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Moving into Spring!

As the evenings slowly start to get lighter again, and that frosty chill is starting a steady exit, we begin to make our way into the spring season, which i’m sure we’re all ready for. However, before we say our goodbyes just yet to the winter months I thought we’d have a quick look at how 2024 has started for Rogue, from piercings to jewellery it’s definitely been a fun one.

Aiden started his year with a nice long break from the studio, using his annual leave for a fun adventure. Upon return to the studio though, you guys definitely didn’t make it easy for him! From 2g cheeks to intimate projects Aiden’s been working hard to fulfil all the piercing dreams you guys have given him!

A fresh set of 2g Cheek Piercings.

Breo is another one who has been taking some plentiful time away from the studio, and taking a much needed trip back to his home town in Spain. He was definitely missed though, upon arrival back in the studio his first day back was busy with rooks and helix piercings, and even a large gauge set of lobes chucked in there.

A forehead surface piercing for Phebe!

Gemma’s had a an interesting start to 2024, and has begun to take on more responsibility within the studio! She has been putting out some excellent work, from a classic helix’s, lower navels and fun intimate projects. Next month is Gemma’s turn away from the studio as she embarks on a week long journey to visit Andre in Germany, and progress her body modification journey.

Lower Navel Piericing!

Jay’s 2024 has started off with lots of training, from tongue piercings and septum’s, to VCH and Prince Albert piercings, Jay has started the ‘weird and wonderful’ and has been producing some amazing work. She also put some of her own training into practice when Kade shadowed in the studio, and helped pass on knowledge of bevel theory and blade needles.

A fresh set of paired central eyebrows!

Kat has been working alongside clients to continue to bring their jewellery dreams alive! From placing custom orders and helping put together that one unique piece, to helping curate ears, Kat has been kept on their toes. They’ve also taken a further step into the jewellery side of piercing and is now assisting FLUX Jewelellry!

A Custom BVLA Septum Jewellery

We’ve also had a few guests and shadows join us this year!

We ended January with a two day visit from Phebe, who came up to shadow septum piercings! Phebe is an absolute delight to work with, and we can’t wait to have her back, hopefully to guest next time and put her skills into practice. While she was here, Breo pierced her and gave Phebe a gorgeous forehead surface piercing which suited her set up brilliantly.

A sweet forehead piercing for Phebe!

February started with a week long visit from the wonderful Hika, who came and guested while Breo was travelling to Spain. She helped assist Jay on apprentice piercings and fed her some new knowledge, while also producing her own amazing work. She also got pierced by Aiden and left with a shiny new tragus and lobe duo.

Hika in action! Marking a bridge piercing!

Last but not least, we had Kade come and stay for a week too. He came to do some shadowing, and was an absolute delight to have in the studio, and we can’t wait for him to return. He left with some knew found knowledge and a new best friend (Jay). Not only did he get pierced while he visited, but Jay, Aiden and Gemma all pierced him as part of an ear project consisting of 5 vertical helix’s around his ear. Between them, they pierced three, leaving four and five for his next visit.

Kade putting knowledge into practice with Jay’s help.

Overall it has been an absolute whirlwind of a start to 2024, and hopefully we will see this continue through the warmer months! With two more guests planned in March and a conference, the Rogues are definitely going to be kept on their toes. Don’t forget you can book your own appointment with us here, and discuss anything from piercings to jewellery with us and fulfil your own dreams.

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Piercings and Skin Conditions

Hello everyone! Today we’re taking a bit of a deep-dive into something that is very important to know about – How your skin impacts on your piercings, and how your piercings impact on your skin! We’re going to talk about eczema and psoriasis, and getting a piercing on Accutane.

The British Skin Foundation has found that 60% of Britons have a skin condition, or have experienced a skin condition in the past at some stage of their life. That is a lot of people! These skin conditions can range from mild to severe, but the most common are eczema, psoriasis, and cystic acne.

Eczema

Eczema is an incredibly common skin condition, affecting up to 25% of the population. Most common in childhood, eczema can follow us into our adult life where it is more common to impact on your piercings.

Eczema can cause itching and flaky skin. It tends to go through phases of flare-ups, punctuated by periods of healing and normal skin. This can be really annoying!

This is a good example of what an eczema flare-up can look like on an ear. There are lots of things that can trigger a flare-up, but the most common causes are the introduction of new cleaning products and stress – Both of these things can be experienced after a piercing!

So how do you work with eczema? The most important thing to do is to wait until you are not in a flare-up before getting a piercing. Piercing irritated skin will only cause more irritation, and can make your flare-up more intense and last longer. We promise we will still be here when your skin is healthy.

Taking care of piercings when you have an eczema flare-up can be tricky. Depending on the treatment you choose, it can irritate your piercings whilst soothing your skin. Both emollients and steroid creams can be harmful to a piercing. Steroids especially can cause some grumpiness! We recommend avoiding putting any creams or lotions directly onto your piercings, and leaving a good 10mm gap around them. Topical steroids especially can have long-term impacts on the skin that they are applied to. Most commonly, skin can become thinner and more fragile. This can slow down the healing process quite significantly.

Cleaning your piercings is very important when you are having a flare-up. Excessive skin buildup is common, and this can cause irritation when it accumulates on and around your piercings. We recommend moving to a once-daily cleaning routine. Be mindful of sterile saline, as although it is isotonic and non-irritating, it may be an eczema trigger for some people. If you find that saline is a little too harsh, cleaning your piercings after you have had a warm shower to soften the buildup with plain water is perfectly acceptable.

We like to stay in contact with clients who have eczema and other skin conditions, so that we can monitor the progress of their piercings and give them advice if necessary.

Important Takeaways

  • Avoid getting piercings during a flareup.
  • Ensure you are removing any skin buildup with gentle cleaning.
  • Do not apply emollients or steroids near your piercings.

Piercing on Accutane

Acne is a very common skin condition! Approximately 85% of the population will experience acne at some stage of their lives, most commonly between the ages of 16 and 25. Of course, the severity can vary wildly! Acne is only a consideration if we are aiming to pierce the affected skin, or if you are taking acne medication. It is really important to let us know if you are taking any medications! So can you get a piercing on accutane?

Accutane is a very strong medication that works by affecting the cell cycle. Although its method of action is not precisely known, its anti-acne effects are achieved by the drug triggering apoptosis (cell death) of sebaceous oil gland cells. These mechanisms can slow down the blockage of pores, and makes the skin more inhospitable to acne-worsening bacteria. Sounds great, right?

Unfortunately, Accutane is also pretty terrible for your skin! It has a lot of side-effects, many of which affect wound healing. The most common side-effects are intensely dry and fragile skin, UV sensitivity, rashes, and slower healing of wounds. This is pretty nasty, and definitely will impact on your piercings!

Piercings are not the same as a standard wound – The introduction of jewellery means that your body is already dealing with something abnormal. Piercings take months, and sometimes up to a year or two to heal. Introducing Accutane to the picture means this healing process may fail entirely.

So how should you work around it? The bottom line is that you should not be getting a piercing on Accutane. The medical community even recommends avoiding being waxed, never mind being pierced! It is recommended to finish your Accutane course, and then wait a further six months to allow your skin to normalise again before getting a piercing.

Accutane can also impact on piercings that you may have had for a long time. As Accutane damages the cell cycle, you may notice that existing piercings may get irritated easily. It’s important to remember that this irritation will not go away until your treatment is finished – Talk to your piercer, and we can formulate a plan on how to move forward. Depending on the piercing, it may be best to retire severely irritated piercings and repierce them at a later date. In the meantime, go right back to basics with them – Cleaning once a day, ensuring your jewellery fits appropriately, and is of a suitable style.

Intensely dry skin can definitely cause discomfort – Keep your skin protected by applying an appropriately thick and luscious moisturiser. Invest in a good lip balm!

Important Takeaways

  • Do not get a piercing on Accutane, or for 6 months after your treatment is finished.
  • Be mindful that even healed piercings can get very irritated – Keep in contact with your piercer for personalised advice.
  • Go back to basics with caring for your piercings. Clean gently with warm warm water, keep your piercings dry, and do not touch them!

So in summary, we require a lot of communication between piercer and client. What may have worked for you in the past in terms of healing, may not work for you depending on your flare up and medication. We like to take a cautious approach, and start with one or two easier healing piercings before moving onto more complicated work, just so we can observe and discuss how healing impacts you.

If you have any questions, definitely drop us an email! Make sure to follow us on social media as well, to stay updated with all of our work.

See you next Friday for a new blog!

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An Interview with X – Pierced Professional

When it comes to learning how to perform intimate piercings, finding people who trust your ability as a trainee can be a challenge. Thankfully, I met a client who not only trusted me to perform my first ever horizontal clitoral hood (HCH) piercing but then added two more! After many discussions and consultations, I was able to sit down and chat on record about how this project came to be and why they put their trust in Rogue and myself. 
*For anonymity, I have changed names and locations. 

G: Let’s start at your beginning.

X: I grew up in the 1980s in rural East England. As a kid, I would get on the bus, go to school, get on the bus, come back from school. And that’s it. I lived so far from everything, I was stuck at home. I was very quiet and just kept to my own company.

I had my ears pierced when I was about 11 and it was really, really painful. I had butterfly back earrings, as was the norm. Laying on those earrings was painful so I’d take them out at night and then, when I had to put them in the next day, it was like re-piercing my ear all over again.

After school I joined the Armed Forces so I couldn’t have any piercings. Most of us went off and got a tattoo, secretly. I just remember going out one night and we were like “let’s get tattooed!” So we went to the pub and then on the way home we stopped at this tattoo studio. It was a case of looking at flash pieces and deciding what to have based on what I could hide. I had the predictable small rose done on my hip!

The first tattoo I saw was when my brother came home from the army. He had a piece on the top of his arm. I just kind of thought, “oh, you can do stuff like that when you leave home, when you’re a grownup.” 

When I left the Forces, I started collecting piercings all the way up my ear. I had my nipples pierced when I was 22 and it was a sort of, “I’m free of your clutches, Mr. Government man, and I’m gonna stamp my own identity on myself!” moment. 

G: How was that?

X: I went along to Birmingham for a tattoo and asked the artist if he could pierce my nipples. He said yes and did I mind if the other guys there watched. There wasn’t a private room or anything. And I remember thinking, you know, I’ve been in the Forces, I can be tough! So, I was laid on a bench and had my piercing and I remember looking at these four guys and being amused at how they were so impressed that I didn’t scream while being pierced. Now I was out of the Forces, I felt this was me being independent and stating my own identity in a way.

A lot of life happened, and over the years I’ve had various tattoos but when I hit 50, a long relationship ended, I was diagnosed with diabetes and I kind of just felt a bit adrift.

I wanted to move away from what had been “we and us” and move into marking myself as an “I” again. I’ve always viewed tattooing as a way to anchor my identity but using piercing in the same way was more recent and more empowering.

So I’d hit 50 and I was talking to one of my friends about how I used to have my nipples pierced. And I got home that night and I thought, “I wish I still had my nipples pierced. Why haven’t I got my nipples pierced?” I went online and looked at repiercings and I was so excited when I saw that there were all these stories of people who’d had their nipples repierced. 

A couple of years later I was talking to a nurse and saying I thought I had a high pain tolerance because I’d had my nipples pierced – and, now,  repierced. She told me she had “down there” pierced. It was like an epiphany. I’d known for a long time that you can have “down there” pierced and I’d always wondered what exactly because I figured there wasn’t much to pierce through! But as soon as she said it, my brain just exploded. I’ve got to have this done. I’ve got to go and have this done right now. About a week later I got in touch with Rogue Piercing.

I couldn’t stop thinking, why have I never had this done before? Why have I never felt like I need to have this done before? All those feelings that came with it were really sort of weird and new but in a positive way.

Illustration by Jennifer Klepacki in “The Piercing Bible—The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing” by Elayne Angel

G: What made you decide to come to Rogue for your intimate consultation?

X: I looked at a range of studios and there wasn’t anywhere local doing intimate piercings. I wanted somewhere that was experienced. I researched a lot of studios and I came across a blog post by Rogue. That’s how I ended up reading about the studio and the team and decided to book a consultation.

I knew I wanted a HCH (horizontal clitoral hood) piercing because I know my anatomy well and thought that it would be more aesthetically pleasing than a VCH (vertical clitoral hood). There’s a YouTube channel I watched a lot of, where they talked about the pros and cons of intimate piercings and it was one of few places I found information about the HCH. 

G: You came very prepared for your consultation with me! How did you find the experience?

X: The consultation was great because I was able to bring any questions that I had from watching the videos and reading about the piercing. A lot of what you said during the consultation was reinforced by my own research so that made me feel confident in the process.

It was really nice to meet and chat with the team, get to know you all and feel welcomed. Gemma gave me lots of information and Aiden would chime in with little facts and knowledge. At the end of the consultation we talked about you doing the piercing as part of your training. It would be one of your first HCH piercings and Aiden had been doing them for over a decade so he would be supervising. 

G: I really appreciate the trust you put in me and the studio to perform an intimate piercing that is a first for both of us. It means a lot. And I’m so grateful to have been able to work with you since then on expanding your project! What was the piercing experience like for you?

X: I felt quite comfortable because I’d already met you at the consultation and I trusted that it would go well. I was still very nervous because although I have a high pain tolerance, I didn’t know what to expect. I just thought “I’m gonna have a needle stuck through my clit hood. This is gonna hurt. And I’m going to do it.” And I did! 

I think I already knew I wanted lots more straight away. It seemed like if I’m gonna be in for a penny, I’ll be in for a pound. I was just waiting to see what the first one went like, I didn’t know how the healing would go or whether I’d have problems.

Healing was absolutely fine and so I decided, well if I have the anatomy then I’m going to get more! 

X always brings the good music vibes to the studio!

G: We’d briefly discussed it during your anatomy check as part of the intimate consultation and we decided to add two more HCH piercings to create a triple of BCRs. As a piercer, I was very excited about this project because it’s very rare to find a) a person with the anatomy for 3 HCH piercings and b) for that person to actually want to get and heal 3 HCH piercings!

X: I don’t understand why anybody who has the anatomy to, doesn’t want more than one piercing! If you want one, surely you want two or three or four, whatever you can have. The first one was painful and then when we added the others, the pain was barely comparable, It’s a little pinch.

I like the secret nature of intimate piercings. No one knows you have them unless you decide to tell them. 

G: You work in the education system, are visible tattoos and piercings viewed as unprofessional in your workplace?

X: So you’d think it might be fairly traditional, especially in the private sector, but some of my colleagues do have visible tattoos and to date they’ve not been officially commented on as ‘unacceptable’.

I was having a conversation with a colleague friend about the visibility of tattoos, piercings or just self expression in general. The main thing that came up was that we wanted students to see that this is what ordinary people do. This is just as usual and acceptable and part of the fabric of life as anything else.

I think back to my upbringing in the 80s… there were tattoos, there were piercings, but I never got to see anything of them. If just one person in a profession like education or medical or whatever, had visible piercings or tattoos, it might have felt more normalised and not “othered” or “taboo” to a lot of people. 

Instead, it again can be that act of rebelling against the institution. It’s a way of saying to the institution, “you don’t own me, I’m not yours, I’m mine.” 

G: Is body modification your rebellion?

X: There’s an addictiveness about it as well. You get a little buzz, not necessarily a physical buzz but a mental buzz.  I’d be tattooed and pierced all over my body if I could, for the buzz of it.

But you see, for me, it’s about going through the entire process to have the end result [of a modification]. I want something solid. I want something tangible where I go “that’s mine, I chose it and I’m really proud of that”. 

It is such a privilege to be part of someone’s journey of self expression and I cannot thank my clients enough for helping me to learn and grow. Rebel well!

If you would like more information on intimate piercings you can view our blogs here

If you would like to book for an intimate consultation, you can do that here

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The Trouble with Online Troubleshooting

Welcome back to the blog! Todays post will be a little bit of a casual opinion piece about the joys and dangers of online troubleshooting, and the issues that can arise from getting piercing problem advice on the interwebs.

Who Do You Trust?

The main issue we see with online piercing problem troubleshooting, especially in public forums, is a lack of accountability and expertise. Having moderated and been an expert on various high-profile forums, I can see the same advice being touted by dozens of people who may not be professionals themselves. It can be difficult to tell if the person you are taking advice from is a qualified piercer, or a piercing enthusiast, or a fellow novice! When there is little to no consequences to the advice-giver, it can be easy for standards to slip and for bad advice to be given.

Anecdotal evidence is rife – ‘It worked for me’ is a pretty common thing to read! The problem with this is that sometimes people will heal a piercing in spite of their poor habits, not because of them. At Rogue, we work from evidence-based information to give the best possible advice.

If you are going to get advice online, the best place to do so is through the inbox of a professional piercer who you trust.

Can you tell what the problem might be with this piercing? Hint: There was four issues that couldn’t be spotted from a picture.

A Picture is Worth About 10 Words

A common question that we get, and also see online on forums, is ‘Here’s a picture of my piercing – What is wrong with it?’ This is a difficult question to answer…

Although a photo can be incredibly valuable, it rarely gives us all the information that we need in order to find the cause of your irritation and solve it with you. The best way to troubleshoot a piercing is in-person, where we can look at the piercing as a three-dimensional object and take information from all angles. A single picture will rarely show a poor angle, or a build-up of crusties that is causing issues, or a snag or knock.

When online troubleshooting, it can be easy to be lead down one route when in fact there might be two or three issues that all need to be resolved before the piercing will heal.

Personal Issues and Impersonal Advice

In my opinion, the biggest issue with online troubleshooting forums is that the advice is very rarely tailored to the individual, and doesn’t take into account your lifestyle and piercing problems. Having worked on public forums, the advice that is given (no matter what the true problem is) is: ‘Change it to Titanium, and clean it with sterile saline!’

Although this is generally good advice, the issues arise when the advisor is not a piercer, is given limited information, and can only work from a very limited knowledge base.

When advice is not coming from a piercer, it can be tricky to navigate piercing problem troubleshooting. A lack of professional experience means that non-piercers cannot digest and make the information that they learn their own. It can be quite common for the piercers at Rogue and myself to read comments, and be able to tell exactly which one of our blogs the advisor has recently read and is currently regurgitating!

When you book in with an experienced piercer for an in-person consultation and troubleshooting session, we work holistically. We look at everything that could be impacting your piercing and give you personalised advice that is aimed at you. And yes, sometimes that means changing your jewellery to Titanium and cleaning it with sterile saline! However there is a lot more to troubleshooting than just that.

Benefits of Online Troubleshooting

It’s not all bad news! During the pandemic, a lot of quality studios had to move to online-only troubleshooting for their clients as they could not be open to work in person. This included Rogue! We spent many, many (many) months working via email and Instagram to help our clients. This means that there are many good piercers like ourselves that can give good advice from photos and descriptions. That being said, the best way to work through problems with piercings is still to book in with ourselves to be assessed in person.

Online troubleshooting can be handy if your piercer is closed for the weekend, or is otherwise unable to respond to your messages. As a short-term stand-in, online advice can help, but should always be backed up with a trip to your piercer!

Teaching moment!

Our staff are highly trained and super experienced, which means that you can trust us to give you the best possible result from your appointment. You can see in the photo above a moment captured during my recent Wound Healing class at the UKAPP Annual Conference, where I teach piercers about the science behind wound healing and troubleshooting!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest updates.

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Birthstones – January

We’re officially into the new year, with Christmas gone and passed, but it’s not all doom and gloom in the studio. This month we’re celebrating the birthday of our apprentice, and this weeks blog is all about the January birthstone (well not just theirs). Garnet! Mostly known for it’s very intense red that will surely keep that fire going in the cold long days of January.

January is one of the few months that only has one stone, rather than two or three. For the months that are lucky enough to have more than a singular birthstone, these are separated into two lists: Modern and Traditional. The more common of the two is the modern birthstones, which were defined in 1912 by the Jewelers of America in an attempt to standardise (and commercialise) birthstones. This was further updated in the 1950s, to include gemstones such as Citrine for November, or Alexandrite for June. Modern stones are based on what’s easier to sell in large quantities (making it the more affordable choice).

But don’t worry, if that brilliant Red of Garnet isn’t your personal choice of colour, you’ll be happy to know that the January Birthstone comes in a whole rainbow of colours; green, blue, oranges, pinky/oranges, and purplish reds. There are even Garnets that have a colour-change effect when under different lighting or Star Garnets, which is where the stone displays a ‘multi-rayed’ light reflection on its surface that resembles a 4 or 6 pointed star. However, despite the wide range of colours available, this stone is well known for for their deep red varieties, that often are compared to fruit seeds of pomegranates.

Star garnets are found in India, the U.S. state of Idaho as well as Sri Lanka. Green garnet ranges in location. For example, Tsavorite is mined in Kenya and was named after the Tsavo National Park where it is mined nearby, while Demantoid garnet is hugely sourced in Russia. Yellowish/orange, or bright orange Garnet is named after Spessart in Germany where it was discovered but Namibia and Tanzania are also key sources for Spessart Garnets. The colour changing Garnets are found in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. Garnets are also found and mined in many other countries. So many different ways to celebrate the january birthstone!

According to Indian astrology, Garnet helps eliminate negative feelings (such as depression or guilt) while improving self-confidence and mental clarity which helps promote creative thinking and peace of mind. In ancient and medieval times, gems like garnet were also thought to be remedies for inflammatory diseases and to soothe the angry heart. Garnets are also a symbol of eternal love thought to held protective healing powers, which makes it another good reason to gift Garnet to your loved one to celebrate your second wedding anniversary.

The different types of Garnet which change where it sits on the Moh’s Scale of Hardness, but it typically ranges between 6.5 and 7.5, making it more susceptible to damage than diamonds or rubies. Be careful on storage for Garnets, because it can be scratched by other stones. While Garnet is not ideal for everyday wear, it is ideal for earrings (including body jewellery), brooches and pendants. Most garnet stones are not treated except in rare instances where they might be fracture filled. However, the best way to clean your garnets is with a soft toothbrush (we always recommend baby tooth brushes the bristles are always softer) and warm soapy water. If you have an ultrasonic at home, you’ll be happy to know that you can give your garnets a quick whizz about in there, unless they are fractured, or fracture-filled. Steam cleaning is not recommended.

BVLA – Round Prong

We stock jewellery from brands from across the world, and can source items in all birthstones imaginable! If you would like to treat yourself to some meaningful pieces, just get in contact with us.

Make sure to follow us on social media for regular updates, and keep an eye out as we post new blogs every single Friday!

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Stop Touching Your Piercings!

When you walk through the doors at Rogue you will instantly see signs on our main desks, our mirrors and even in our jewellery display cabinets, all telling you not to touch, change or remove your jewellery. You may have noticed both our piercers and counter staff asking you to stop touching your piercings, or to sanitise your hands. We also ask that all jewellery brought into the studio is inside of a small bag or pouch and isn’t handled inside the studio with bare hands.

Image from Jef Saunders Blog courtesy of Dannielle Greenwood

Now you may think this is over bearing, or that we are on a power trip, or even that it might just be a weird obsession over cleanliness/hygiene, but we can assure you that it’s not! We do all of this to avoid the risk of any cross contamination in the studio. Hygiene at Rogue is one of our biggest focus points, and we have consistent measures in place to ensure that we are doing the best we can. From working with aseptic techniques during the piercing procedure, as well as having both daily and weekly cleaning tasks. Every member of the team at Rogue takes annual training in Bloodborne Pathogens (keep your eyes out for our certificates around the studio). This is so we can stay up to date with any changes in standards and protocols to keep both you and ourselves safe.

In the studio we have very careful procedures that we perform every single day to minimise any spread of cross contamination. We thoroughly clean and sterilise any tools and equipment at the end of each working day. We continuously wash and sanitise our hands while also donning and doffing PPE (wearing and disposing of Personal Protective Equipment such as masks and gloves) appropriately. Any of our disposable work tools that may have touched anyone are also disposed of correctly, through sharps bins and dedicated waste disposal bags and services.

So, what is cross contamination?

The definition of cross contamination from Oxford Languages English Dictionaries is: The process by which bacteria or other microorganisms are unintentionally transferred from one substance or object to another, with harmful effect.

Outside of piercing, most people think of cross contamination when it comes to food, especially raw chicken. For example, if you are cutting raw chicken you may end up with some of the raw juices on your fingers and hands, and once dried you may not know it’s there. The bacteria from the chicken can be spread across the kitchen on cutting boards, towels, and reusable wipes. If you don’t wash your hands and touch your mouth or nose or a small/large wound, you can become sick from the bacteria even if you don’t see it. This is because bacteria (such as salmonella) is easily transferable through open wounds and mucous membranes.

The same happens with body jewellery. At some point, the jewellery you have worn in your body has been in direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood. We as piercers have to assume that everyone’s blood, or any other bodily fluids that has been in contact with your jewellery, is contaminated with a bloodborne pathogen that has the potential to carry or spread viruses. The reason we do this is because, just like raw chicken juices, we cannot always see potential threats or dangers, and we’d rather be over-cautious and keep everyone’s health in tip-top shape.

Imagine the journey that bacteria might take across our studio. A client touches their grumpy piercing, and then touches the front desk or a display cabinet, or the arms of the sofa. This is then touched by the next client, who then touches their eye or mouth, or their own piercings! This bacteria can be transferred from one person to the next. Imagine not one client, but dozens per day! By not touching our piercings, washing our hands, and not allowing worn jewellery to touch any of the studio surfaces, then we break this chain of spread.

This is also part of the reason why we cannot reuse, refund or resell body jewellery that has left the studio. We have to assume that any body jewellery that has been purchased has been worn. We also recommend that you never buy and wear pre-used or pre-worn jewellery – You can read more about this in our ‘Sharing Jewellery’ blog. It is the equivalent of clothing stores having a no-returns policy on underwear. It is not safe to risk sharing fluids between clients.

As scary as it sounds, we’re just trying to show you that cross-contamination is super easy to avoid. So, all in all, please top touching your piercings and sharing body jewellery. It is unsafe and unsanitary! Practice regular safe hygiene processes, such as washing your hands and sanitising when and where needed.

Keep an eye on our blog as we post a new informational blog every single Friday! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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2023 – A Year in Review.

With Christmas seeming like it’s been gone forever, it’s officially time to start celebrating the New Years Season. But how could we do that without ending this year on a warm, soppy and heartfelt look back at everything the team at Rogue has achieved this year!

Solid 18k White Gold Chain Ring from F:LUX Jewellery.

Aiden!

For those of you that don’t know, Aiden is our head piercer and the Studio Owner here at Rogue, and the guy who does all the work behind the scenes to keep the studio running effectively! It’s been a fun and impressive year for Aiden and we can’t thank him enough for everything that he’s done for us and Rogue along the way. Alongside mentoring Jay through the second year of their apprenticeship, and helping round out Gemma’s training, he has been a very busy man.

This year he got the show on the road with F:LUX Jwllry, making some brilliant 18k gold rings, charms and chains. We have had some beautiful pieces come through the studio, and they have looked absolutely amazing on our clients.

A gorgeous and perfect fitted F:LUX chain

Aiden also attended UKAPP this year (again), but the exciting news is this year he was teaching again as well! With the help of Gemma rounding up and wrangling piercing videos from expert piercers all across the world, Aiden made a full demonstrative video on how each and every single piercer pierces differently. Different techniques, jewellery, methods and processes, but as long as you are executing safe and viable piercings, then it doesn’t matter how you do them. We are all human and individual, it would be impossible to do everything the same as the next person. This class was definitely a big hit and left a lot of piercers feeling happy and refreshed, and ready to try new things.

Throughout all of this, running a business, being a mentor, travelling the world, and being a good boss, Aiden has been producing some amazing work this year. From heavy large gauge and intimate work, to shiny nose piercings, he’s definitely blown us all away.

Breo!

Breo is our resident head piercer, piercing full time at Rogue. Breo has done his fair share of travelling and surprising piercers world-wide this year. In the spring he travelled to Madrid for the Spanish APPE and in Autumn he travelled with the rest of the Rogues for another weekend at UKAPP in Manchester. This was an exciting conference for everyone at Rogue as this was Breo’s first ever time speaking and teaching a class at a conference. Over the past few years, Breo has been researching body language and it’s importance to piercing and how we as piercers should be reading our client’s body language to help their time with us go much more smoother. As Breo is originally from Spain, English isn’t always his first language, also working at a studio in Nottingham city centre means Breo works with a range of clientele who don’t always have English as their first (or even second) spoken language. He realised that body language is sometimes much easier to help ease a clients appointments, as it often helps us read in between the lines of missing pieces of information. Of course, being the sweetheart he is, decided to share this information with as many people as he can.

Throughout his busy year, his work has only improved. Both technically, with his techniques, and aesthetically with the finished product. He has been absolutely smashing large gauge work left right and centre, and pulling off some beautiful classic piercings that work great with a clients anatomy. As Breo is often in the piercing room, it’s very rare that he will help a client choose their jewellery, which means often it is a surprise of what he is working with. Yet every single time does a client finish their appointment, does that piece look beautiful and unique, as well as perfectly fitting their anatomy.

A perfect fitted Beaded Baguette from BVLA

Gemma!

For the past two years at Rogue, Gemma has been known as our junior piercer. After not having a great start in their piercing career, Gemma joined Rogue in January 2022 and has been a fantastic addition to the team. Over the time they have been here, they have worked extensively inside and outside of work to further better their skills and learn new things. This year they have been focusing on building their portfolio for intimate work (and oh boy have they done an absolutely fantastic job), but also their large gauge work. They have also helped Jay in their apprentice work, teaching them skills and knowledge that has helped themselves. They have been producing some absolutely stunning work and we couldn’t be more proud of them. From the new year in 2024, Gemma will no longer be our resident junior piercer, but instead will be another one of our piercers leading the studio.

A Micro dermal piercing on the chest area as part of Gemma’s training.

Not only this, but Gemma had a very exciting 2023, especially in the summer. After the UKAPP conference in 2022, Aiden, Breo and a few other piercers had encouraged Gemma to apply for the 2023 Las Vegas Scholarship for the annual APP conference. And of course, without a doubt she absolutely nailed her application and interview process and got awarded the Legacy Scholarship. So off she went to America, by herself, to yet again further and better her skills and knowledge in her career. She came back so full of energy, confidence, and a new found feeling of trust in herself that was absolutely amazing to watch. I hope she is as proud of herself and how far she has come in the past two years, as we are. She also volunteered to work alongside Hika and vendor for Queen of The Ashes Jewellery at the UKAPP conference.

Kat!

Kat is our dedicated jewellery specialist at work. They could recite the entire catalogue of BVLA and their gem list and options if you asked. They are definitely a special addition of the Rogue team. Kat works extensively with clients to build and create custom orders for jewellery, as well as curations that are fitting for the client, both aesthetically and financially. Thanks to Kat, our jewellery cabinets are always full of brand new shiny pieces for our clients to choose from, but it is a struggle to keep the team from buying everything. We can collectively agree Kat has some brilliant taste.

A gorgeous long term creation Kat has extensively worked over.

For the second year in a row, Kat taught a class at UKAPP all about Wound Healing Dynamics. Being the resident scientist in the studio, it was only fitting to use their knowledge and teach it to those who create wounds day in and day our in their careers. It’s beneficial all around!

And while we’re mentioning Kat being our resident scientist, can we all just say a massive congratulations! Last September, Kat went back to university to study and complete their Masters degree in Microbiology and Immunology. They officially graduated two weeks ago, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. While Kat isn’t a piercer, they extensively work with clients and piercers day in and day out through troubleshooting, jewellery management, and jewellery installations. They decided to help further their education and knowledge in the piercing industry to benefit both piercers and clients, and anybody else that may deal with piercings on a regular basis. The entire community is grateful for their tireless work.

Jay!

Jay is our apprentice at the studio! They are the loud and colourful, pink loving chaos gremlin who will be blasting System Of a Down at 9:30am in the morning as soon as you walk into the door. In November Jay hit a massive milestone here at Rogue, and over the next 10 months will be working through their third and final year of their apprenticeship at Rogue. From the new year Jay will be moving up into and offering apprentice rate piercings on large gauge and intimate piercings, as well as microdermals and surface work.

As part of their training, Jay added a second (but more correctly placed) septum piercing.

2023 has been exciting for Jay. They have volunteered and worked with two different vendors at two different conferences. First they worked with Inari Organics at the Manchester Trade Show, and then Queen Of The Ashes Jewellery at the UKAPP in Manchester too! Alongside this, they travelled outside of the UK for the first time to head to Berlin for the BMXNet conference! They took every single class they possibly could, and was very excited to put their certificate on the wall when they arrived back. Hopefully 2024 will bring a lot more travel and fun for Jay!

So all in all, 2023 has been a hectic but amazing year for all of the Rogues, and I haven’t even touched on some of the stuff they’ve been up to. However, we can say we are proud of every single one of them, and we’re really excited to see what they bring in 2024.

We also want to extend many thank yous to you guys, our clients. Without you Rogue wouldn’t be able to run. We wouldn’t be able to do the beautiful work we do, or go to conferences. Our apprentice and junior wouldn’t have been able to progress either. Everything we do, we can only do with your amazing support. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, and have a happy new year! Here’s to 2024!

Christmas Rogues

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Piercing Emergencies and What To Do!

There are very few things in the world of piercing that constitute a genuine piercing emergency, but plenty of things that can happen that might be a touch stressful! In this blog we will be going over the most common ‘urgent’ issues that you might have, and what to do whilst waiting for your appointment at a trusted piercing studio.

Piercing Emergency: Losing Jewellery

Our jewellery is high quality, implant-grade, and very secure! However, the universe leans towards entropy wherever possible, and so your jewellery may loosen over time. Picture it: You wake up in the morning, reach up and feel an empty space where your jewellery used to be. You wash your face and hear that classic tink-tink-tink of a metal ball hitting the floor. Dang! What do you do?

  1. Don’t panic! Losing jewellery happens to everyone, even piercers. What matters most is what you do in the next ten minutes once you notice your jewellery is gone.
  2. Check your body. Take a look at your piercing – Is the post still in place? If so, excellent!
  3. Find it! Body jewellery is tiny, so grab your phone torch and have a really good hunt around. The phone torch will be super helpful as quality jewellery is super shiny! If you can’t find it by hand, don’t stress. Grab a pair of tights or a sock and place them over the neck of your vacuum cleaner. Run your vacuum over the room where your jewellery has gone, and you should pick it up!
  4. Clean it. Obviously, you cannot sterilise jewellery at home, but you also cannot reinstall jewellery that’s got floor on it! If possible, clean your jewellery with an alcohol wipe before putting it back in. If you don’t have anything else to hand, wash with antibacterial soap and water.
  5. Reinsert it as best you can. If you feel confident, you can put the jewellery back in! Screw the ball on, or push in the threadless end, and you’re all put back together. If you struggle to reinsert the jewellery, then sometimes the easiest thing to do is to just put the post in backwards so you can see what you are doing.
  6. Come and see us. If you don’t feel confident getting it back in perfectly, don’t stress. The most important thing to do is keep the piercing channel open. If you find it easier to put the labret post in from the front, then do that. Pop a little piece of micropore tape over it to keep it in, and pop in and see your piercer as soon as you can so that we can reinstall your jewellery perfectly!

Overswelling

It happens! Quality piercers will assess your anatomy and estimate how much extra length your new piercing will need to swell, but bodies can be unpredictable. Here’s what to do if you notice you are experiencing an overswelling piercing emergency.

  1. Don’t panic! See a theme here? It’s most important that you remain relaxed – Every piercing problem can be fixed easily.
  2. Assess what happened. Is your piercing fresh? Is it healed? Has it been downsized? What caused the swell?
  3. Assess your jewellery. Does it still have space on it? Is it sinking in at all? If there is still space on the bar, then fear not. You still have room to swell, and swelling doesn’t last forever. If you notice the jewellery is sinking in at all, then keep reading.
  4. Cool it down. A cold-pack wrapped in clean, disposable paper towels can be applied near to the piercing. We don’t recommend smushing the piercing directly, but applying a cool pack to your temple or neck can really soothe any ear piercings and diminish your swelling. If you know that you are safe to do so, now might be a good time to consider an anti-inflammatory such as Ibuprofen. Always speak to your primary care doctor before taking medications if you are unsure.
  5. Stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause you to retain water, making swelling prolonged and excessive. Keep your fluid intake up!
  6. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol makes you swell more – Don’t drink if you are swollen!
  7. See your piercer. If your jewellery is too tight, this can cause more swelling and serious discomfort. The best thing to do is book a checkup with your piercer as soon as you can, so that they can install longer jewellery that allows breathing room for your swelling.
  8. Take it back to basics. In short, keep your piercing clean, keep it dry, and leave it alone!
  9. Get a downsize. Once your swelling has come back down, please come back and have your jewellery downsized again! Wearing oversized jewellery is a common cause of… you guessed it… swelling. Don’t get caught in that wicked cycle!
All jewellery needs a little room for swelling.

Healing Shut

If you have removed your jewellery for a period of time, then there is a chance that your body will have begun the process of shrinking down the piercing channel and healing it up. Our bodies are incredible healing machines! We are often asked, ‘How long before I can take my piercings out and they won’t heal up?’ This is an excellent question. The answer is… Never!

A good analogy is this. Imagine you wear braces. You look after your teeth, your teeth shift into a perfect position, and then you take your braces off. When do you stop wearing your retainer? Never! That is because your retainer is the only thing keeping your teeth in alignment. And it is the same for piercings. Your jewellery is your braces – Without them, your body will always try and heal your piercings.

However, for whatever reason, you have taken your jewellery out and now you can’t get it back in! What do you do to solve this piercing emergency?

  1. Don’t panic! We should definitely make t-shirts with this written on them! Stay calm, and don’t google it…
  2. Don’t force it. The most common cause of issues we see is when people panic, and force their jewellery back into a closed piercing without taking their time. If your piercing cannot be reopened with minimal pressure, then do not keep pushing.
  3. Take a warm shower. The first thing you need to do is soften and relax your skin. A hot, steamy shower is the best way to do this.
  4. Get lubed up. Apply a small amount of water-based lubricant to your jewellery – No lube, no love!
  5. Be gentle and consistent. Apply a gentle amount of pressure with your jewellery – Just enough to get things started. Be gentle and consistent, and your jewellery should slowly slide back into place.
  6. Know when to call it a day. If, after all of this, you still can’t get your piercing reopened, then do not spend the next 45 minutes getting into a flap and causing more damage. If you can’t get it back in after 10 minutes, then it is simply not going to happen. Take a break.
  7. Come and see your piercer. If you can’t get your jewellery back in, then the best thing you can do is book in to see your piercer! We can use tools and skill to gently taper your piercings back open. You would be surprised at how many piercings we have rescued that their owners thought were a lost cause!
Double Lobe Piercings

Help – I can’t get my jewellery out!

Picture this – You have an MRI coming up, a surgery, school, or an important event. You need to take out your piercing! But you just can’t figure it out. What do you do in this piercing emergency?

The first thing to do is to understand your jewellery. If you are trying to unscrew a threadless end, you might be there for some time… Click HERE to find guides for all of the styles of jewellery that we offer.

Tips and Tricks for Threaded Jewellery

Threaded jewellery is the style that screws together. This can be a little fiddly to work with!

  1. Clean your hands and the jewellery. Removing any oils or buildup from your hands and the jewellery will increase your friction and help you to crack that initial unscrew!
  2. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. Your jewellery unscrews in the same orientation as any screw-top bottle. Imagine you are holding a milk bottle. Your jewellery unscrews the same way!
  3. Wear gloves. If you are seriously struggling, a set of nitrile or latex gloves will seriously increase the twisting power. And if you are really in trouble, wear two sets of gloves. Double gloving doubles your torque and can help you to crack even the most stubborn of balls.

Tips and Tricks for Threadless Jewellery

Push-fit jewellery is often seen as the easiest style to remove yourself at home. Still, it’s pretty fiddly stuff!

  1. Clean your hands and the jewellery. Like with threaded jewellery, clean hands and jewellery will improve your grip!
  2. Lose the nails. Long nails can make removing threadless jewellery a pain – Get some hands involved that have relatively normal nails. A little bit of nail can help grip snug-fitted jewellery though so there is a midground to be found.
  3. Grip both ends. Get a firm grip on both the labret disc and the threadless end. You can use a set of tweezers if the disc is in a tricky spot like a nostril or forward helix.
  4. Give a little wiggle. A gentle rocking wiggle can help crack that first little movement. It helps, we promise!
  5. Gentle pull apart. Once you have a little motion, then gently pull your threadless end off.

Tips and Tricks for Seam Rings and BCRs

How you remove BCRs and Seam Rings really depends on your end goal. Do you just want to swap the jewellery? Do you want to preserve the piece, or are you happy for it to go in the bin afterwards?

  1. Clean your hands and the jewellery. Again, we need this on a poster don’t we!
  2. Find the seam. This is easy on a BCR – The clip-in will be the seam point. It’s a little trickier on a seam ring, but find that tiny join.
  3. Bend into a spiral, not a pringle! If you can, just flex your BCR sideways until the ball pops out. For seam rings, open them out into a spiral if you can.
  4. If all else fails… You can use a set of nail scissors or jewellery pliers. Put the jaws of your tools into the middle of the ring and open them so that the jewellery folds open. This is a last-ditch move as you will irreperably damage the ring and need to throw it away.

Genuine Piercing Emergency

Although incredibly rare, there are some things that we would consider a genuine piercing emergency. The main things that we would consider an emergency are:

  1. An infection.
  2. Tongue piercing embedding.

Infections are incredibly rare. When following appropriate aftercare, and keeping yourself, your hands, and your piercing clean, then the chances of getting a bacterial infection are almost zilch! That being said, a genuine infection is a piercing emergency. Do not skip go, do not collect £200, go straight to urgent care for antibiotics. There is little your piercer can go to treat an infection – We are not doctors! The most important thing to do is assess if you have a true infection, which you can read a little more about here.

And finally, another true piercing emergency is any issues you may have with tongue piercings. Tongue piercings are generally super easy healers, with a full heal in just 4-6 weeks. However any issues you may have in the first week can very easily become more serious, so please keep an eye on your piercings! If you notice that your jewellery is too tight, please book an appointment with your piercer for longer jewellery. Do not put it off – This is an emergency that we would even recommend calling out of work for if necessary.

Conclusion.

So there you have it! A plethora of information about the most common piercing emergencies and what you can do about them both at home and in the studio.

If you have any issues with your piercings, do not hesitate to get in touch. You can contact us over the phone, via instagram, via email, and you can always book in for an in-person consultation or checkup.

We will see you again next Friday for our next blog! Follow us on instagram to stay up to date with our latest work and announcements.

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Piercings and Pregnancy

Becoming pregnant is probably one of the most exciting and daunting things you can do! Not only is it mentally intense, but physically it can take a toll on your body. So why should you think about piercing while pregnant? You might not even be thinking about your piercings, but read this blog and find out what to expect when you’re expecting as a pierced person!

Can I Get Pierced Whilst Pregnant?

The short answer is no! Absolutely not, with no exceptions! The longer answer is…

As you probably know, your growing foetus will be sharing everything with you – Your oxygen, your nutrients, and any bacteria or infections you may have. This means that there is a risk of transferring bacteria to your baby if you receive a piercing during your pregnancy.

This risk is small, especially when you are receiving high quality piercings from a safe studio such as Rogue, however this is not a risk we would ever want to take when there is a tiny human life involved! Not only is it a morally grey area, but no insurance policies in the UK will cover the piercing of a pregnant person, and no piercing licenses allow it either. It is simply not worth it.

Can I Get Pierced Whilst Breastfeeding?

Again, the best option is to avoid it. The chances of passing infections through breastmilk is pretty low but not impossible! Most licensing councils will not allow piercing studios to pierce people who are breastfeeding simply to turn this risk from small to zero.

The main reason that we do not want to pierce pregnant or breastfeeding people is because your body is already under a huge amount of strain! Whilst pregnant, you are growing an entirely new person! And when breastfeeding, you are probably going to be tired, sleep deprived, and physically drained. Your tiny new person is going to be taking up a large part of your time and brain-space, and it is always best to be able to focus on the new kid on the block as opposed to having to care for a new piercing.

We are open all year round, seven days a week. We will definitely still be here when your little one is weaned and you can sleep through the night!

Pregnancy and Your Existing Piercings

Something that few people consider is that your existing piercings might get a bit grumpy when you are pregnant! The reason for that is…

HORMONES.

Hormones play a huge role our bodies. From dictating when we wake up and fall to sleep, to our menstrual cycles, to our stress responses! Unsurprisingly, our hormones go absolutely nuts when we are pregnant.

The main hormone that will affect wound healing during pregnancy is oestrogen, or estrogen if you are a terrible American. Pregnancy causes oestrogen levels to skyrocket, which can negatively affect your natural wound healing process. This means that any minor knock, bump or snag to your piercings that under normal circumstances you may not even notice, can cause irritation!

Your immune system in general is dampened during pregnancy, meaning that you might experience irritation and general ‘grumpiness’ of your existing piercing while pregnant during those months. If you are experiencing this, definitely book a checkup appointment so that we can assess your piercings, and help you to make them as comfortable and happy as possible.

Navel and Nipple Piercings

Another really common question we get is: Can I wear a pregnancy navel bar and avoid having to take it out? Should I get nipple piercings if I am planning on breastfeeding later down the line? Will nipple piercings stop me from being able to breastfeed?

Lets answer these questions one by one!

Pregnancy Navel Bars

You can buy them pretty much anywhere. Extra long, often soft and flexible plastic barbells that will keep your navel piercing while pregnant open as your body expands. They are often a terrible idea for a few different reasons!

Firstly, we have covered the topic of plastic body jewellery time and time again on our blog. In short, there are no safe plastic jewellery options available on the market. Plastics are unsafe, can release toxic chemicals when exposed to heat and moisture, and can cause serious irritation to your piercing.

Secondly, it is never a good idea to wear jewellery in a piercing that is going to be placed under a huge amount of stress and expansion. As your pregnancy continues, the skin will stretch. Wearing jewellery in your piercing during this time will put a lot of pressure on the piercing channel, and seriously increases your risk of rejection or tissue splitting. Even if your piercing remains relatively healthy, there is a very high chance that it will be left very thin, fragile, and most likely off-centre or crooked in some way.

The best step to take is to remove your piercing in the early stages of pregnancy, and wait until you have finished breastfeeding. At this stage, you will be nice and ready to be repierced and have a beautiful, well-placed navel piercing!

Nipple Piercing While Pregnant and Breastfeeding

We cover this topic briefly in our Nipple Piercings 101 blog, however lets go deeper today!

Can I breastfeed if I have had nipple piercings? The answer is of course, yes! You can definitely still breastfeed if you have had nipple piercings. The common myth is that nipple piercings will damage your milk ducts, but this is simply untrue. You have hundreds of microscopic pores for milk to be expressed from, and a nipple piercing will only impact on a handful. You will still be able to breastfeed completely as normal.

That being said, should you breastfeed with jewellery? The answer is no, definitely not. Nipple barbells pose a significant risk to your infant. Not only are they a choking hazard and can damage your infants mouth, but having jewellery in the way might stress your infant out and discourage them from latching correctly. We always recommend removing jewellery during the breastfeeding process.

So do you have to retire your nipple piercings entirely during breastfeeding? Generally, yes… Hypothetically, you could definitely remove and reinsert your nipple jewellery every few hours for feeding time, but this is probably not going to be at the top of your list with a newborn baby in the house! Having spoken with breastfeeding parents before, the nipple can become chapped, irritated and very sore. Fiddling with nipple jewellery sounds like an added problem that I would not personally want to deal with…

So yes, we probably recommend retiring your nipple piercings and having them reopened or repierced once you have finished breastfeeding.

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Genital Piercings

Less commonly, we are asked by parents with intimate piercings what the jazz is – Are they ok to be left in? Will my Obstetrician be ok with them? Will I be judged for having intimate piercings? What do I do with my intimate piercing while pregnant?

It’s a tricky question to answer, and depends a lot on the intimate piercing in question. Most intimate piercings are totally fine to be left in place for your pregnancy, however some may pose a problem when it comes to delivery. Most piercings in the area such as Christina piercings, VCH and HCH piercings, and outer labia piercings, will not cause any issues during pregnancy. However, be prepared to answer innocent and/or curious questions from your Obs and Gyns team! It’s always best to mention the piercings beforehand, and have some jokes or one-liners prepped to make the process more entertaining.

In general, we would recommend removing inner labia piercings, fourchette piercings, and Princess Albertina piercings well in advance of your due date. These are the piercings that are closest to the vaginal canal, and are the piercings that are most likely going to get ‘in the way’ during the delivery! Given the huge physical demands of childbirth, your vulva and vaginal canal are going to be rearranged in ways that are a little intense, and having jewellery in place could increase risk of tearing. In addition, if you have to undergo any interventional procedures such as an episiotomy, your fourchette piercings and other vaginal-canal-adjacent piercings will need to be removed to allow the delivery procedure to continue.

The most important thing however, is to seek medical opinion. Depending on your piercings, and your birth plan, your team may recommend total removal of all piercings. It is better to know in advance as opposed to being surprised on the day!

Conclusions

So there you have it! A pretty good overview of what to expect from piercing while pregnant. Most of all, if you are pregnant and reading this, congratulations!

We hope this has helped you make informed decisions about your body, your piercings, and your pregnancy. It’s a big change for anyone, whether it is your first child or your fourth! If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via email, or through our professional Instagram page.

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Neilmed: Piercing Aftercare

If you have ever been pierced at Rogue, or had your piercings troubleshooted, or even just asked for some help for your aftercare you may have noticed that we highly recommend Neilmed. But who are they and why do we recommend them so highly?

Who or what are they?

Neilmed Piercing Aftercare is a product from Neilmed Pharmaceuticals. You may have seen or recognise their other products from your local pharmacy, such as their Sinus Rinse Kits. After the company was founded in 2000 it wasn’t long before they became the largest manafacturer of saline nasal irrigation systems in the world, and that was when they realised they could make an easy and logical transition into the piercing world.

They realised there was a small gap in the market shining for a high quality product that helped make that cleaning process much smoother and easier for everyone involved. So they began talking to the professional piercing industry, and collaborated together to create their shining new product: Neilmed Piercing aftercare – FINE MIST.

They are also located in over 40 countries, from the UK to Hong Kong, or from Jersey to Finland, you can find Neilmed all over the world.

Why is their product so recommended to clients?

Neilmeds piercing aftercare is a highly recommended and sought after product for a vast variety of reasons.

  1. It’s sterile: Neilmed uses a ‘Bag-On-Valve’ technology which ensures your product stays sterile once opened and used. The solution itself is stored inside of a bag (in the can) which is directly attached to the nozzle to spray out. This means that when you use pressure to spray it onto your piercings (like a deodorant can), any air or bacteria entering the can, cannot mix with solution. This further means you are not spraying any potential dirt or harmful bacteria onto or into your healing piercings throughout the entire cleaning process.
  2. Quality and Recommended Ingredients: The piercing solution is made of two ingredients. Pharmaceutical grade water, and sodium chloride. Pharmaceutical grade water means the water used has no added substances and meets all the required testing for purified water. Sodium chloride is more commonly known as salt. And that is it, there is no added chemicals, or substances that may cause harm to the body. The reason it is difficult to home make salt solution though (despite being able to make and keep it sterile) is because it is incredibly hard to mix the right amount of each product to be beneficial. Too much salt can dry out the skin and cause flakiness and irritation. Too much water can cause excessive moisture, which can cause those pesky red and wet looking irritation bumps. Manufacturers have all the right equipment to ensure the product is perfect.
  3. Easy To Use: The bottle comes with a fine mist spray tip. This helps create a gentle stream of the solution from the bottle to the piercing. The fine mist allows a much more controlled and quicker way to directly clean your piercings. The bottle is also able to spray in any position, including upside down, which can make it easier to reach those trickier placements.
  4. PH Friendly: At Rogue we offer and perform many intimate piercings for our clients. This means we needed to be able to offer a product that was safe to use in those intimate places, especially four our clients with Vulvas (which are much more sensitive to products). Neilmed saline solution is very safe to spray onto any new piercing, including those in much more hidden places.
  5. Available in two sizes: The Neilmed saline fine mist is available in both 75mm and 177ml. The 75ml version was released in 2016, which allowed for clients to clean their piercings effectively while travelling without breaking their regime or changing products.

So why do piercers like Neilmed?

Over the years, there have been hundreds of different piercing aftercare products, from sprays to soaps, to natural herbal products, homemade salt solutions, lotions and potions. You name it, it’s been done. So why do we find Neilmed so important? Surely they’re not the only sterile saline solution on the market?

And that’s true. There are other reputable brands that we can also recommend, Neilmed however have a close relationship with their clients (us, the piercers), and they take the time out to listen to us.

Even from entering the piercing aftercare market, they have consistently made sure they had the best product available and that the quality remained high. They listened to consumer demands and shortly after releasing the fine mist spray, they came out with a full stream version which allowed that classic ‘full on’ application to clean your piercings. They persistently emphasise their commitment by listening to consumer feedback. Any problems, questions, concerns or idea are listened to and taken on board with immediate changes and improvements when needed.

As stated previously, they also released a smaller version of their product in 2016 which benefitted both client and piercer, followed by a brand new item in 2023: The Neilmed Sterile Saline Wipes. Piercers use saline wipes on a daily basis to help manage clean and pierce their clients. Having easier access to a higher quality product that has shown consistent loyalty to their clients was definitely appreciated.

Neilmed have also been frequent visitors and vendors at piercing conferences across the world. They make the annual trip every year to help support piercers during their education times and also take part in each conferences raffle. This year at the UKAPP conference they donated 2x full cases of their saline solution.

Their team of staff are also wonderful. They consistently go out of their way to be friendly and go above and beyond for their clients. The UK representative, Damien, is constantly in touch with his clients and establish and maintains good relationships with piercers both professionally and as friends. This year both him and his team member Terri were absolutely wonderful at the UKAPP conference, and even got some piercers together for a fun evening of karaoke. It’s small acts like this that makes Neilmed not just a great product, but a great business to work with.

So why should you care?

Overall, Neilmed is one of the greatest companies that piercers have ever worked with. They have repeatedly shown consistence with their products, as well as commitment and loyalty to their clients. Neilmed made changes in the world of piercing aftercare to benefit piercers and piercers clients (you!) Their piercing aftercare is truly one of the greatest aftercare products on the market while also being super affordable. Simply, we do not believe that you can get better.

I would also like to extend a thank you personally to Damien, the UK Neilmed Representative. You have have been an absolute pleasure to work with, talk to, and sing karaoke with. You always go above and beyond for all of us piercers across the UK, and further. You are truly a gem to both Neilmed and professional piercers.