So the time has come. You’ve decided to get a new piercing and may be wondering “What now?”, “Is there anything I can do before getting pierced?”. These are common questions so here are a few tips to get you started. Always check in with your piercer as they may have specific things they would like you to do.

1. Remember that your body behaves as a complete, synchronized machine. To give your piercing the best start focus on your health:
   • Sleep well
   • Eat well
   • Reduce drug or alcohol intake
   • Try to RELAX
   • Eat a nutritious meal or snack within 2 hours of your piercing appointment.
2. Arrive well hydrated. This means drinking enough water (1-2Litres/per day). Coffee and soft drinks/sodas don’t count!
3. Imagine the best possible result from your piercing. There is no reason for this to fail if you choose your Piercer carefully.
4. Choose who you talk to about your upcoming mod – everyone has a horror story!
5. Don’t give your body too much to handle at once e.g. don’t get pierced when you are sick or stressed.
6. If your mod is a genital piercing:
   •  If you normally practice hair removal e.g waxing, shaving or laser, do this at least 48hrs beforehand. A fresh piercing will need time (a couple of weeks) before these processes will be comfortable again.
   • If you don’t normally practice hair removal this is not the time to start! Irritation and ingrown hairs around a fresh piercing are NOT fun. However – your Piercer will appreciate a trim if you have an “old growth forest” down there 🙂
   • Jewellery should not be removed for hair removal procedures within the first 12 months. Many practitioners can work around it for you.
   • Women can be pierced if they are menstruating (tampons in place of course) and sometimes have a higher pain tolerance at this time.
   • Don’t get a new genital piercing before a weekend of “sexual athletics” – bad plan. It will end in tears or disease. He/She will just need to take you as you are – for now….
7. Arrive at your appointment clean. Dropping in to see your Piercer after a day on the building site – before you have showered – is not generally a good idea.
8. Don’t arrive drug or alcohol affected.
9. Wear clean, comfortable clothing that is suitable for the piercing e.g know that if you wear a dress for a nipple piercing appointment – it will be coming off!
10. If you want to – arrange for a supportive friend to go with you. Most piercers will allow this. However – a crowd of hysterical teenagers is NEVER a good idea.

So there you have it. A list of things that will help you before, during, and after your piercing. One last piece of advice:

• If you choose your Piercer well, the piercing will NOT hurt as much as you think it will, and will be over very quickly. Try to relax as your appointment approaches and think about how FANTASTIC it is going to look once it is done.