Reasons To Get Pierced In October

So, you are thinking about getting a piercing or maybe a Tattoo and you are wondering when the best time is to get it? Without a doubt it is October begins the best time of the year to get tattooed and pierced. This especially true in the upper Midwest or areas of the world that enjoy all four seasons. Surprisingly, it is often the slowest period for most studios. There could be a great deal of reasons for this and for the last couple of decades, I've been trying to figure it out why when we are less doing the activities that may cause issues when healing a piercing or tattoo, people just don't consider body art in the fall. It could be that people are wearing clothing that covers their body art so it's not as much of a visible reminder or it could just be people are saving up for the holidays or they aren't thinking about exposing their body and showing off new art. Whatever the reason, especially with piercings that the healing may range from 6 months to a year, October through early January is by far the best time of the year to get it done.

If you are one of my many clients, then you know that I always go through a consultation before each and every piercing. Often many repeat clients can almost recite the basic speech about cleaning, care and cross contamination prevention as well as I can. The idea is to give the client a clear understanding of the commitment and changes that will need to be taken in lifestyle, hygiene and daily habits. Then they can make a educated choice of whether to get the piercing. If there is any one thing that causes clients to consider delaying getting the piercing it has to be the prohibition on swimming followed by sports, summer activities and vacations. 

Those that have read my blogs in the past, I have covered a number of these issue, for those that haven't I would suggest reading them but here's a few of the issues and risks with getting pierced in the spring or summer:

• Swimming - I recently wrote a blog just covering this subject called Swimming and Healing Piercings, but the main reason that you do not want to swim while healing a piercing is there is no way to insure that there are not microorganism in the water. With treated water there is always the risk that the piercing will have a reaction to the harsh chemicals in the water. With tattoos there is the added risk of how soaking in water will effect how the tattoo will heal.
• Sports and Outdoor activities - This maybe a year round issue for some but we tend to be a great deal more active in the summer mouths and here are some of the concerns:
  • Sports can result in trauma to the piercing which can lead to longer healing periods or other problems. Depending on the location of the piercing you might experience pain or discomfort with isolated movements. Usually, this is a sign that you are creating stress on the piercing which might result in healing problems.  Certain piercing require a period of less activity or stress to heal correctly.
  • With outdoor activities like camping or even a day at that outdoor musical festival, place you in a situation where you can not control your environment at all. though often in urban indoor environments there maybe a wider range of pathogens in a small space but you can through proper hygiene and cleaning reduce the exposure.  If you don't believe me think about something as simple as how easy it is to wash your hands.  Also consider that whenever you are outside of your own control environment the number of foreign pathogens that you come in contact with.
• Vacations - There are five major concerns with traveling:
  • Not being able to control the cleanliness of clothing, bedding, towels, etc...
  • The effect that differences in the hardness and softness of public water systems and the quality of the water.
  • Exposure to pathogens that your body may have less resistance to. 
  • Less regimented schedule that makes cleaning times less consistent.
  • The last would be often when on vacation we are more prone to partake in activities that we normally wouldn't. It doesn't matter if it is a day at the beech or a day riding thrill rides we are placing our healing piercing or tattoo under the stress of exposure to different pathogens and stress. 
• Tanning and the Sun - Though piercings are not as effected by tanning as tattoos are, tanning during healing has two main risks:
  • Discoloration or darkening of the scar tissue that forms around the piercing.  With tattoo where they act of tattooing is in fact changing the pigment color, exposure to sun light and tanning can cause tattoos to discolor, fade or loss of detail as the lines thicken or spread outward.
  • The effect of Sun Block and other tanning products when introduced to a healing piercing or tattoo.

Whenever someone stops by with an issue or calls me about a concern with a piercing, I start off addressing changes in lifestyle or environment that might be at the root of the problem. It can feel like I'm drill the client but the reality is that often it's as simple as a change in schedule, lifestyle or bathing product that's causing issues. When the weather is nice we all tend to spend much more time outside and doing activities that we wouldn't do if it was 10 degrees out with a foot of snow. Also we tend to be more prone to blow off our regular schedule to enjoy the good weather. Control of exposure and consistency are the two things that can insure a easy and quick heal and in the fall and winter there are a great deal less distractions that lead to mistakes. So, when you are thinking about how good that piercing or tattoo will look at the beech or at the Festival, plan ahead and get the piercing when it will be healed by the time those activities that put healing at risk are reduced. Get pierced and tattoo in the fall and early winter.