Some people do experience some degree of discomfort or pain during the procedure itself. The amount of discomfort or pain you feel is influenced not only by the location of the piercing but your state of mind. When performed by an experienced body piercer most piercings require only a few seconds to be performed, therefore the pain is minimised. Also, the needles being used are the sharpest needles available to minimise trauma to the piercing site. We do everything possible to make the experience as easy as possible.

DO YOU USE AN ANAESTHETIC?

No. We are not licensed to do so; only a physician can give an injectable anaesthetic. The piercing happens so quickly that it really isn’t necessary to get a needle for another needle, and the anaesthetic can often be more painful than the body piercing itself! Also, injectable anaesthetics may interfere with the placement of the body piercing because the anaesthetised tissue will immediately swell.

If you are still concerned about discomfort, there is a topical numbing cream available from chemists called EMLA. This can help to take the edge off the piercing. EMLA needs to be applied about 1 hour before the scheduled appointment, and the affected skin must be covered with an occlusive bandage such as glad wrap to allow it to work, and also to prevent the cream being rubbed off by clothing.

HOW OLD DO I HAVE TO BE TO GET PIERCED?

At age 16, you are able to get most facial and body piercings without an adult to sign for you. If you’re 15 or younger, some piercings may be performed with a legal guardian’s consent. They must be able to prove that they are legally responsible for you. EVERYONE is required to complete a disclaimer form prior to any body piercing procedure. It is your responsibility to inform us of any medical conditions which may be affected by the procedure.

The bottom line is ethics. We here at Vogue Body Piercing believe in providing the safest possible piercing experience to our clients. One thing we have discovered is that younger people have a tendency to not take the advice and suggestions of their piercers seriously. Because of this we have established the following policy:

We will not under any circumstance perform piercings (other than earlobes) for anyone under 13. Our cutoff age for navel piercings is 15 - if pierced while the body is still growing and developing, navel piercings in particular are extremely prone to extended healing, migration, and possible rejection. We want to give you an amazing piercing, not a problem!

We will pierce earlobes on children under 13, but will not pierce infants or very young children, full stop. We don't have a set minimum age, but it's usually advised to wait until the child is at least 5 or 6 years old. They must be maure enough to understand the procedure about to take place and the responsibility the piercing will entail. If the child, parent, and body piercer are still comfortable at this point we will proceed.

We will not under any circumstances perform nipple or genital piercings, scalpelling, dermal punching, or surface piercings on anyone under 18 years of age, for legal and ethical reasons.

Valid picture ID is required. For the parent it must be a government issued ID card. Minors do not always have one of these, however. In those cases we can accept a student body card, bus pass, or possibly a class photo or school yearbook as long as there is a picture verifying their identity. In conjunction to this we will need age verification such as a birth certificate, some medical insurance cards, Centrelink documentation, or school paper work.

The adult signing for the minor must be a legal guardian with proof of relationship. If the IDs have differing last names we will need additional paperwork verifying guardianship. Medicare cards, custody papers and legal name change documents are some good examples of this.

On 18th birthdays we'll do one piercing for half price!

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR THE BODY PIERCING?

Plenty of rest, a good meal an hour before your appointment and plenty of fluids (preferably water) is a great start. Avoid alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and blood thinning medication for 12 hours prior and 24 hours after getting body pierced (depending on the location of the body piercing). Don’t wear restrictive clothing for body piercings, and avoid makeup for a facial piercing.

The best advice we can give you is to relax and don't worry too much about the procedure. It's very normal to be a bit nervous before getting a piercing, but the anxiety is honestly the worst part!

ARE THE NEEDLES SINGLE USE?

Absolutely - the needles are still sterilised and individually sealed in the original manufacturer's packaging, and opened in front of you. Once used, the needle is disposed of in an approved sharps container. Also, all of the tools that are used are ultrasonically cleaned, individually packaged and autoclave sterilised as well. It is our goal to perform the most asaeptic piercing possible.

HOW DO I INSERT OR REMOVE MY BODY JEWELLERY?

We've created an entire page on the basic information about jewellery insertion and removal! So have a look and see if that helps answer your question. Of course, if you have any problems, come in and see us as soon as possible and we'll be more than happy to help you out.

ANY TIPS ON EAR STRETCHING? HOW DO I START?

We love our stretched earlobes very much, and we're sure you will too!
Here's some handy information about stretching piercings to get you started.