Author: Kat

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Sharing Jewellery

A very common question we get is, ‘You pierced my mum a few months ago, can you reuse her worn jewellery in my piercing?” Sharing body jewellery is a very controversial topic within piercing. Across the board, it is seen as a huge no-no. That being said, there seems to be some discrepancies – Would you wear earrings second-hand? Would you wear something someone else wore in a fresh piercing? Where do plugs, weights and hangers fit into this discussion?

Worn Jewellery Degradation

Jewellery degrades over time. This is true of all things – Entropy comes for us all! This is not necessarily a cause for concern – Titanium labrets age very well and do not tend to cause issues to the wearer. Issues only tend to arise when an attempt is made to reprocess, sterilise, and re-implant the jewellery into a new person. Please read the below figures as they are super interesting!

Brand new Titanium alloy implants, ready for use in medical patients.

We do not have any data specifically from body jewellery (yet!), however Titanium alloy implants from dentistry and osteology are an excellent (and well-studied) source of reference. As you can see, the surface of the implants can become scratched, dented etc through normal wear. This worn surface causes no problems in a healed piercing as the piercing is settled and robust. This is not a surface that should ever come into contact with a fresh piercing, as jewellery is stored appropriately at the studio to avoid damage and a damaged or worn labret is never used in a fresh piercing.

The same Titanium alloy implants after wear in the body. Note the scratches, dents etc.

Biological Contamination

Using a worn post in a fresh piercing is cause for concern- that imperfect surface can scratch and irritate the fresh piercing. The main issue with this though is the fact that it is impossible to fully sterilise this item. The cracks, folds and imperfections can collect biological material which is difficult to remove from the surface. Introducing this into a fresh wound is not hygienic and should not be done by any professional piercer.

Biological debris still clearly present on the implants after cleaning and sterilising.

The above images shows the presence of biological contamination – This can be carbon residues, proteins, biological cells, all of which are permanently adhered to the surface of the implant. Testing has shown that since the surface cannot be completely cleaned, there is a high risk of prion residue. Prions are proteins found on the surface of cells, which can become damaged and misfolded. These prions can then cause Prion diseases such as CJD. Although very rare, the potential existence of prions on the surface of worn jewellery is enough of a risk that we would never reuse worn jewellery in a fresh piercing, especially not across different people.

A common argument I hear is ‘But we’re related!’ This argument is moot. Pathogens, as far as we are aware, do not discriminate between related and unrelated individuals. Even if they did, the contaminants and biological matter would still cause an immune response and opens you up to potential infection.

Equipment Contamination

Jewellery needs to be appropriately sterilised to be used in a fresh piercing. Putting a worn piece of jewellery into our autoclaves would potentially contaminate them with biological matter, which is inappropriate and opens up the risk of spreading contaminants across clients! This risk is obviously low due to strict reprocessing protocols within the studio, but the safest risk is the risk you don’t take in the first place.

Healed Piercings

Healed piercings are generally robust and not as vulnerable to infections from worn jewellery. The issue with this to us as professionals is that spreading biological contaminants between people is always too high of a risk. Biological swabs of worn earrings showed that up to 485 colonies of bacteria can be found on a single piece of jewellery, with species including Staphylococcus and Bacillus. Some species of which are responsible for Staph, MRSA and Meningitis. 1 in 30 people are thought to be asymptomatic carriers of MRSA – Inserting jewellery contaminated with their microbiome, skin cells, sebum and other debris leaves you at risk. For example, if you are sharing stretching jewellery and cause any microtears during the insertion process, this leaves you very vulnerable to infection.

You would hope that worn jewellery being sold online would at least be sterilised, but it is difficult to prove this and many listings simply skirt around the topic of hygiene. The average reseller simply does not have access to the type of machinery required to reprocess and resterilise jewellery. This is a very concerning thing to see from a professional studios point of view as you do not know the health status of the previous wearer, and cannot assume that the jewellery is safe to wear even if the seller claims it is ‘pre-loved, but in great condition!’ This is one of many reasons why we do not use jewellery purchased outside the studio in fresh piercings.

In general, we would recommend extreme caution when purchasing worn or preloved jewellery, even for healed or stretched piercings. The risk is far too high. It is unhygienic – Comparable to wearing someone else’s used underwear or sex toys!

To conclude, we know it’s really tempting to go down the worn jewellery route. High quality jewellery, especially Gold jewellery, weights and hangers, are quite expensive and it can seem like a savvy financial decision to find them second-hand. However, the risk of infection, bloodborne pathogens, and irritation to your piercings is too high for it to be a sensible choice. We always recommend finding your nearest high quality piercing studio and purchasing brand new jewellery for all of your piercings – Your body is worth it! You only ever have one body, so treat it well. High quality does not always mean high cost – Neometal offers a wide range of high quality body jewellery with a very accessible price tag. You can also find Glass jewellery for stretching on our website!

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or queries you have! Don’t forget to follow us on social media to ensure you don’t miss any posts or announcements.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6764709/

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/10/9/836/htm

https://journals.lww.com/implantdent/Fulltext/2012/10000/The_Biological_Aging_of_Titanium_Implants.15.aspx

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Piercings and the Seasons

As Autumn and Winter roll back around, it’s time to talk about how you should protect your piercings through the year! As your environment changes, so does the care your piercings need. This is especially true for exposed piercings such as ear and nose piercings, and definitely true for stretched piercings like lobes and septums! So, how do you care for your piercings in winter?

Winter

Ear Piercings in Winter

Ear piercings are particularly sensitive to Winter – The constant changes in temperature from hot to cold, the mild irritation of hats… There’s a lot for your ear piercings to deal with! The main thing to keep in mind is to keep your ears at a steady temperature, and shield them from abrupt changes in temperature. You may have noticed (if you are particularly perceptive) that when you come in from a cold walk in the wintertime, your ears get pretty red and can even swell a little bit. If not properly protected, this can cause excess swelling on a fresh piercing. We recommend wearing a clean loose buff or winter hat, or other gentle ways of shielding your piercings from the cold, dry air. Make sure you are washing your hats, earmuffs etc regularly as they can be a source of bacteria! Soft, lint-free materials are ideal so as not to risk introducing loose fibres to your piercing. As always, be super careful to avoid snagging your piercings on any hats you do decide to wear! Every pierced person knows that a wooley hat can be the nemesis when you have ear piercings, so do be extra cautious.

Nose Piercings in Winter

The main thing that people can be worried about when caring for new piercings in the wintertime is “What if I get a cold?” The winter is known for having higher rates of cold, flu, and even Covid-19. This not because cold temperatures make viruses more contagious, but because we tend not to properly ventilate our homes and workplaces and spend more time in close physical contact with others. A cold or flu will not make healing your new piercing impossible though, so don’t let that put you off! The main thing to keep in mind is that your piercing is more resiliant than you think. Importantly – Be gentle. Blow your nose as needed, keep your piercing clean and dry, and be patient. The best thing you can do is to avoid getting ill in the first place – Keep your home well-ventilated, wash your hands regularly, and make sure you’re eating a healthy diet with plenty of the necessary vitamins and minerals!

The best way to blow your nose with a fresh piercing is… Carefully.

Stretched Piercings in Winter

We will be focussed on stretched piercings in winter that are more likely to be exposed – Stretched earlobes and stretched septum piercings are the most common! Both are susceptible to that cold, dry air. They are a little more fragile than standard gauges, simply because the tissue is thinner and the jewellery often larger or heavier.

With stretched lobes, the best thing you can do is take the opportunity to downsize the gauge of large stretched lobes during the winter. This means that the piercings are not experiencing as much stress, have a better blood flow, and can settle to become more robust in the long run. The process of downsizing and upsizing in time with the seasons can help to thicken thinning lobes as well! We recommend downsizing by 1-2mm on smaller sizes (10mm-14mm), and 2-4mm for larger sizes (16mm+). For stretched lobes smaller than 10mm, you won’t necessarily see any benefit to downsizing.

Stretched septum piercings can be trickier to maintain in winter. They often wear thick, heavy metal jewellery. Although this looks very cool, this style of jewellery can be impractical in very cold weather. Metal jewellery chills quickly in cold weather, transferring warmth from the inside of your septum to the outside where it quickly radiates away. This heat sink effect is uncomfortable, and at worst could cause damage to your piercing by causing a cold burn. In the winter it is best to swap to more tucked away, subtle jewellery such as simple glass plugs or pincers. These act as much less of a heat sink and are a super comfortable way to wait out the cold months. Something that you might not consider when having a stretched septum in the winter is condensation! The moisture on your breath will condense on the jewellery if it is large enough and can even drip down your face! This is another reason to swap to more invisible jewellery.

Large-gauge septum jewellery can act like a heat sink in the winter and this can be uncomfortable. Ensure you wear light, comfortable jewellery!

Summer

Summer brings its own special considerations to piercings! The main things that can cause issues are the heat, humidity, and the changes in our lifestyle such as flying and swimming.

Heat and Humidity

The main things that can cause irritation to piercings in the summer are heat and humidity. On extra hot days, we can often expect a bit more swelling especially on very fresh piercings. The best way to combat this is to keep cool, hydrated, and avoid overexerting yourself. Drinking plenty of fresh, cool water is not only good for you, but good for your piercings! If you know you are safe to do so, taking an anti-inflammatory medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen is a nice way to minimise your swelling. Speak to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about this though.

Flying

Summer holidays are the most popular time for international flying! Over 100,000 international flights occur in the 6 weeks of the holidays, so you can imagine how many new piercings there are flying across the world at any one moment! The main thing to keep in mind with flying is that pressure change. We all know that you can swell a little bit when flying, and that is definitely true with new piercings. This is not a reason not to get pierced, but it is important that your piercer is informed of any flying, international travel, holidays etc. This means that we can add an extra millimetre or two of swelling room to account for this.

If we know you’re flying, we’ll add a smigeon of extra swelling room!

Swimming

The most important thing that you need to consider when getting a new piercing is that you cannot safely swim for 4 weeks afterwards. That means no swimming in the sea, lakes, swimming pools, saunas, jacuzzi or any other bodies of water. And no, just because the sea is salt water doesn’t make it safe to swim in! In a single drop of seawater, there can be over 190 individual species of bacteria. Once you are past the 4 week mark, you can slowly start to swim again! Make sure you rinse your piercing with clean tap water or bottled water afterwards, and dab dry to avoid leaving your piercings waterlogged.

Alcohol

Summer means BBQ season, and BBQ season means the opportunity to enjoy an alcoholic beverage (or four!) with friends. We cannot pierce you if you are under the influence of alcohol, or have had even one unit of alcohol the day of your appointment. Please keep this in mind when booking! Alcohol can thin the blood, which means you can expect a bit of extra swelling and crustiness if you drink the week after you get your piercing. This is nothing to be concerned about, so just clean your piercings as normal. When you are intoxicated, it’s more likely that you will accidentally snag or knock your piercings. It’s all part of being a human being! Don’t punish yourself – Just take the time to look after them when you are feeling back to normal.

If you are struggling with alcohol, please look into support in your area.

Sunburn

It is always really important to protect your skin, however when you have a fresh piercing it is extra important. Burnt skin is damaged skin, which leaves your piercings exposed and vulnerable to infection. Not only that, but a sunburn can slow the healing process, and can even irritate healed piercings! We don’t recommend applying sunscreen to a fresh piercing as the chemicals can cause irritation, so the best thing you can do is cover your piercings in strong sunlight. The main methods of doing so are staying out of the sun, wearing long and loose clothing, and wearing a wide-brimmed sunhat!

Protect your skin, protect your piercings, protect your health!

So there you have it, some of the main ways that the seasons will impact your healing piercings! With winter coming, the main things to remember are: Be careful with winter clothing, and make sure you keep yourself as healthy as is possible for you!

If you have any questions, just get in touch.

Make sure you follow us on social media to see our piercing work and keep up to date with everything that happens at Rogue!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

A Summer Overview

Today I think everyone in Nottingham woke up and noticed the distinct change in the air. Autumn is coming… Folks are prepping for college, university, or thanking the stars that the Primary and Secondary school summer holidays are coming to an end. So, what was summer like at Rogue? Today we’re taking a look back at the last three months!

Excellent Piercings

The last three months have been awesome in terms of piercing. Not only have we used more stunning Gold jewellery than we ever thought possible, but we have also been overwhelmed with the sheer number of amazing people booking in for intimate work of all levels. It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been awesome. Here are some of our favourites!

  • Epic 5mm septum piercing by Breo!
  • Incredible custom-ordered Crown Bullet ends in a pair of vertical helix piercings by Breo.
  • Sweet 6mm initial navel piercing performed by Aiden.
  • Creative nipple piercing jewellery, pierced by Aiden.
  • Adorable flat piercing, pierced by Jay using BVLA.
  • Epic philtrum piercing by Jay, using BVLA.
  • Complex paired forward nostrils, pierced by Jay.

Custom Orders

The custom orders in recent months have been absolutely insane. We’re absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer creativity of our clients. Paired with the assistance of an expert team and myself, we’ve been creating some genuinely amazing jewellery! We love BVLA because you can genuinely find their designs nowhere else.

  • Absolute perfection from BVLA in the form of this Captain.
  • Monochrome perfection from BVLA using Onyx, White and Grey Diamonds.
  • Amazing BVLA Inside-Out Eden Pear set with Genuine Diamonds.
  • Cosmic BVLA Pearl cabochons.
  • Yellow Gold and Onyx setup from BVLA.
  • Incredible septum upgrade for the indomitable Nikki.

Fun at Work!

The summer is the best time – We have done so many fun things together as a team. The main highlight is always the Summer party, where we spend a long weekend swimming and partying with friends. Not only this, but we have been working on expanding our experiences. For example, this summer Gemma and I have experienced suspension hooks for the very first time. It’s an incomparable experience that really changes your perspective on the human processing of sensation. This is something we might offer to the public in the future…

As a heads up, the below slideshow contains photos from this day which include blood!

  • Getting the baby apprentice involved!
  • It was an experience.

The Heatwave!

And then it was July and August in a blink of an eye! We had not one, but 5 days where the temperatures topped 40. It was absolutely incredible. We have never experienced anything like it before in the UK! Nottingham seemed to grind to a halt, and we indeed closed the studio for a day. We were so glad to be back open though, as it was actually cooler at Rogue than at any of our respective homes!

  • Tis hot!
  • It was beautiful in the sun.
  • It actually only topped out at a “mild” 27 in the studio!

Looking Forward

As Autumn slowly arrives we’re looking towards the future with vague optimism. I’m going back to university next month, the team are learning and growing, and Rogue is looking better than it ever has! We can’t wait to see where the next season takes us. While I have your attention, I may as well let you know what the next custom order deadlines for each brand are going to be!

  • BVLA – November 26th
  • Anatometal – September 10th
  • Neometal – September 1st
  • Gorilla Glass – September 2nd

As always, contact me at kat@roguepiercing.co.uk to organise your custom orders! I always recommend having a scroll through the brands website and social media to get some ideas, and I can work from there.

See you next week for another blog!

-Kat

Contact us on social media, or via email!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Piercing Apprenticeship QnA

Today I’ll be answering all of your questions about piercing apprenticeships! These questions were taken via our instagram, so make sure you follow us there so you don’t miss anything!

We have started a series on apprenticeships as this is something we are asked about all the time! Click here to read all of them.

How long does it take? How much does it cost?

A good apprenticeship is between 2 and 3 years long. Anything shorter than two years is dangerously short and will not give you the education that you need! You should never be charged for an apprenticeship -They should be free. You should expect to be financially compensated for your time.

What do the first few months of an apprenticeship look like?

The first few months of an apprenticeship are pretty dull! The main task is training the new apprentice to be able to work safely in a new environment. Bloodborne pathogens training and first aid must be completed, alongside learning how to handle contaminated medical waste, how to handle sterile stock, how to reprocess tools, and how to general work to a high hygiene standard. The first few months are also dedicated to familiarising the new apprentice to jewellery – What sizes go where, what conversions between fractional inches and millimetres are, how to use calipers, how to measure jewellery, what brands we stock and what each brand offers! You shouldn’t expect to even pick up a needle until you are a good few months into your apprenticeship, and may not pierce a human being until the 5-6 month mark.

How common is being paid for your apprenticeship?

It is unfortunately not so common in the UK to be paid for your apprenticeship. That being said, this should not be the standard as everyone should be fairly compensated for their time. There is a movement within high quality studios to abolish the practice of an unpaid apprenticeship, and this is something to be fully supported.

How far should you travel for an apprenticeship?

It is not uncommon to up sticks and move cross-country for the right opportunity! Consider this – Most people do not live in a town or city with a top university, and so most people move out of home in order to receive their education. You would have to be very lucky to find a high quality apprenticeship on your doorstep in your hometown. For example, we know multiple piercers who have moved across the United States or across the UK for the right opportunity – Some who have even travelled thousands of miles from another country to start their careers. If possible, don’t restrict yourself to studios within an easy commute of where you currently live. There are many potential apprentices who are willing to uproot and move at the drop of a hat.

What is the split like between working hours and free time?

Most apprenticeships are between 20-40 hours a week. You might be given extra reading to do in your spare time, or small pieces of homework to complete, but you should not be working more than a full-time job would ask of you! Apprentices should follow the same labour laws as any other job.

How old is the average apprentice?

The average piercer starts their apprenticeship when they are between 19 and 22 years old. Some start younger, however you should be at least 18 or older to start a safe apprenticeship. Being offered an apprenticeship as a minor is a major red flag in the modern piercing industry.

Is it possible to learn the art of piercing even though you don’t want a full on career out of it?

This is a tricky question to answer. The short answer is that you wouldn’t trust a part-time dentist or doctor.

The long answer would be: Piercing, like all careers, deserves your full and undivided attention in order for you to be skilled, safe and successful. Whilst it is possible to learn piercing and not pursue it once your apprenticeship is finished, the snagging point is that you aren’t fully grasping how much of a career and lifestyle rolled into one being a piercer is. The best piercers are those who have dedicated their lives to the industry and cannot see a fulfilling life without piercing being a major part of it. My question to you is: Why would you want to learn to pierce and not fully embrace every aspect of it?

I’ve seen piercing places offering piercing courses, is this a good step towards getting an apprenticeship?

Absolutely not! Piercing courses teach outdated and dangerous techniques when it comes to both safety and the piercing process itself. A good mentor would absolutely prefer to take on a blank slate rather than have to retrain someone out of sneaky bad habits. Piercing courses are often predatory, aiming to take advantage of those who are struggling to find a good apprenticeship. Do not fall foul of these.

What advice would you give for someone older (30+) looking to become a piercer?

I would say that it is never too late! That being said, I will admit that your chances of getting an apprenticeship do diminish with every passing year. Piercing is unfortunately often the realm of the young, and those piercers who are 30+ are often reaching the peaks of their skill and career and are usually considering taking an apprentice on themselves. To start so late can often leave you at a disadvantage, as disappointing as that may be to hear. Try and expand your expectations – Would working counter staff fulfil what you want to achieve?

Piercing is different everywhere. How do you know someone is doing it properly?

We have a whole blog on how to spot a quality studio. The best way to find a studio that is working to high standards is to look into the UKAPP or APP – Member studios have to meet minimum standards of safety and hygiene. That being said, there are many excellent studios who choose not to be members for whatever reason. Ensure your chosen piercer is working safely, using modern techniques, up-to-date aftercare advice, and appropriate jewellery. For example, you do not want to learn from someone offering tongue scoop piercings or surface piercings using curved barbells, or from someone who is using butterfly backs or externally threaded jewellery.

So there you have it! Some answers to your burning apprenticeship questions. As a note, we are not currently looking for an apprentice and will not be accepting any applications for an apprenticeship for the foreseeable future! However we are more than happy to help you, so get in touch if you have any questions.

Posted on by — 4 Comments

So, you want a career in piercing?

Something we hear commonly as part of our monthly QnAs, in countless emails and in the studio, is “I want to be a piercer, what tips can you give me to become a piercing apprentice?”

It’s no secret that piercing (high quality piercing, at least) is incredibly competitive to get into, and it feels almost impossible to find the right studio at the right time. So, what can you do to improve your chances?

Joining a studio is a little bit like joining a family, as weird as it sounds!

Take it slow.

A good apprenticeship is worth its weight in gold. A bad apprenticeship or piercing course will usually haunt the rest of your career both in your reputation and in bad habits. It might be frustrating, but waiting for a quality apprenticeship is the single most important thing you can do for your career. Rushing into an apprenticeship under an inexperienced mentor or taking a piercing course will do more harm than good in the long run. We go more in-depth into this in our other apprenticeship blog post.

Some piercing apprentices fall into their role by being in the right place at the right time – Luck plays far more of a part than most people would like to admit! However for those who don’t fall into this category, it can take months or even years before they find their apprenticeship. Don’t be discouraged, but do have a backup plan in case piercing ends up not working out for you.

Think about the why.

The first thing any mentor will ask you is well, why do you want to be a piercer? Is it because you have a flair for the technical? Because you enjoy working with the public? Because you just love piercings? It’s a difficult question to answer fully, but something you really need to find a good personal answer for. Everyone’s ‘why’ is different.

Unfortunately simply having a love for piercings won’t carry you very far when you’re bagging your 400th piece of presterile jewellery of the day, or when you are processing the tools after a long day, or when you’re exhausted and dealing with a difficult customer. Piercing is a very emotionally taxing career, and burnout is common. We always aim to be realistic when discussing the piercing industry and piercing careers, so it’s important to know that you will be tired, your back will hurt all the time, and you will be poor forever!

Another solid question to ask yourself is: ‘Would I still be happy being a piercer if overnight it stopped being seen as cool?’

Things that will carry you through are a passion for perfection, for practising fine skills, continuous improvement both inside and outside the studio, public education, or for simply becoming a better piercer than your mentor. A passion for the history of piercing is immensely valuable. 

A good candidate for an apprenticeship aims to raise standards whilst also being empathetic and realistic to people’s situations. We can’t teach kindness and empathy, even though they are the foundation of the industry. 

Mr Sebastian should be a name you recognise!

Be Respectful.

I think most high-quality studios will agree with me when I say that we get dozens of emails, DMs and walk-ins either querying us about or asking for apprenticeships. We really appreciate being top of the list when it comes to education, however it can be quite emotionally taxing especially when the answer at the moment is generally no. The industry is overloaded, oversaturated, and most studios are either swamped or still recovering from Covid. 

The main thing we want you to keep in mind when asking about apprenticeships is to not take it to heart if the first, second, heck even tenth request for an apprenticeship is declined. If your piercer says no, make sure you respect that decision. 

It’s an unfortunate truth that most hopeful apprentices will not make it into the industry – For every 100 applicants (each equally passionate, prepared, intelligent and thoughtful!), only one will probably be successful. It’s important to be realistic, and to have a backup plan.

Be Educated

Even though you are applying for an education in becoming a piercing apprentice, it does not hurt to have an awareness of current piercing knowledge, jewellery brands etc. You are not expected to know technique (it is actually preferred that you don’t!) but knowing who Anatometal, Jim Ward, BVLA or Mr Sebastian are is a fantastic start. You can also ask your potential mentor for recommended reading, or tales from the earlier days of piercing. Knowing where we’ve come from is a great way to understand why we are where we are, and to help predict where the industry is going.

Outside of piercing related knowledge, working similar jobs in retail can really prepare you for the everyday reality of working in a piercing studio. It might not feel like it, but piercing is often a retail and aesthetic procedure all rolled into one! This helps you to hone your general customer service skills which is absolutely vital for this industry.

Piercers are not just piercers, often they are self-employed small business owners and have to deal with all the headaches and heartaches that come with that. Learning about how to run a business, how to file taxes, how to organise your schedule and price your services are all super important. 

As a general rule, piercing yourself or your friends at home in preparation for a piercing apprenticeship is one of the biggest no-no’s ever. Never pierce at home! 

What are They Looking For?

A good tip for success is to look at your prospective studio and try and see what they would look for in a potential piercing apprentice. Each studio is very different – Some have punk roots (like Rogue!), some come from new-age beliefs, some are more commercialised, some are very ‘British’ and some more international. Part of being a successful piercing apprentice applicant is being the right person for the right studio. Is there any point in applying to a punk studio if you are more into pink and sparkles? Yes! Jay is a great example of an apprentice working well in a seemingly opposite studio. That being said, finding a studio that aligns with who you are as a person is really important. Not every studio is perfect for every applicant. 

In terms of what most studios are looking for in an piercing apprentice, it varies from studio to studio however there are some universal requirements. Piercing is based on human interaction, so being shy or being afraid of phone calls is not ideal! As piercers we need to be energetic, confident, and be able to be the loudest person in the room. It’s all about making connections – Whether the customer is 8 or 80. Even if that’s not who you are right now, it is a skill that can be practised! Public speaking is a really good way of getting into the habits that will pay dividends once you become a piercer.

Be Honest.

My final piece of advice is to be honest and open about your intentions about being a piercing apprentice. Most piercers can tell if you are on the hunt for an apprenticeship, so why not be up front and tell us? We really appreciate being asked, and will usually be able to give you a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with an explanation for each response. Sometimes a no will become a yes given time, so always ask if this is something that might happen. We will always endeavour to be honest with you. Being straight up about your intentions will go a long way – Even if it’s a solid no, it means you can cut your losses and focus on other studios or piercers. We can often give recommendations on where to go as piercing is a very small world!

Being a piercer is not the only way to make it in the industry!

Counterstaff are Not a Second Choice!

We commonly get asked by would-be piercers if they can have a desk job as a stepping stone into getting a ‘proper apprenticeship.’ Obviously from a personal standpoint this can be quite frustrating to hear, as counterstaff positions are their own completely seperate career path and shouldn’t be seen as something you settle for in the meantime. It’s akin to asking a doctor if you can be a nurse ‘in the meantime’ while you wait to get into medical school! It’s a seperate career that deserves to be respected!

Another thing to note, which I obviously have a strong view of, is that being a piercer is not the only way to be successful in this industry! Counter staff, managers, piercing educators etc. are all absolutely vital, and the industry simply cannot function without them. A good counter staff or jewellery manager is worth their weight in Gold (literally!) We deserve to be taken seriously as a career in our own right, and not simply viewed as an easy way to become a piercer later. Gone are the days of a ‘desk lady!’ We are oversaturated with many a would-be piercing apprentice, yet there is an industry shortage of excellent counter staff and jewellery salespeople. It’s definitely something to consider if you haven’t considered it before.

So there you have it! A high-quality studios thoughts on piercing apprenticeship tips. This will become a series, as we are currently working on an apprenticeship FAQ. If you have any questions you would like answered, contact us on instagram or email us as you may be featured in our next blog post.

-Kat

Posted on by — Leave a comment

How to Plan Piercing Curations

Today we’ll be discussing a common question – ‘I want to curate my piercings, but I have absolutely no idea how to start!’ We will cover the concept of a piercing curation, how to start planning them, and what to expect from the process!

This White Gold curation is one of our favourites. Everything is custom ordered to fit our clients unique taste.

What is a Curation?

A curation is a thoughtful collection of piercings that were high-quality jewellery in a cohesive style. Some curations are themed, some are more eclectic, but what connects each curation is a singular line of thought that expresses your personal style.

Some people say that curations are only for ears, and should only be done in solid Gold. This is absolutely not the case! As in my previous definition, there is zero mention of a sky-high budget or fancy ears at all. A curation is simply a considerate collection of good jewellery, worn in well-placed piercings. Our most common curations are actually produced in Titanium! Curations can involve the ears, the face, or the entire body. It all depends on what you want from your curation.

This dinosaur themed curation is super cute!

How do I plan a Curation?

The best way to plan a curation is to first see what you already have, and look at your personal style and what you want from your curation. The best way to do this is to book in for a jewellery consultation with us, so that we can provide you with an expert curation experience.

There are so many questions to ask! Do you have lots of existing piercings? Do you have a few piercings? Are they well-pierced, well-placed, or would you be open to removing or repiercing a few of them to improve the overall effect? Another major thing to consider is what you want to see from your curation. You can scroll instagram for hours and hours looking at other peoples collections, but a curation is a truly personal process. Do you prefer Gold, or Titanium? Do you like Yellow, White or Rose Gold? Do you like the look of anodised Titanium? Do you like gemstones, or no gemstones? If yes, then which gemstones or gem colour schemes do you like? Do you like a more masculine look, or a more feminine look? Are you a fan of big, chunky jewellery (our favourites!) or do you like a smaller, more dainty pieces? This all needs to be considered when planning out a full curation.

Noses are a great place to start your curation. When it comes to the centre of your face, why not wear beautiful jewellery?

As important as what you do like, is what you don’t like! We love to see what you don’t like – What doesn’t fit your style. Showing us both what you do and don’t want to wear gives us a really good idea of where to go with your curation.

Once we have a rough idea of what you would like, we can go onto picking out individual piercings and individual jewellery. The best thing to do is to plan out a couple of statement pieces, and then work around them with complementary items. Centring your curation on a handful of piercings is a really nice way to ground the look. The best thing to do next is to head to the websites of our jewellery companies and have a good old scroll! We perform curations using BVLA, Anatometal, and Neometal. Keep in mind that every single piece of jewellery is handmade to your specifications – Choose the gold colour, the gemstones, the size, everything! If you are unsure as to what exactly you’d like to wear, Kat can give you a huge range of suggestions that you can start to choose from.

This sounds like a lot, but honestly it is an incredibly easy process when you have the support of the Rogue team!

Getting creative with Titanium is a fab way to get a cohesive, thoughtful piercing curation.

Getting a Curation

We think the most exciting part of the piercing curation is actually ordering, receiving and installing the jewellery. Depending on the jewellery maker, this can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6+ months to arrive. When it comes to curations though, the wait is always worth it. Having your perfect jewellery takes time, but that time will pass anyway!

Depending on the jewellery you have ordered, we will sometimes recommend getting the healing process started before your final jewellery arrives. This is especially important with longer-healing piercings such as daiths, rooks, and cheek piercings. However sometimes we recommend waiting until your final jewellery has arrived so that we can place it absolutely perfectly! This is especially the case when it comes to big, chunky ends or unique placements. It all depends on what you have ordered and what your end goal is.

Lip piercing curations are an absolute favourite of ours. We would love to do more of them!

With curations, it definitely falls into the ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day!’ category! Depending on which jewellery brands you want to wear, wether the gemstones are semi-precious or precious or synthetic, and a huge amount of variables can impact the pricing. Some curations can range between £300-£15,000. We absolutely work within more limited budgets – Titanium curations can be so neat and beautiful and can be super affordable too. Even plain Titanium beads can look impactful when skilfully used! The main thing to keep in mind is that a piercing curation is a patience game – You don’t need to buy everything all in one go, or even in one year. Some clients build collections over the course of many years and this is often the best way to do it!

We have a full blog post detailing the custom order process which you can read here!

So there you have it, a full rundown of curations. How they work, how you go about it, and what to expect. Plus links to other blogs where you can continue to learn!

If you would like to book in for a jewellery consultation with Kat, head to our booking system. We can also do remote curations via email! Head to our instagram for a whole lot of inspiration.

-Kat

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Aftercare – What Not to Do

Especially in the age of the internet, it is so incredibly easy to find advice on your piercing problems. Online forums, often filled with piercing enthusiasts, are the go-to when it comes to aftercare advice, how to treat your piercing bump and troubleshooting. Unfortunately, often the advise given in these forums are anecdotal and not backed by the medical world nor by experienced, high quality piercing studios. This blog will be all about debunking common aftercare cures that we regularly hear about, and what to do instead!

Homemade Salt Water

Homemade salt water is probably the number one incorrect aftercare that we see as a quality studio. So why is it still so common? It’s still commonly advised to customers by old-school, low quality, or inexperienced piercers as homemade saltwater was once the recommended aftercare given by all piercers. However, this was only the standard aftercare advice in the late 90s and early 2000s – It has not been recommended by high quality piercers for over 20 years. So why is it not good?

Homemade saltwater has three main issues: Sterility, additions, and concentration. Firstly, when you boil a kettle of hot water it has not been sterilised. When you add salt to it, the nonsterile salt contaminates the water with yet more bacteria. This means you can potentially introduce bacteria and other irritants to your piercing. Secondly, additions. Salt often has anti-caking agents and other additives that you do not want to introduce into your piercing. Thirdly, concentration. 99% of the time, homemade saltwater soaks are made far too highly concentrated. More is not better in this situation! A strong salt solution will damage your healing cells, removing necessary fluids and plasma from the skin to cause contact dermatitis and salt burns.

We do not recommend homemade saltwater soaks for any piercing – We have simply moved past it as an aftercare routine. If you are having issues with a piercing and are using salt water, we recommend moving over to a sterile saline solution to remove a possible irritant that could be damaging your piercing.

Homemade salt water soaks are a common cause of irritation bumps.

Tea Tree Oil

We do believe that the tide of public opinion is finally turning against Tea Tree Oil. This harsh essential oil has no place in the piercing aftercare arsenal. Tea Tree Oil (TTO) is an essential oil made from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree. Unfortunately, natural does not mean harmless in this situation as Tea Tree Oil is very caustic especially when applied undiluted as is often the case with piercing treatment. When applied multiple times a day as is often recommended, TTO is simply going to burn the skin and damage your healing cells. Tea Tree Oil is also a common allergen, causing contact dermatitis and painful rashes in up to 5% of the population.

We cannot stress enough how much we do not recommend using TTO!

Aspirin Pastes

Aspirin is NOT recommended to solve your piercing bump.

Aspirin pastes have long been touted as the ultimate cure for your piercing bump. If you are a long-time reader of our blogs, you know that there is never one simple solution and aspirin paste is definitely not the answer! Aspirin pastes contain Salicylic Acid, a harsh acid irritant that burns off the bump over multiple uses. This does not solve the underlying problem that is causing the bump, and can often make it worse due to damaging and weakening the surrounding skin. Aspirin paste usage can also increase your skins sensitivity to UV rays which can increase your risk of damage.

In short, it is always a bad idea to misuse medical items against their intended use. Please do not use aspirin pastes on any of your piercings!

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is a classic piercing aftercare product, but another that has no place in the modern piercing industry. Hydrogen Peroxide is an oxidising agent, and a type of bleach. Hydrogen Peroxide is too harsh to apply to a piercing and is definitely too harsh to apply multiple days in a row as is often recommended. H202 is a common irritant that damages your skin. Your piercing problem may look like it has improved for a day or so as the skin lifts and dries, but the underlying issue has not been rectified and so the bump will invariably return.

In addition to this, due to Hydrogen Peroxide being an oxidising agent, H2O2 can be very damaging to your jewellery. Titanium in particular is susceptible to being oxidised by H2o2 application, which damages the surface finish of your jewellery leading to a porous, scratched surface that can compound any irritation you are experiencing.

The jewellery on the left has been damaged by Hydrogen Peroxide application.

Antiseptic Creams

This is one we see fairly often. This often comes from the misconception that your piercing bump should be treated like any other cut or injury on the body which requires medical help. Antiseptic creams such as Savlon, Germolene or Sudocrem are not intended for application to a piercing, where they can smother the piercing and prevent the cells from respiring and the wound from draining. Creams will leave your piercing wet, and soaked in moisture which can exacerbate your problems and extend your healing time. Antiseptics will damage the natural skin flora, leaving you more susceptible to overgrowths of harmful microbes. Especially when applied multiple times a day over a long period of time, creams like this can damage your cells and do not help your piercing in the way you think it will.

Conclusion

This is not an exhaustive list of all of the bad advice you can find on the internet. There seems to be a new fad each week! A common counter-argument we hear when we debunk these type of things is ‘But it worked for me!’ Unfortunately we don’t accept anecdotal evidence. Confirmation bias is a very real phenomenon and is a logical fallacy – What may have worked for you has been proven to cause harm to most other people!

If you are having trouble with any of your existing piercings, we highly recommend booking in for an in-person piercing consultation. Head to our TROUBLESHOOTING FAQ to see if anything jumps out at you as a probably cause.

You can also contact us via email or social media!

Follow our instagram.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

BVLA Top Picks – May 2022

This weeks blog is dedicated to our top picks for the latest BVLA order – The deadline is TOMORROW at 5pm! Here are 6 of our favourite pieces currently, using our favourite gemstones. If you are interested in any of the below, get in touch or come in for a jewellery consultation on or before Saturday, May 21st to guarantee your items are added to this order.

Mini Kandy

The BVLA Mini Kandy is an absolute classic, and a total favourite here at the studio. It was Kat’s first ever piece from BVLA and we just have a huge soft-spot for it. The Mini Kandy is only 5mm from tip to tip, making it absolutely ideal as a versatile wear-anywhere kind of item. We love seeing them in noses, philtrums, lobes and pretty much any other piercing you can imagine! They come in three different sizes from dainty 5mm to chunky 8mm, so are literally perfect for any taste.

Depending on pricing, these Mini Kandy ends can be a really nice small treat! Our most popular gemstone choices are White Sapphire (£155), Swiss Blue Topaz (£155) and genuine White Diamonds (£220)! We would love to use more unique colour options like Peach Topaz (£160), Mystic Topaz (£180), and Garnet (£140).

Double helix using a BVLA Genuine Diamond Prong and sandblasted Swiss Blue Topaz Mini Kandy.

The Miel

Mid-nostrils with BVLA Labradorite ends and custom 18k Gold chain.

The Miel is a novel take on a classic cabochon setting, giving it a new lease of life with a gorgeous honeycomb shape. These stand out because they really let the gemstone speak for itself – Perfect for nose piercings, lip piercings, conch piercings. Again, super versatile. These work really well with unique gemstones such as the above Labradorite, or Oregon Sunstone (£210), or rose-cut Rainbow Moonstone (£200). Rose-cut gemstones in general look incredible in this item which is available in three different sizes from dainty 3mm to bolder 6mm.

Yellow Gold – Rose-Cut Chrysoprase

Pave Teardrop

Yellow Gold, White Sapphire

We’re big fans of textured jewellery, and the Pave Teardrop is a perfect choice. These ones have teeny 1.75mm gemstones and are a petit 4x2mm size. Perfect for snug spots like high lobe piercings, paired eyebrow piercings, or dainty nose piercings. These work really well with solid-colour bold gemstones like White Diamonds (£195), London Blue Topaz (£180) or Genuine Emerald (£230).

The Marquise Panaraya

Many thanks to the Boston Tattoo Company for use of this incredible photo!

The Marquise Panaraya is an absolute showstopper. Perfect as a wedding gift for your wedding day, birthday gifts or general treat-yoself moments! The best part of this piece of jewellery is the many gemstone choices, and the arch mimicking the natural curve of the ear to make something truly special. The classic options would be White Swarovski crystals (£500), or genuine AA Amethyst (£560) as a twist on the standard. The Panaraya style can be used in many different gem cuts such as Baguette or Brilliant cuts – There is genuinely something for everyone.

BVLA Rings

BVLA make the best rings in the industry, without a doubt. Wether you want a simple single-gem ring like the Round Prong ring above, or a unique septum piece like Nikki’s Hammered Janna, BVLA absolutely has you covered.

We hope this has given you some ideas for the BVLA custom order! If you want even more Instagram inspiration then we highly recommend following us on instagram, and following BVLA and their wearable-photography instagram BVLALOVE.

To place your custom order, please email us at kat@roguepiercing.co.uk! The process is really quick and simple – Just give us a vibe to work with and we can absolutely work with you to curate something awesome.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Piercing Myths

Today we will be tackling a broad and fascinating subject, and something we have to hear about fairly often working in a high quality studio. There are so many misconceptions surrounding piercing, especially as most people find their aftercare advice or do research for their piercings online. As we all know, the internet is a great and terrible place for misinformation and myths! We will be covering 6 of the most common piercing myths we hear, and explain what, if any, truth comes from them!

Nipple Piercings prevent you from breastfeeding.

This is quite a common one we hear! This is based on the fact that some people believe piercing a nipple can damage all of the milk ducts. The nipple contains on average 9-20 milk ducts, and a 1.6mm needle will never be able to permanently disable all of them. Clients with nipple piercings can definitely still breastfeed after a nipple piercing, and it does not affect your flow of milk! Keep in mind that we do recommend removing all nipple jewellery during the breastfeeding time period as it constitutes a choking hazard for your baby.

White Opal Nipple Barbell, available to purchase on our webstore.

Infections are Common.

It is fairly common for clients to mistake normal healing symptoms as symptoms of infection. It is also really common for irritated piercings to be called infections as well! This is definitely a myth, and a misconception that we are trying to change. Infections are in fact extremely rare – One in 10,000 if not more rare. Irritated piercings can be red, swollen and produce a small amount of clear/yellow/green discharge. This is entirely normal! However, when googling your symptoms you can cause yourself an unnecessary panic! We have a whole blog dedicated to irritations vs infections, which you can read here.

Infections are a serious medical matter – Thankfully practically unheard of in high-quality piercing studios!

Cheek Piercings Give You Natural Dimples

There are lots of myths surrounding cheek piercings, but this is the one we hear most often. The myth goes that you can get your cheeks pierced, heal them for 3-4 months, and then when you take them out you are left with beautiful natural looking dimples. This is far from the truth! Aside from the obvious fact that cheeks are a very complex and fairly high-risk piercing (read more on that here!), the main issue with this is that the scarring caused by cheek piercings is often unpredictable and almost never give perfect nor symmetrical results. Cheek piercings are a lifetime commitment and not something to be pierced on a whim. The best way to get dimples is to consult a facial plastic surgeon, not a piercer.

Nose Piercings can Paralyze You.

This is an odd one that we occasionally hear! We are not sure where this myth originated, but we do sometimes hear of it from clients. This one is 100% a myth and definitely nothing to be concerned about when booking for your piercing. On very rare occasions you may feel a small amount of mild numbness around the piercing site – This is due to initial swelling and is not permanent. This piercing myths may originate from viral news articles where a handful of people have had severe infections due to unsafe piercing practices that have resulted in long-term health issues. We work to the highest standards of safety and hygiene, and if you correctly follow our aftercare advice you have absolutely nothing to worry about!

Nose piercings are by far the most popular facial piercing that we offer.

The (insert ear here) side is the gay side!

This is one of the most common piercing myths that we hear! We have actually written a whole blog explaining its origins. This myth originates from the early days of the piercing industry, when it was still a very gay underground operation. Piercing was seen very differently then, and often was used as a method of silent communication between gay men and general piercing enthusiasts. We love this side of our history and are very proud of our roots, but this has definitely changed since the 1980s and we would not say that any piercing has any specific gay connotations anymore. If anything, all piercings should be considered gay as this is where our industry started!

Daith Piercings can cure Migraines

This is a difficult subject to discuss, and there are many pitfalls to consider. We will be taking a scientific approach to tackling this unfortunate myth. The daith piercing myth comes from old medical information regarding vagal nerve stimulation. The vagal nerve is said to be able to be medically stimulated to reduce chronic pain, however there is no evidence to suggest that the vagal nerve or any of its subsidiaries pass through the daith region of the ear. Traditional VNS treatments involve an implant in the chest, not the ear. In addition to this, vagal nerve stimulation has only ever been FDA approved for the treatment of epilepsy and depression, not migraines. Even with this approval, the success rate for this treatment has been fairly limited and more research is definitely needed. In terms of daith piercings, there is very little actual research. Most people offering daith piercings as a cure for migraines are relying on anecdotal evidence and small surveys, or reports that are not peer-reviewed or published in any scientific publications.

We really wish a simple ear piercing could be offered as a safe cure for migraines, but there is simply not enough evidence to prove this claim at this moment in time. We would not feel comfortable misleading people suffering from a distressing medical condition that a single piercing will cure them. We can offer a beautiful and safe piercing that can be a really nice adornment to your ear, but we would never want to take advantage of someone in pain. If you come into your daith piercing with an open mind and not put all your hopes into it as a cure, then that is the ideal way to approach it. The placebo effect is an incredibly strong psychological phenomenon, so it may very well work for you! We pierce dozens of daiths every week, and they are beautiful and fairly easy to heal as well. If it doesn’t work for you, you still get an epic piercing regardless!

Daith piercings are absolutely gorgeous, and the array of high-quality jewellery is almost infinite! We love performing daith piercings, so do not be discouraged by this unfortunate piercing myths.

We hope that this has shed some light onto some of the most common piercing myths spread about piercings. As with any topic, new myths and false information will always pop up so we may make this piercing myth post a series!

If you have any questions regarding piercings, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

To book your piercing appointments, CLICK HERE.

Follow us on INSTAGRAM!

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Repiercing 101

We are often asked if it is possible to pierce in the same spot as an old piercing. There seems to be some misinformation floating around that says that if you have had a piercing in X location, you can never have a repiercing in the same place! This is not the case and we will explain why, but also talk about which conditions need to be met in order for your repierce to go smoothly.

What Is Scar Tissue?

Your piercing scar is made of scar tissue. Scars are a natural and unavoidable product of your wound healing response – There is little you can do to prevent the growth of scar tissue! Healing a piercing is a careful balance of healing a scar in a certain way to support jewellery. A piercing is a wound, after all. That scar tissue is avascular (has no blood vessels) and is made mostly of collagen. The collagen is not assembled into the organised layers that undamaged skin is, but is quite jumbled and rigid. This is why you might feel a little solid ‘lump’ where your old piercing used to be – That is the scar tissue that formed the piercing channel of your old piercing. As your scar matures, the amount of collagen drops by as much as 20% and you can feel the scar get softer and softer, until you might barely even notice it. This is what we are waiting for when we ask you to remove your jewellery and wait for a re-piercing!

Everyone heals at a different rate. There is no set time frame for when your old piercing has settled enough to repierce. Interestingly, it may take longer for young people to be ready for a repierce as our immune systems are too good at healing! The re-epithelialisation stage of wound healing is when the collagen for the scar tissue is produced. The younger you are, the more energetic this response is and the more collagen you produce. The more collagen you produce, the heavier the scar tissue will be and the longer it will take to settle and be ready to repierce. People over the age of 50 tend to scar less, as their immune response is lower and they do not undergo such an overproduction of collagen. You can read more about the healing process here!

When Am I Ready To Repierce?

This is different for everybody. The best way to know if you are ready to be pierced in the same spot is to head to your piercer and allow them to assess the area. We know what to look for in a scar! Is it hard and granular still, or has it softened enough to repierce?

Repiercing before you are ready can cause issues. Like I mentioned earlier, scar tissue is avascular. This means that if we repierce before the scar tissue has diminished, then there will likely be less blood flow and nutrients to the area which can significantly extend the healing time of your repiercing. Not only would your healing time be extended, but piercing through hard scar tissue is not fun! If the old piercing fistula is still open, you can also have issues where the new and old piercing channels interact and cause issues with draining of fluids.

As a general rule, we recommend waiting:

  • At least 8 weeks to repierce soft tissue like a lobe or navel piercing.
  • At least 12 weeks before repiercing ‘soft cartilage’ like a nose or septum piercing.
  • At least 6 months before repiercing hard cartilage, such as daith, helix or conch piercings.

This is not a hard and fast rule though. Everyone is different! Check in with your piercer if you are unsure, and always wait longer than you think you need to. There is no rush to repierce! A good piercer will produce a great piercing that will last you the rest of your life.

A beautifully settled and repierced second lobe piercing. When done well, you wouldn’t even know that this has been pierced before!

Taking Care of Your Piercing Scar

After removing your old piercing, you shouldn’t need to do anything special to it. No special cleaning, no lotions and potions. The piercing itself will shrink down and seal over fairly quickly, and needs no special care even if the piercing was very new when you removed it.

If your scarring is particularly obtrusive, we recommend that after you remove your jewellery you begin a daily routine of very gentle massage. Use a non-scented natural oil such as Jojoba oil to lubricate the skin, and gently massage the scarring between thumb and forefinger. This can effect how the scar remodels over time, and can break up the scar into softer, more pliable, tissue. There is not a huge amount of evidence (besides anecdotal evidence, which should always be taken with a grain of salt!) that scar massage is super effective, but keeping the area moisturised and stimulating blood flow will not hurt you either. If you have excessive scarring, like in keloid formation or large hypertrophic scarring, then a trip to the dermatologist wouldn’t go amiss. There are lots of things modern medicine has to offer such as laser, silicone patching, corticosteroid injections, and lots of other treatments that can soften and minimise scarring. A standard repiercing shouldn’t need all this special attention though! Time is the greatest healer of all.

As a side note, there is no discount in piercing fee whether it be a new piercing or a repierce. We use exactly the same tools and it takes exactly the same amount of time as a fresh piercing!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch via our instagram or email!

Citations

Bond, J.S., Duncan, J.A.L., Sattar, A., Boanas, A., Mason, T., OʼKane, S. and Ferguson, M.W.J. (2008). Maturation of the Human Scar: An Observational Study. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, [online] 121(5), pp.1650–1658. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2008/05000/Maturation_of_the_Human_Scar__An_Observational.19.aspx [Accessed 11 Nov. 2021].

‌