accompa- stimoli. sono tenute indoor outdoor sotto gli alberi e nied by twelve percussionists and lasted one hour. Durante l’evento sono state effettuate 35 so- infine anche direttamente in mare. Fortunata- The September weather in Italy during Italian spensioni e a differenza delle edizioni passate mente, nonostante fosse il penultimo weekend di settembre il tempo e’ stato bello e soleggiato SusCon 2015 was warm and sunny allowing indoor con una temperatura estiva. and outdoor on trees and on the sea! La crew era composta da 29 persone prove- The Italian SusCon 2015 crew of 29 featured mem- nienti da diversi team: aptpi suspension team bers from: A.P.T.P.I. Suspension Team (Italy), Wings (italy), wings of desire (norway), superfly ( ger- of Desire (Norway), Superfly (Germany), and Release many) e release flesh suspension team (usa). Flesh Suspension Team (USA). Il tutto si e’ svolto in completa armonia tra i Italian SusCon 2015 fostered complete harmony partecipanti e anche in quest’occasione si e’ po- between the participants and allowed them to inter- tuto interagire sia a livello tecnico che artistico act and exchange both technical and artistic skills per elevare la conoscenza di queste procedure in and expertise to extend the knowledge of body sus- sicurezza e sperimentando nuove possibilita’ di pension procedures safely and to experiment with sospensione. new possibilities. Vi aspettiamo per la 12ma edizione che si ter- We look forward to seeing you for the 12th edi- ra’ sempre a tirrenia il 18-19-20 settembre 2016. tion that will be in Tirrenia again on 18th–20th Sep- —APTPI Staff tember, 2016. —APTPI Staff

38 THE POINT ISSUE 74 39 1° Convegno italiano Durante i lavori si sono susseguite tutta una serie di 1st Italian Conference informazioni che hanno messo in evidenza la discrep- su LA PRATICA DEL PIERCING anza sulla qualità e sulla durata del percorso formativo on PIERCING PRACTICE Roma, 28-10-2015 per operatori di body piercing su tutto il territorio ital- Roma, 28-10-2015 Organizzato da Istituto Superiore di Sanità iano. Infatti, per fare un esempio, nonostante il fatto Organized from Superior Institute of Health che le linee guida del Ministero della Sanità del 1998 A Roma, mercoledì 28 Ot- mettano in evidenza e demandino la facoltà di organiz- Organized from the Superior Institute of Health tobre 2015, il centro ONDICO zare corsi professionalizzanti per operatori di piercing in Rome, Wednesday October 28, 2015 at the center dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità e tatuaggio alle regioni, ad oggi, ancora 4 regioni non si ONDICO. ha organizzato il primo conveg- sono adeguate a tale documento. The Institute of Health organized the first conference no sulla pratica di body piercing. Per non parlare del melting pot di regolamenti, ordi- on the practice of body piercing. Durante il Convegno sono nanze, leggi, normative sull’attività di tatuaggio e pierc- During the conference the following interesting topics state analizzate interessanti ar- ing che vigono su tutto il territorio italiano. related to the practice of body piercing were presented. gomenti inerenti la pratica di Durante la mia presentazione, ho sottolineato, tra i • Dott. Renzoni and dr. Pirrera—The practice of body piercing. vari argomenti, anche il concetto di deontologia profes- piercing: current status and issues sionale. • Dott. Ciccaglione—Risk infections practice of Di seguito il programma del Convegno: Spero che ciò sia servito per dare una più chiara idea piercing • Dott. Renzoni e dott. Pirrera—La pratica del pierc- sul fatto che, come categoria, noi cerchiamo di miglio- • Dott. Berardesca—Risk dermatological complica- ing: stato dell’arte e questioni aperte rare la nostra attività optando per la formazione au- tions and aftercare for piercing • Dott. Ciccaglione—Rischi infettivi nella pratica del tonoma, attraverso enti o associazioni del settore che si • Dott. Tammaro and dr. Persechino—the practice of piercing adoperano a tale scopo. piercing Ho altresì evidenziato l’importanza, per quanti de- • Prof. Liguori and dr. Gallè—Aspect epidemiological • Dott. Berardesca—Rischio dermatologico, compli- siderano intraprendere questa attività lavorativa, di and sanitary risks canze e aftercare per il piercing integrare la parte teorica, appresa durante i corsi di • Mr Bruno Valsecchi, body piercer and representa- regulations, ordinances, and laws on the activities of tat- • Dott. Tammaro e dott. Persechino—Controindica- formazione, con un serio tirocinio da svolgere in uno tive APTPI (Association Piercers and Tattooists tooing and piercing that apply throughout Italy, creating zioni alla pratica del piercing studio con un mentore di riferimento. Professionals Italian)—Introduction to the practice standards is of utmost importance. • Prof. Liguori e dott. Gallè—Aspetti epidemiologici e E’ indiscutibile, però, che occorre prestare partico- of body piercing and the role of Piercer In my presentation, I pointed out, among other issues, rischi igienico sanitari tra i giovani lare attenzione alla reputazione e alla professionalità • Dott.ssa Marchetto—Watch and control of piercing: the concept of professional ethics. I hoped to give a clear- • Bruno Valsecchi, body piercing e rappresentante degli insegnanti e dei relatori ai quali ci si affida. critical found on territories er idea on the fact that, as a group, we need to improve A.P.T.P.I. ( associazione piercers e tatuatori profes- Spero che la mia presentazione esposta durante il As you can see from the program, the conference was our businesses and skills by promoting education, either sionisti italiani)—Introduzione alla pratica di Body Convegno sia servita a dare una più chiara idea sulle planned to be interesting and cover a wide range of top- through agencies or industry associations. I also high- Piercing e il ruolo del Piercer possibili procedure di sicurezza utilizzabili durante la ics. We have followed a number of statistics, research, lighted the importance of integrating the theory part • Dott.ssa Marchetto—Vigilanza e controllo delle at- pratica di body piercing. and projections that showed clearly that the National and practical lessons, to be learned during these training tività di piercing:criticità riscontrata sul territorio Dette procedure sono ritenute da noi, APTPI (As- Institute of Health has very clearly decided what consti- courses. Come si può vedere dal programma, è stato un Conveg- sociazione Piercer Tatuatori Professionisti Italiani), gli tutes the activity of the piercer, what is considered a body I hope that my presentation during the conference no interessante e, per quanto riguarda la realtà italiana, standard minimi igienici sanitari per la salvaguardia piercing, and how it is to be completed. served to give a clearer idea about the possible safety pionieristico. della salute del cliente. This makes us think that we’re heading in the right procedures used during a body piercing. These proce- Si sono susseguite tutta una serie di statistiche, ri- Mi reputo lusingato ed onorato di essere stato chiam- direction for both protection of our workers and the dures are considered by us, APTPI (Association of Pro- cerche e proiezioni che hanno mostrato chiaramente ato a svolgere questo incarico in occasione di quello che health of the clients. The fact that the Health authority fessional Tattooists Piercer Italian), the minimum stan- che l’Istituto Superiore di Sanità ha ben chiaro in cosa è stato un primo evento specifico sul piercing. has contacted the piercing industry, to take part in this dards for sanitary safeguarding the health of the client. consista l’attività del piercer, cosa sia concretamente il Spero ardentemente ne facciano seguito altri e spero work shows us the importance of it. I am flattered and honored to be called to speak at body piercing e come viene eseguito. che vedranno coinvolti, sempre più, operatori profes- During this work, we have followed information that what was the first event specific to the body piercing. I Ciò ci fa pensare che si sta procedendo verso la gius- sionisti del settore. E’ mio personale convincimento has highlighted the discrepancies of the quality and very much hope it will be the first of many, and that oth- ta direzione per la tutela degli operatori e per la salute che solo con la consulenza di seri professionisti si potrà duration of the training courses for body piercing and ers will get involved. It is my personal conviction that del cliente. arrivare ad ottenere una congrua, moderna, efficace piercers as a whole in Italy. only with the advice of serious professionals can we have Il fatto che abbiano contattato un piercer, per pren- e, speriamo, unificata normativa di regolamentazione In fact, despite that, the guidelines of the Ministry of a fair, modern, effective and, hopefully, unified legisla- der parte a questi lavori, fa altrettanto trasparire la della formazione degli operatori e della attività di body Health in 1998 suggest the right to organize professional tion and regulation for the training of the body piercers sensibilità e l’interesse nei confronti di questa attività, piercing. training courses for piercers and tattoo artists by regions. of my country. quanto mai controversa. Stay tuned. However to date, four regions still do not have adequate Stay tuned. —Bruno Valsecchi training available. Combined with the melting pot of —Bruno Valsecchi

40 THE POINT ISSUE 74 41 DONATE TO SCIENCE FINE BODY JEWELRY AND HELP A FELLOW PIERCER, STUDIO OWNER, & DOCTORAL CANDIDATE Welcome to the new Leroi.com

You are invited to be part of a research study being conducted by Capella University PhD candidate, Stephanie Hutter-Thomas (Stephie Von Hütter Thomas). In order to fulfill her PhD requirements, Steph- anie must complete a doctoral dissertation that presents new information for the scientific knowledge SHOP base. As a result, Stephanie has chosen to invest her time in research that will serve to promote a deeper understanding of the modified community. Some of the details regarding the study are listed here in or- - Wholesale customers only der to help you determine if participation is right foryou. ONLINE - Fully secure e-commerce site STUDY TITLE: - Products added daily Sociocultural Evolution: An examination of personality type, life events, age, gender and perceived spirituality and the influence these variables have on self-reported levels of body modification. 24/7 - Shop 24/7 WHAT IS THIS STUDY ABOUT? The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between personality and impact of life experiences, spirituality/religiosity, age, gender, and how modified one chooses to become. The study will include only APP 2016 conference attendees in the interest of limiting participants to only those over GAUGES age 18 and those who view body modification as their lifestyle choice. You do not need to be an APP member to participate, however, you must be attending conference this year. 16g The goal is to secure 150 participants to take part in this study in order to use the desired statistical analysis. If you decide to be in this study, your participation will last about two hours. The questionnaires LENGTH/DIAMETER you will be completing will be administered in a meeting room at the APP 2016 conference in Las Vegas. 1/4” Information regarding rooms and time slots will be announced. WHAT WILL I HAVE TO DO AND DOES IT COST ANYTHING? MATERIALS If you decide to be a part of this study, all you need to do is watch for this years conference course 14K Yellow Gold schedule, choose a timeslot that works best for your schedule, and make it to the indicated room number. Participants will not be paid, however all participants in this study will receive a gift for giving their time freely to this endeavor. It is important to note that Stephanie is NOT receiving any funding from the ADD TO CART University, the Association of Professional Piercers, or any other third party for conducting this study. All costs relating to the purchase of copywrited instruments/questionnaires, promo materials and gifts to participants are paid solely by Stephanie. This study will help to expand the information currently published by offering data compiled from those who see body modification as a part of their lifestyle, not a trend. By donating your time to this project you will not only help another piercer complete a major academic goal, you will also be helping to improve the overall understanding of the modified community. for all APP Researcher: Stephanie Hutter-Thomas 10% OFF members Email Address: [email protected] or [email protected] Telephone Number: (studio) 330-545-8317 (mobile) 330-509-8956 Research Supervisor: Dr. Herb Hauser Email Address: [email protected] www.Leroi.com Phone: 1.888.298.7766 Fax: 315.402.2136

42 THE POINT ISSUE 74 43 MADE IN THE USA

44 THE POINT