FAQ on Surface piercings

performed by Tribal Voice Body Piercing Studio, Plymouth, Devon

This page is designed to inform the reader of the wide range of piercings offered at Tribal Voice in Plymouth, location of specific piercings, what gauge and jewellery is used during the procedure, aftercare advice and a few “did you know” historical piercing facts. Due to the vast variety of piercing placements we have broken the piercings into 4 easy categories:

All the individual piercings listed have an aftercare section and will refer to the sea/rock salt solution that we recommend to use to clean your new piercing. Please read the following which gives more detail regarding this solution and why we recommend it:

The Body Piercer at Tribal Voice will explain to you in detail how to look after your piercing once you leave the studio.
We recommend that you use Sea/Rock Salt and hot water solution twice a day with a cotton bud around the piercing. Sea or Rock salt can be purchased from any supermarkets. When making the salt solution make sure you boil the water and allow it to cool down before using it on your piercing and use a quarter tea spoon of sea salt to half a pint of boiling water. We recommend this solution to clean your piercing with as it is a very natural solution and contains no chemicals. We do not recommend using any other solution than this due to the strength of chemicals in others such as TCP, Tea Tree Oil or Savalon. Your piercing is a small puncture in your skin and your body will react to this and heal the piercing appropriately; you only need to ensure that your piercing is clean and left alone to heal, your body will do the rest! Once you have left the studio it is your responsibility to look after you’re piercing and important that you follow the aftercare advice.

The Following is a list of Surface Piercings offered at Tribal Voice in Plymouth. The List is not extensive and reflects the most common Surface Piercings we come across. We have a saying here at Tribal Voice “If you can pinch it, we can pierce it” and this is very true and relative to Surface Piercings, they are commonly on the neck, chest, stomach, hips and pubic area. One of our own Piercer’s Hayley Pell recently experimented with Surface Piercings by getting her ankle pierced! It looked fantastic and goes to show you can have a Surface Piercing anywhere.
The only downside to Surface Piercing is that they can take a long tome to heal, at least 6-9 months, some even taking as long as a year. Depending on the individual will depend on the piercing migrating and unfortunately it is not uncommon for a surface piercing to migrate after a while.

Pendant
Nape
Naval
Anti Naval
Wrist
Pubic

PENDANT-(Madison)
Location: Pierced horizontally on the loose folds of skin just above the collarbone, giving the effect of a pendant without the necklace.
Gauge & Jewellery: 1.6m needle and a 1.6 Staple Bar (The length of the staple bar will depend on each individual and is best to mark the piercing and measure before choosing the length)
Healing Time: 6-9 Months
Aftercare: Using the sea/rock salt solution twice a day with a cotton bud.

NAPE-(Oblongata)
Location: The back of the neck in the loose flesh between the shoulders and the head. The Nape is usually a horizontal placement.
Gauge & Jewellery: 1.6m needle and a 1.6 Staple Bar (The length of the staple bar will depend on each individual and is best to mark the piercing and measure before choosing the length)
Healing Time: 6-9 Months
Aftercare: Using the sea/rock salt solution twice a day with a cotton bud.

NAVAL & ANTI-NAVAL
Location: The Naval piercing is located just above the Naval. The top ball of the banana bar will sit just above the Naval and the larger ball of the bar will sit just inside the naval giving the effect of a Jewel in the belly button. This is a very popular piercing, especially with young teenage girls and here at Tribal Voice we ask that if under the age of 16 you bring a parent or legal guardian with you to give their consent. It happens very often that we have to turn young girls away and is very disappointing for us both when we have to refuse to do a piercing because of this.
The Anti-Naval is located at the bottom of the belly button where again the larger jewel sits onside the belly button but the smaller ball sits just below.
Gauge & Jewellery: 1.6m needle and a 1.6x12 Banana Bar
Healing Time: 6-9 Months
Aftercare: Using the sea/rock salt solution twice a day with a cotton bud. Loose belts and clothing is recommended in the initial healing stage of this piercing.

Did you know?
Evidence of naval piercing was found in the remains of the mummified Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton who died in 1400BC.
The piercing of the naval in Egyptian and Inca cultures was regarded as having spiritual significance and was reserved for only the elite members of their societies.
Aztec princesses had their navels pierced as a sign of royal status and for the Egyptian royalty it was an essential requirement for their most important rite of passage as it protected the wearer during the journey between this life and the next.
A Supermodel called Christine Turlington bared her new naval ring in the 1980’s on the catwalk of a London fashion show and a day later Naomi Campbell bared the same, it was thought that this was the significant event by which Naval piercing really came into the limelight. Madonna, Cher, Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera quickly followed suit and now Naval piercing is one of the most popular and feminine piercings to date.

WRIST
Location: On the upper side of the wrist, pierced horizontally.
Gauge & Jewellery: 1.6m needle and a 1.6 Staple Bar (The length of the staple bar will depend on each individual and is best to mark the piercing and measure before choosing the length)
Healing Time: 6-9 Months
Aftercare: Using the sea/rock salt solution twice a day with a cotton bud.

PUBIC
Location: This is not a genital piercing and can be placed anywhere within the pubic area just below the stomach and above the genitals.
It is quite popular to have a vertical piercing in the centre of the area and advised that you shave this area before getting the piercing.
Gauge & Jewellery: 1.6m needle and a 1.6 Staple Bar (The length of the staple bar will depend on each individual and is best to mark the piercing and measure before choosing the length)
Healing Time: 6-9 Months
Aftercare: Using the sea/rock salt solution twice a day with a cotton bud.

If you have a specific question you would like to ask please email: piercings@tribalvoice.co.uk

Please note if the question is already answered on the website we most likely will not reply.