A second look at a piercing
Safe is where a piercing starts. Where it sits, and what it can carry, is the rest of the job.
Pierced anywhere, any time ago. If it has healed but sits at an angle, in a place that doesn’t suit the look, or can’t take the piece you want, bring it in. Twenty minutes with Tom or Kat, a plain answer, and the options with their prices before anything happens.
Can it be fixed?
The way to the piece you want comes down to one of these.
Change the piece. Some pieces suit an angle that others fight. If new jewellery is the fix, it goes in then.
Plan around it. Leave it where it is, and place what comes next so the ear reads as one thing.
Pierce it again. Take it out and pierce in the right place, in the same spot or just beside it.
We say which, and why. Sometimes the honest answer is that it is fine as it is.
Will it settle on its own?
We look at it and tell you plainly whether it will settle.
Can I just change the jewellery?
Often, yes. A piece from the case goes onto a post in a piercing you already have, as long as it is healed and the angle suits the piece. You hold it up to your ear in the mirror first. It is priced on the piece alone, and the $30 for the look comes off it.
Why won’t the piece I want sit right?
“Every piece has a line it wants to sit on. A ring follows the hole. If the hole runs at an angle, the ring hangs at that angle, and no ring will straighten it. A cluster or a shaped end wants the post to meet the skin square, so it sits flat; on an angle, one edge lifts. And a set of piercings only lines up if each was placed knowing about the others.”
None of that makes a piercing unsafe. It makes it wrong for one particular piece, and that is worth knowing before you buy it.
Does it have to come out?
Not always. If a change of piece or a plan around it will get you there, it stays. If it is better out, we say so, and nothing is pierced on a maybe. Where there is clear tissue, a new spot can go in beside it while it is still in.
How long before it can be pierced again?
If the jewellery came out of a healed piercing with no problems, there is no need to wait: come in and we’ll look. If it had a problem, we ask for three to six months for the tissue to settle first.
Same spot, or beside it?
If the spot itself is right and the scar is small, the same spot usually works. If the spot is wrong for the piece, going through it again repeats the problem, so we mark a fresh spot 1 to 2mm away, in healthier tissue. You see the mark in the mirror and agree it before the needle.
Will there be a mark?
A healed piercing that comes out keeps a small mark. Placing the new one beside it, rather than through it, means the piece usually sits over or near the old mark. We won’t promise it disappears.
Can the rest of my ear be planned around it?
Yes. That is The Designed Ear: an hour at the table with Tom, and every spot drawn, the order they go in, and the BVLA piece for each, with the piercing you already have in the drawing. It is $150, taken off your first piercing. You take the drawing home.
What does a look cost, and how long is it?
$30 and twenty minutes, no needle. It comes off a piercing booked afterwards, or a piece fitted the same day.
What does piercing it again cost?
The same as a fresh piercing: $150 in implant-grade titanium, or from $350 in solid 14k BVLA gold, the piece chosen at the table. It is a 45-minute appointment, and your checkup four weeks later is included. Pay at the end, no deposit.
Who will see me?
Tom, Wednesday to Sunday, or Kat, Sunday to Tuesday. One client in the room at a time. If you want the whole ear planned, that is with Tom.
Does it matter where it was done?
No. Anywhere, any time ago. We look at the piercing in front of us, and nothing else.
What we won’t do
- Recommend something just to make a sale.
- Pierce again when a change of piece will do.
- Pierce again through a spot that is still irritated.
- Promise a mark will disappear.
- Pierce on a maybe.
“He got the placement just perfect and also suggested a simple, affordable jewellery change that gave my existing stack a much more cohesive look.”
If anything worries you, call us on 09 949 0940. If it hurts or is swelling, something’s not right is the page for that.
389 Parnell Road, Parnell. By appointment, so there is no waiting room. Park on the street, or in the paid parks along Parnell Road.