Under 16's
There is NO LEGISLATION governing piercing and there is unlikely to be any legislation until the Government sees piercing as a priority. This means that it is PERFECTLY LEGAL for any piercer to pierce ANYBODY of ANY AGE even WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT.
Many unscrupulous piercers are taking advantage of this by claiming they are non-discriminatory and that refusing to do piercing on children would be discriminating. There is a tattooist in Liverpool who is piercing 8 year olds and tattooing 12 year olds !!! We have even had reports of a piercer on the Wirral piercing a 13 year old's clitoral hood !!!!!! ??? Tattooing minors IS illegal, but piercing a 13 year old's clitoral hood isn't and the piercer can't even be prosecuted for sexual assault.
You might think that years of training is required to become a piercer. It is, after all, a minor surgical procedure. Unfortunately, piercers only need to register to do EAR PIERCING in order to open a body piercing studio. If ear piercing isn't carried out there, they don't even need that !
As piercing has become more popular, legions of poorly qualified, and ill-trained, money hungry hacks with no morals or ethics are springing up everywhere. Some of these hacks are offering 2 day training courses to people who give them money, and these trainees receive a certificate saying that they are qualified to pierce. What a good way to pass on all those bad habits, and imagine how many there will be soon !! Because there is no legislation to protect you, and there are more and more unscrupulous piercers trying to take advantage of you, you need to be aware of some facts in order to protect yourself.
Please keep an open mind whilst you read this. I know you are likely to be excited at the thought of having a piercing, and you have every reason to be. It is important to ensure that it is appropriate for you, or you could be permanently scarred, or hurt, both physically and mentally.
Piercing children is not illegal, but that doesn't make it right. Some piercers will not pierce under 16's under any circumstances, but that can lead to headstrong children using untrained piercers or even trying to do the piercing themselves. We believe in a common sense approach to piercing minors in order that the risks are reduced are far as is practically possible.
The body and mind need to be mature, and your lifestyle and environment have to be right for a piercing to be successful. There are a number of piercings that are unsafe when taking part in physical activities and that can be dangerous in a playground. Piercings do not respond well to being knocked or banged.
There are a number of piercings that are considered sexual in nature, such as the genitals, that are for over 18's only.
Navel Piercing and Minors
Many pre - teen and teenage girls see navel piercing as the ultimate fashion accessory, and as girls are developing a self image from the age of 8 or so it means that they are being targeted by the fashion industry as a major source of income. The navel piercing has been fashionable for a number of years now and it's come as quite a shock to us that parents are bringing children as young as 8 for navel piercings. Many of these parents are giving in to "pester power" because their children are coming under severe pressure from their peers. This gives us tremendous cause for concern.
If you lose, or gain, weight the piercing will not sit in the right place when your weight settles. In many cases the body changing can cause the piercing to "migrate. That's when the body rejects the jewellery and can be really sore. A migration ALWAYS leaves a big purple scar that will be obvious for the rest of your life. Re-piercing is not an option after migration, so you can't even hide the scar with another piercing.
Hormonal changes of the type and ferocity normally seen during the teens can affect the immune system. This is why acne can take hold so viscously. If you have acne your immune system is already overworked and might not heal this piercing. If you are taking accutane or ro-accutane you can't have ANY piercing until at least 6 months after finishing the course.
Many schools have a "no jewellery" policy. If your school is one of these and you turn up with your navel pierced you will be asked to remove it. Navel piercings take 12 to 18 months to toughen enough to leave the jewellery out for the day and still get it back in. The 6 week summer holidays just isn't long enough so you will lose the piercing as soon as you take it out. What a waste of money !!
Many of the more serious problems we see with navel piercings are on those who take part in trampolining, dance and horseriding, but if you irritate the piercing with waistbands or by moving the jewellery too much - even for just a few minutes - during AT LEAST the first four months, you will cause it to either migrate or develop a granuloma.
A granuloma is a purple blob that hangs down into your navel like something out of "Alien" and that spews goo and smells. This is infected scar tissue. The main problem with this is that the bacteria that cause the infection are resistant to all but one of our antibiotics and they are quickly becoming resistant to that one because of over use. A granuloma needs treatment with extremely strong antibiotics AND cream. Many Doctors are refusing to treat this because it IS avoidable and is causing problems for those who need antibiotics for more serious problems, as the bacteria are becoming resistant to the antibiotics.
Our Policy
Just because piercing under - developed bodies is not illegal, it doesn't mean it's right. Piercing is for those who are mature in both body and mind. You need to be fully developed for a piercing to be truly successful.
We don't want to take over responsibility from parents so the decision really rests with them as to whether you have a piercing or not. If you can prove that you have parental consent, and you look and behave like you are well developed, we will do as your parents wish, as long as we feel it's appropriate, although if it is obvious that you are not adequetly developed physically or mentally for the piercing you would like then we will exercise our right to refuse to do the piercing.
We reserve the right to refuse to do any piercing which we feel, after many years experience, is unsuitable for you or likely to cause you serious harm.
If you do not have proof of your parents consent, preferably by bringing them with you, we will need to see ID that shows that you are over 16.
PHOTOGRAPHIC ID such as a passport or identity card that shows that you are over 18 is required to be shown for all sexually oriented piercings.
If you do decide to use another piercer because his/her rules are not so strict, you have to ask yourself if that person is actually qualified, or experienced enough, to do your piercing for you. It is worth checking out our 'Finding a piercer' section to keep yourself safe. Click here
