The following information was prepared as part of an educational seminar given by Lori St.Leone at
the Royal Darwin Hospital, teaching doctors and nurses basic body piercing troubleshooting information. This document is
in regards to inserting and removing body jewellery and the proper use of the tools involved - and yes, while it was
inspired by the APP's very brief nod to it in one of their informational brochures, it goes into much greater detail.
Copyright of all contents of this website is maintained by Lori St. Leone and Vogue Body Piercing
Pty Ltd - do not print, copy, or distribute in whole or in part without prior written approval. Linking directly to this page is allowed;
please do not imbed this page within your own website.
Body jewellery removal
There are several commonly used styles of body jewellery and many variations on those styles, but removing and inserting
body jewellery is easy once you understand how the designs work. Before removing jewellery from a piercing, clean any
dried matter off the jewellery with saline and cotton buds/q-tips or gauze, so as not to drag it through the piercing
and causing discomfort to the wearer.
The first two styles we’ll discuss are the fixed bead ring (fig. A) and the captive bead ring/ball closure ring (CBR/BCR)
(fig. B).
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| Figure A – fixed bead ring | Figure B – CBR/BCR |
The fitted jewellery has a similar appearance, but the main difference between these two styles is the ball placement –
on a fixed bead ring, the ball is permanently attached to one side of the ring, whereas on a CBR/BCR the ball is held
securely between the two points of the ring using spring tension. Body jewellery of these types made by high-quality
manufacturers is annealed for ease of insertion and removal - yet another reason for end-users to stick to wearing
quality jewellery.
To open a fixed bead ring for removal, simply twist the ring open as pictured above. Attempting to “spread” the ring open
will seriously damage the jewellery and can be quite painful to the wearer if the piercing is irritated or sore. Grasp the
ring on each side of the bead, pull apart gently and one end will pop out of the bead. By pushing one end away from you
and pulling the other end toward you to open the ring like a spiral.
On a captive bead ring, the bead is held in by the tension of the ring. Grip the ring with one hand and with the other
hand hold the bead. Holding the ring securely so as not to twist it in the body, “pop” the bead out sideways with gentle
but firm pressure and the bead should snap out of the ring. Twist the ring a little (as in opening a fixed bead ring) and
rotate the jewellery out of the piercing.
Animations of the above process:
 
How to get the bead in
 
How to get the bead out
Finger pressure is generally more than enough for standard 14ga or smaller jewellery, but if removing a larger gauge or a
very small diameter ring, ring opening pliers/circlips (fig. C.) can be used to pop a bead in or out more easily. Surgical
steel ring opening pliers suitable for sterilization and reuse are readily available from piercing
suppliers and some medical supply companies. Inexpensive tools made from carbon steel are generally available at most
hardware stores, and while not sterilizable, are more than suitable for personal use if not shared. To use, hold the
pliers in your dominant hand (palm facing up, pliers across your palm) and hold the bead of the ring with your other hand.
Place the tips of the pliers just inside of the ring and gently squeeze on the handle to spread the jaws outward,
applying just enough pressure to pop the ball out (fig. D). Do NOT try to spread the ring open widely out of round, this
can be very painful to the wearer and will destroy the jewellery.
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| | Figure C – ring opening pliers | Figure D – ring opening pliers in use |
Threaded jewellery is also very common and worn in many different piercing placements, such as circular barbells (fig. E),
labret studs (fig. F) and barbells (fig. G).
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| | Figure E – circular barbell | Figure F – labret stud | Figure G - barbell |
All of these jewellery styles have threaded ends which can be unscrewed with a firm grip (fig. H). The wearing of fitted
latex exam gloves will greatly assist with properly gripping the jewellery to unscrew the end(s). The use of pliers or
forceps is unnecessary and will both damage the jewellery and increase chances of injuring the wearer. Like most threaded
objects, they tighten to the right (clockwise) and loosen to the left (counter-clockwise). One or both of the ends will
come unscrewed.
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| | Figure H – unscrewing the threaded ends of a circular barbell and barbell |
Occasionally, small press-fit (threadless) barbells are used in ear and facial piercings (fig. I). A small pin attached to
one end fits down into a hole in the post. To remove, firmly grasp each end (either by hand or with small haemostats) and
pull outwards. One end will come off. No “unscrewing” is necessary.
 | The removable end (C) has a slightly bent pin (B) which straightens out upon insertion into the shaft of the jewellery (A).
The resulting spring tension force holds the piece together very securely. Pull both ends apart to open, push together to
close. | |
Figure I – how threadless jewellery works |
| The most commonly worn style of jewellery in nostril piercing is a nostril screw (fig. J).
They have a decorative end that sits on the outside of the nostril with a straight shaft passing through the body, with a
90-degree angle just inside the nostril ending in a curve that sits securely against the mucosa. To remove a nostril screw, clean the inside of the piercing thoroughly to remove
crusted mucous from the jewellery. Lift the stud a few millimetres and lay it down alongside the nostril until you
encounter resistance (indicating the interior angle is at the exit point), then rotate the curve of the jewellery out
in the appropriate direction. To insert a nostril screw, just reverse the steps. | |
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Figure J – nostril screw | |
An animation of nostril screw removal.
Surface piercings should be done with appropriate surface bars (fig. K) and, as a rule, should not be removed by the end
wearer unless the piercing is to be retired, and it is strongly recommended to have removal performed by an experienced
professional body piercer. The jewellery ends unscrew much the same as other types of threaded jewellery mentioned above,
however, to minimise discomfort the skin must be firmly pinched up into a "tent"-shape to shorten the wearing distance of
the piercing, and the surface bar's angles moved through quickly and gently. Semi-permanent piercings such as microdermals
should not be removed by the end wearer at all if in a healed state (although the decorative ends may be changed), and
even rejecting or injured microdermals should be ideally removed by an experienced professional body piercer to reduce
trauma and eventual scarring.
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Figure K – surface bar
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