The practice of piercing a part of the human body to insert pieces of jewelry is as old as humanity itself. These piercings are a form of body modification that reflects both cultural and spiritual values. In other words, people are able to express their sense of fashion, eroticism, personal tastes, and identification with a variety of subcultures through their body piercings.

While throughout Western history, women have traditionally been the bearers of ornamental piercings ( typically the lobes of both ears), in a variety of cultures from around the world, both sexes have chosen to pierce a wide number of body parts.

Today we are going to dig a bit deeper into the world of ornamental body piercing. Read on below if you are at all interested.

History of Body Piercings

The origins of ornamental body piercing date back many centuries. Various ancient cultures across the world began promoting body piercing as a rite of passage or as a sign of belonging.

Eskimos, for example, began piercing their bodies using ornamental lip plugs, called Labrets, to indicate the transition from child to fully integrated adult. Once a boy got his labrets, for example, he was expected to go on hunting expeditions with his elders.

The Mursi and Maasai tribes of Africa have also practiced ornamental body piercing and body modification for a very long time. This practice can be seen in the way that the tribe’s females alter their lips with large plates and elongate their earlobes by weighing them down with large metal reels.

The ancient Maya Indians habitually pierced their lips, noses, and ears with the most expensive jewelry they could afford to highlight their wealth, rank, and maturity.

Modern Body Piercing – The Process

In most modern cities, you will find a plethora of places where one can get a body piercing. From tattoo parlors to shopping centers, you can pretty much find someone to pierce any body part you can imagine with a simple Google search.

These days, piercing your body is very different from the ritualistic piercings of yore. Here is what the process is like in modernity.

Most places will use some type of local anesthesia when performing a piercing. There are many options, from ice to liquid sprays, such as benzocaine. However, in most cases, these are topical products that only numb on a surface level, which means that most people will experience moderate discomfort when getting a body part pierced.

Taking aspirin or any other pain reliever prior to a piercing can be dangerous, especially if the person getting pierced has a blood clotting disorder, so keep that in mind. Generally speaking, getting pierced does not hurt excessively, but if you are squeamish, it is something to consider.

Another important thing to consider is the material that is going to be inserted. Whatever piece of jewelry you choose, it must be sterilized to prevent infection. The preferred materials are titanium, surgical steel, or 14 to 18-carat gold.

Whoever performs any type of body piercing must wear surgical gloves at all times, and should not handle material that has not been previously sterilized. Likewise, they should never smoke during the piercing process. The skin near the site must be cleaned and disinfected before the piercing.

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