Body modification, which is becoming increasingly popular every day, can be an amazing form of self-expression. If you are planning on getting pierced, tattooed, or otherwise modified, it is important to be careful in doing so. There are several questions to ask and precautions to take in finding a studio that will ensure your experience is safe and fulfilling. A new modification won’t be nearly as exciting if you find out you contracted Hepatitis along with it, and similarly, you will regret a poorly done tattoo for the rest of your life.

Piercing

Have you ever wondered what parts of the body aren’t possible to pierce? The Body Modification Ezine Web site, Bme.freeq.com explains, “If you can pinch it, you can pierce it.”

One of the most common forms of body modification is piercing. Historically, ear piercing has been standard for females in our society, but people today pierce almost anything you can imagine – from noses and tongues to nipples and genitals.

If you are planning on getting your ears pierced, don’t have it done with a piercing gun, like the ones they use at the mall. Piercing guns are impossible to sterilize properly and inflict unnecessary trauma on the body. Piercing needles are the way to go.

Ask about the needles at any piercing studio you visit. A good studio should use a process called autoclaving. Autoclaving uses heated and pressurized steam to sterilize the needles. Ask to see the autoclave. Every needle used should be new. Ask to watch them remove it from the package.

Tattoos

Tattoo needles should also be autoclaved, also. Again, ask to see the shop’s autoclave, and be sure the shop uses new needles for every customer. The artist should use new ink as well. He or she should dispense the ink from a large container into a separate small well for each color and then throw away the wells after each customer.

The tattoo FAQ section on BME suggests that when looking for a tattoo studio, one should “compare the conditions of the shop to that of your dentist – does the artist wear gloves? Are the areas sprayed clean?”

Artistry

BME explains that the most important thing to watch out for when getting a tattoo is a “scratcher.” The site describes a scratcher as a “shadowy, unprofessional person” who has not apprenticed with a tattoo shop, and is not qualified overall to tattoo people or own a tattoo shop.

A scratcher can often be identified because he or she may offer to tattoo you for a low cost or for free. Don’t be fooled, though; you aren’t getting a good deal. Someone who is not well trained in tattooing likely won’t use proper sterilization methods, and probably isn’t a very good artist, either.

Finding the Artist

The best way to find a good body modification artist is to look at his or her portfolio. Usually these will be displayed around the shop, but if they aren’t, just ask to see them. Most artists should be happy to show you their work.

BME says that when looking at a piercer’s portfolio, you should look specifically at the type of piercing you want to get. Also look at successfully healed piercings.

Greg Martin, a tattoo artist at Kingpin Studio in Greensboro, said: “If an artist doesn’t have a portfolio, you might want to look somewhere else, because otherwise it’s a crap-shoot.”

BME provides some insight as to what to look for in a tattoo artist’s portfolio. It emphasizes the first thing to examine is whether or not the lines are clean, well-defined, and straight where they should be. They shouldn’t be “shaky or blurry.”

Often, studios have designs on their walls, but BME cautions not to be impressed by this “flash,” because these are usually purchased from other artists and do not represent the work of the artists at that particular studio.

If you see anything in the portfolio that is not flash, you are looking at custom work, which should be the artist’s “crowning glory.” If you see something you like, and more than one artist works in the shop, make sure you find out who did the work.

From my experience, the most important thing in gauging a tattoo or piercing shops is the general atmosphere of the place itself. Don’t tolerate rudeness. If someone can’t treat you respectfully when they speak to you, don’t trust them to respect your body. Trust your own instincts. If a shop or the people working there make you uncomfortable, chances are you should go somewhere else.

When done carefully and thoughtfully, body modification can be a wonderful experience. If you have any more questions, check out Bme.freeq.com.

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Interested in learning more about body mods–or even in getting one of your own? Here is the contact information for some studios in Greensboro worth checking out:

Carolina Tattoo Company (336)-271-2030

Kingpin Studio (336)-272-2725

Little John’s Tattoo (336)-540-9840

New Hope Tattoo (336)-292-2299

Organized Confusion (336)-389-1881