Body Piercer

Body piercers use needles or piercing guns to pierce different parts of the client’s body. They then insert metal jewellery as a decoration. The most common part to pierce is the ear lobe, but body piercers also pierce ear cartilage, noses, eyebrows, lips, tongues and other body parts.

The Work

You could be:

• discussing the particular piercing with the client: for example the risks involved in piercing cartilage, or in piercing parts of the mouth


• getting the client to show ID and to fill in a consent form covering health problems


• advising on types of metals, for example non-toxic metals like surgical steel, 14 carat gold, titanium, or niobium


• sterilising the piece of jewellery, cleaning the body part with germicidal soap, removing a new hollow cannula needle from the packaging and puncturing the skin and, if necessary, the cartilage


• alternatively, using a piercing gun, although the British Body Piercing Association (BBPA) opposes their use except on earlobes


• inserting a piece of jewellery as wide as the needle into the piercing


• carefully disposing of the needle in a special container


• showing the client how to help the piercing to heal correctly and what to do if there is a problem.

Conditions

• You work in a studio which might be part of a beauty salon.


• You wear latex gloves and keep your equipment in sterile conditions.


• You might have to work Saturdays and some evenings.
• You are recommended to get immunisation against Hepatitis B.
• You may have to pay to take out public liability insurance.

Getting In

• You do not need formal qualifications.
• The most common way in is by doing a training lasting from one to three years.
• It can be difficult to find a suitable training with a registered body piercer.
• You must learn about health and safety issues such as sterilisation, cross-contamination, the risk to circulatory and nervous systems and the risk of studs embedding in the swollen flesh.
• After your training you might have to agree not to set up within a certain distance of the studio where you learned the trade.


• Some private studios run courses in body piercing lasting a few days, but these do not fully train you.
• Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Level 2 in Beauty Therapy includes units on earlobe piercing.
• The Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) Level 2 Certificate in Ear Piercing is an alternative qualification.
• You should register with the local environmental health department which will carry out regular inspections of your premises and equipment.
• You need good eyesight.

What Does It Take?

You need:

• good hand to eye coordination


• a good awareness of health and safety issues


• very high standards of hygiene


• a responsible attitude – to turn away a client who appears underage or who has doubts


• good communication skills


• a calm, reassuring approach – for clients who are nervous or in pain


• business skills


• care and attention to detail.

Training

• Training with a registered body piercer lasts 1-3 years.
• Check that any courses you are considering are recognised by the industry.
• During your training you might get a salary or you might get only travelling expenses.

Getting On

• Success will depend on the location of your studio and the reputation you build up by word of mouth.


• For full recognition you should register with an appropriate professional body, such as the Association of Professional Piercers.


• Since April 2006 body piercing businesses in Scotland must be licensed by their local authority.

Pay

Actual income varies widely, depending on:

• where you work


• the amount of competition in the area


• the hours you work.

More Information

There are about 200 body piercing businesses in Scotland. Some are based in salons, shops or studios, others are run from homes or provide a mobile service.

Young people under 16 can only have body piercing if they have a parent with them who will give their written consent to the piercing.

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.