Checking Safety and Sterilization in a Piercing Studio

In order for a piercing studio to be safe, it has to follow all the procedure requirements. This is particularly true for hygiene standards and sterilization. All the reliable studios will follow these procedures but sometimes it’s difficult to tell a good studio from the bad.

The main issue is that there are so many things that go behind the scenes. As a client, you will not be able to witness all the safety and sterilization measures in a studio. That being said, keep in mind that it’s your right to know that a studio is safe, and that you can request to see results of certain tests.

Checking Safety and Sterilization in a Piercing Studio: How To

It is important to ask and observe. Visit a studio and see how clean it is. Ask questions. Note how the staff behaves. During the procedure, observe how tools and other equipment is handled. Here are some important things to note when judging safety and sterilization in a piercing studio:

Cleanliness

The first thing you need to note is the state of cleanliness in the studio. It can be seen right at the door, even before you enter the piercing room. Make sure that the studio is clean and well-maintained. Clean, dust-free floors, chairs and counters. This is often a very telling thing about the hygiene in the whole studio, particularly the piercing room.

The room where procedures are performed should be extra clean. Pay attention to the state of the floors and any furniture in the room. Again, while it is not enough that the room is clean, it is an indicator about hygiene. That being said, there is more to safety and sterilization than just clean furniture, but it’s a huge red flag if the piercing room is messy.

Also, it is important that the room used for piercing procedures has adequate containers to dispose used needles, gloves and other equipment. Make sure that your piercer follows these procedures. If you notice that they toss used tools and needles around, it’s a bad sign.

Autoclave

Make sure that your chosen studio has an autoclave. It is an absolute must and you should never agree to get pierced at a place that doesn’t have an autoclave. Autoclave has to be used to properly sterilize all the instruments and tools in the studio.

That being said, having an autoclave is not enough. It has to be properly checked and inspected regularly. You should always request to see the spore test results at your chosen studio. All studios should have the spore test performed by an independent inspector. This is the only way to ensure that the sterilization process is complete.

Sterilization Pouches

All tools and equipment should be stored in special pouches after sterilization. There is no use in using autoclave if the sterilized equipment is not kept clean afterwards. To ensure safety, it is vital that everything sterilized in the autoclave is kept in special pouches or another type of a sealed packaging.

You should never allowed to be pierced by a person handling unsterilized equipment. The only way to know it’s safe is to see how the piercer handles the equipment (it has to be unpackaged in front of you).

Gloves

It is vital that your piercer wears sterile gloves throughout the procedure. Never allowed to be pierced if the person is not wearing gloves. The gloves should be new and unpacked in front of you. The piercer should not just use gloves that were used for another client before.

Keep in mind, however, that one pair of gloves will probably not be enough for the whole procedure. In other words, your piercer will likely have to change several pairs of gloves to perform a single piercing. Typically, one pair of gloves is used for preparation and marking while the new one is used to perform the actual piercing. In some cases, several pairs of gloves have to be used for a single piercing, particularly in the case of more complex piercings or if there is a bleeding.

Also, it is important that your piercer wears gloves for things like jewelry changing and any consultation work. Just because you are not getting pierced at the moment doesn’t mean that your piercer should not have the gloves on!

New Piercing Needles

The needle used to pierce you has to be new and come in a sealed packaging. This is an absolute must. For the obvious reasons, you should never allowed to be pierced with a needle that’s already been used on someone else. You should not even allow to be pierced with the same needle used to pierce you (in case something has to be repeated).

It is important to make sure that your piercer takes a new, sealed needle. The needle should be unpacked in front of you and used immediately. This is the only way to ensure safety. Make sure that your chosen piercer follows all of the needed safety procedures.