In order to prepare the skin and decrease the risk of infection when using needles, you should use a skin prep solution. There are many types—some are more readily available, and some may be more cost effective. I personally like to use Chlorhexidine. However, any of the preparations discussed below will work; just be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions for use as skin prep. Some of these come as a solution that you can apply with sterile gauze pads; some are also available as individually wrapped pads with the solution on them.
• 61% ethyl alcohol
Ethyl alcohol is commonly found in antibacterial hand soap; you can buy 61% solution at your local pharmacy.
• Povidone-iodine
The most common brand name of this solution is Betadine, and it can be found in drugstores. If the bottom is allergic to shellfish or iodine, do not use Povidone-iodine. Note: this solution will temporarily discolor the skin.
• 70% isopropyl alcohol
This is the least expensive solution on the list and the easiest to find in drugstores; however, in medical studies, it’s also the least effective at killing bacteria found on the skin.
• 6% benzocaine with isopropyl alcohol 70%
The same as above, but this product also numbs the skin a little.
• Chlorhexidine
Chlorhexidine comes in 2% or 4% concentrations or a 1% concentration combined with 61% ethyl alcohol. You can purchase these at your local pharmacy or from online medical suppliers.
There are many types of gloves out there, but I tend to use nitrile gloves because they are latex free and I can get them in purple. Purple is the color of the hanky for piercing, should you wish to do any flagging. I find latex gloves more stretchy and easier to put on. Nitrile and vinyl gloves, though latex free, are harder to put on, especially if your hands get moist from sweating or if you are changing gloves frequently. You may find that some bottoms react poorly to the sight of blood. Black gloves are available, often used by tattoo artists and piercing shops, that decrease the visibility of blood on the gloves, should things get a little messy. For you folks who are all into the “black look,” these would enhance your wardrobe.
When you are using needles, you may encounter blood, so always have cleanup supplies handy. Don’t make things too complicated. You can use plain paper towels to clean up the holes. If inclined to do so, you can treat each hole as a trauma wound and tape gauze pads to each one. To clean work surfaces, use a 10% household bleach solution and paper towels. Make this solution by mixing one and a half cups of household bleach and a gallon of water, or one part bleach to nine parts water. Make sure you are wearing gloves when working with bleach. Bleach begins to lose its effectiveness in a short period of time, so discard the bleach after your cleanup. Make a new batch of bleach solution if you do not use it within 24 hours.
Needles come in a plethora of sizes (or gauges), the most common being 25, 23, 22, 20, and 18. They are measured by their diameter: the larger the number, the smaller the diameter. Thus an 18-gauge needle is a larger-diameter needle (1.270 mm outside diameter) than a 25-gauge (0.508 mm outside diameter). Additionally, needles come in varying lengths, the most common being ⅝ inch, 1 inch, and 1½ inch. Use only single-use disposable needles in sterile packaging.
For the most part, you will want to use “hubbed” needles, as they are the most commonly available, cheapest to buy, and have the bonus feature of a “handle” which aids placement of the needle (See Illustration 8.1: Piercing needles.) Another name for this type of needle is hypodermic, from Greek, meaning under the skin. Hub needles can be obtained from online medical supply stores or fetish supply stores. Be sure you are abiding by your local laws concerning the purchase of needles. Other needle types include acupuncture, spinal, TB, insulin, body piercing, Huber, and biopsy.
HOW TO PIERCE
When I am pierced, I have the sensation that I’m flying—I feel simultaneously grounded and floaty. I love the very intimate invasion of personal space that piercing produces, the involuntary giggling, the contact high. I love the air of danger, of doing something that others deem “too out there,” and loving it. I love to see fresh red blood, not the least bit oxidized yet, trailing down my flesh and the patterns it makes as it soaks into a sheet.
Beginning piercers should stick to fleshy places like the chest, back, arms, and legs. Basically, if you can pinch the skin and not feel muscle between your fingers, it is okay to put a needle there. Until you are more experienced and have gained more education, avoid piercing the genitals, face, neck, tongue or other less fleshy areas of the body. Some bottoms may feel more at ease if they are able to watch; others are horrified to watch. Pick what is right for the scene.
When you are prepping the skin, use the recommendations provided by the manufacturer of the product you are using.
Pinch a section of skin between your fingers. Insert the needle parallel to the surface of the skin. (See Illustration 8.2: Needle insertion.) Using this technique, you prevent the needle from penetrating anything vital. How close you pierce to the body determines how much of the needle will be in the skin and how deep the needle will be buried. Also, you must take into account the length of your needle. If you want the tip of the needle to come back out of the skin, you need to pierce higher up on your pinch and farther away from the body.
Grasp the needle with your dominant hand, using your thumb and index finger to hold the needle by its hub. Line up the needle parallel to the surface of the skin next to the place you have pinched, and be sure that your fingertips are far enough away that you are not going to poke yourself when the needle comes out the other side. Bottoms may jump in response to the initial poke or squirm as you push the needle through the skin. Anticipate this movement to avoid poking yourself. Some piercers leave the pointy end of the needle inside the skin after they have placed it. This can keep you from getting poked by a “dirty” needle (one that has already been used) if you are placing needles close together.
Some piercers put needles through fast, while others push slowly. The choice is yours—each way produces a different sensation. Larger-gauge needles, 12 and above, may require a sterile lubricant to aid their insertion.
You will soon discover that not everyone’s skin is the same. Some people have thin skin, which makes piercing very easy, while others have thick, tough skin requiring a sledgehammer to drive the needle in. The thicker the skin, the more difficult it is to pinch. Coating the needle with sterile lube may help you with needle placement in tough skin.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
One factor to consider is room temperature. A warmer room is more conducive to people passing out in response to needles, so you may want to think about that if you have a bottom with a fear of needles. Heating up the room to keep your bottom warm might be a bad idea. Besides, a cold room can make the nipples erect and easier to pierce—when you get more pokes under your belt. (Okay, I might have a nipple fetish.)