The LaCrosse Tribune, out of Wisconsin, does an interesting spotlight piece on the art of piercing:

Don’t let the big bull ring in his nose intimidate you. Behind that rough exterior, you’ll find Brian Lee, 32, of La Crosse a sweet, funny and charismatic guy. That’s how co-workers Amanda Kirk and Robyn Story describe him.

Lee, master piercer at Mind Altering Tattoos in La Crosse, is also a father, a pseudo-counselor and a “Family Guy” fan who likes to play Texas Hold ’Em.

“I don’t ever want to grow up,” Lee said. “And my profession allows that.”

Lee shared his thoughts on piercings:

“A piercing is a hole in the body. Anybody can do that. But you have to read the body and how it’s going to move with it so that it heals (right),” Lee said

“It’s the fear of the unknown.” Lee compares being pierced to riding a roller coaster. “The most exhilarating part is not going down, but the moment at the very top, right before the plunge.“

The Body Art Book: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Tattoos, Piercings and Other Body Modifications - 8 pages of photos and a worldwide directory.

This is the first fully comprehensive, illustrated guide to body art in all its forms.

This is the only reference source available that explores every step of the process.

This is the definitive guide for choosing style and placement, finding the right artist, ensuring safety and proper care, and even correcting or removing unwanted body art.

About the Author
Jean-Chris Miller is the Editorial Director of Art & Ink Enterprises, overseeing production of the magazines Skin Art, Tattoo Review, Tattoos for Men, Tattoos for Women, In the Flesh, Art Alternatives, Outlaw Biker, and Girls of Outlaw Biker. She has written extensively on the subjects of tattooing, piercing, and other forms of body art. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

And just for fun:

16 Tool Body Piercing Tool Kit - This 16 tool body piercing kit contains the following 16 tools in a zippered case: Stainless Steel Mini Standard Pennington Tip Forceps, Stainless Steel Mini Slotted Pennington Tip Forceps, Stainless Steel Standard Pennington Tip Forceps, Stainless Steel Slotted Pennington Tip Forceps, Stainless Steel Slotted Foerster Forceps: 6″ (Tongue), Stainless Steel Standard Foerster Forceps (Tongue), Stainless Steel Slotted Foerster Forceps (Navel), Stainless Steel Mini Slotted Foerster Forceps (Navel), Stainless Steel Bead Holding Tweezers, Stainless Steel Ring Closing Pliers - Large, Stainless Steel Ring Closing Pliers - Small, Stainless Steel Straight Surgical Forceps, Stainless Steel Professional Septum Forceps, Stainless Steel Reverse Pennington Tip Forceps, Stainless Steel Ring Opening Pliers - Small 5 in., Stainless Steel Ring Opening Pliers - X-Large 8 in.

Body Piercing: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References - In March 2001, the National Institutes of Health issued the following warning: “The number of Web sites offering health-related resources grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while others may have information that is unreliable or misleading.” Furthermore, because of the rapid increase in Internet-based information, many hours can be wasted searching, selecting, and printing.This book was created for medical professionals, students, and members of the general public who want to conduct medical research using the most advanced tools available and spending the least amount of time doing so.

This is a 3-in-1 reference book. It gives a complete medical dictionary covering hundreds of terms and expressions relating to body piercing. It also gives extensive lists of bibliographic citations. Finally, it provides information to users on how to update their knowledge using various Internet resources. The book is designed for physicians, medical students preparing for Board examinations, medical researchers, and patients who want to become familiar with research dedicated to body piercing.

If your time is valuable, this book is for you. First, you will not waste time searching the Internet while missing a lot of relevant information. Second, the book also saves you time indexing and defining entries. Finally, you will not waste time and money printing hundreds of web pages.

Tattooing, piercing, henna art . . . these are all forms of what we call ‘body art’. Artistic expression in the form of body art is less shocking than it was a decade ago.. less shocking than it was 5 years ago… and becomes less and less shocking to the ‘mainstream’ as time goes on. Society has begun to accept body art as a form of artistic expression - - the body as the canvas.

Acceptable art has over the years evolved from being on paper, to canvas and even on walls, through to being on the human body.

Once associated with mean bikers on mean machines, jailbirds and hardcore gangsters, tattooing is now a fashion must-have and has lost its dodgy edge.

Messages of love or hatred for your mother-in-law, drawings of insects and sentences describing your private fantasies can adorn any part of the body.

Letting your body be your canvas - Independant Online News

Allergic contact dermatitis accounts for a significant number of visits to a dermatologist’s office and is usually caused by substances that come into contact with the skin:

That itchy rash you get when you wear earrings might not be because you bought them from the sales rack; and the redness on your finger when you wear your wedding ring is not a “sign” that your marriage is in trouble. You may be one of the million of individuals who have allergic contact dermatitis. Look around you and at what you’re wearing. You may find the cause of your discomfort: you may have a metal allergy.

Read more about Allergic Contact Dermatitis here

Kiss Me, I’m a Piercer

Who doesn’t need one of these? The perfect gift for your favorite piercer!

H2Ocean is the most effective product for cleansing and healing your body piercings. This is the only aftercare product that is natural to your body. Increases circulation to the piercing and accelerates the healing process. Will help to reduce lumps, scar tissue and itching. Ozone friendly, sterile spray is 4 oz.

James Lambert from AgapePress (reliable news from a Christian source) - wonders why people would do it: I feel compelled to ask: Why? Before you go down to the local tattoo parlor or visit a body piercing practitioner, ask yourself: “Can I really see this on me for the rest of my life? Or will this form of ‘expression’ later hurt me?”

Along with that gem of wisdom (as if any of us aren’t already asking ourselves that very question the moment we decide to get a piercign or a tattoo) - James also offers this one: “Ask God - that’s always the best way to get direction.”

I asked god for world peace once. God didn’t answer. What makes me think god will concern himself with my trivial question about piercing? Heh.

In other news, Kimberly Dreiman from the American Chronicle believes that tattoos and body piercings are “are a way for Satan to mock what God has created”. She further states that they are not pleasing to the lord.

She quotes Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves, I am the Lord.”

It is interesting, in this context, to read what other verses Leviticus 19 has to say:

Verse 9: “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.”

Verse 19: “Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.”

Verse 26: “Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.”

Verse 27: “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”

Verse 28: “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”

Which means, of course, we are not pleasing to the lord if we garden the edge of our land, plant tomatoes AND cucumbers in our garden at the same time, wear linen and silk simultaneously, eat our steaks rare or medium rare, cut our hair (or for you men - shave your face) AND/OR get a tattoo.

We’re doomed, I say.

Tattoo and body-piercing shops must meet health and safety regulations under a measure signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich Friday that also aims to increase the number of potential blood donors in the state.

Under the law, tattoo and body-piercing shops must follow state health and safety requirements for sterilization and sanitation techniques.

They also must register annually with the Illinois Department of Public Health and be open for inspection.

Because Illinois did not previously regulate the facilities, blood banks had to turn away potential donors for a year after they had gotten piercings or tattoos, said Margaret Vaughn, government affairs coordinator for the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers.

The new law takes effect for all of the estimated 425 tattoo and body-piercing facilities in the state July 1, 2007. - Chicago Tribune