Belly Rings Are Quickly Becoming The Most Common Of The Piercings

Belly rings are one of the newest piercings to be found and yet they are swiftly becoming the most common of them all.

Belly rings came onto the piercing scene in the mid 1990s and started a revolution. Prior to them, piercings were seen as something the Punk crowd did to garner attention. Once several super models were seen baring their midriff and showing off their belly rings, piercings became more mainstream.

Today a large percentage of the population has at least one piercing if not multiple. It is more common than not to see earrings on a girl and at least one facial piercing at any event with teenagers. From being taboo, piercings are now commonly accepted in most areas of society for most age groups. And this is all thanks to belly rings.

The majority of belly rings are found on females ages fifteen through thirty. Used primarily as a fashion statement, they can be simple silver studs or elaborate jeweled pieces that cover the entire navel area. That is one of the best things about them. No matter what your taste and style is, you can find one that suits your mood, wardrobe or general personality.

Even more than just changing the way piercings are viewed on a whole, navel rings are helping to change the stereotypes that piercings of that nature are for females only. While the majority of them are still found in female navels, more and more male navels are showing up pierced and bejeweled.

The lines between Punk and Prep, and male and female are slowly being blurred and a lot of this is thanks to belly rings. Simple piercings done in a "safe" body part they are showing the world that you don't need to be trying to make a statement or stand out to want to have your body pierced. Today they are just as common as pierced ears on a girl.

Belly rings can be called many things, but they are very simply the forefathers of taking piercings mainstream. A trend started by a supermodel, they are poised to be around for several more decades, so get used to them and start seeing the beauty in them.

Julie enjoys sharing health and beauty tips. A great resource for flat irons, curling irons and hair styling tools of all kinds is My Hair Styling Tools.

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Common Problems With Piercings

So long as you get your piercing done by a professional piercer using sterile equipment, serious complications are rare. However, as with any medical procedure, there is no way to make anything 100% risk free. Infections, scarring, and accidents like tearing are always possible, and it's important for you to be aware of these risks, no matter how remote the chances.

The single biggest concern after any piercing is the immediate risk of infection. The most important thing to do is make sure the needle the piercer uses is sterile, which any professional piercer will do. Some piercings take more work to keep clean though - tongue rings in particular are hard to keep clean, as the mouth is such a breeding ground for bacteria. Regularly cleaning your piercing with hydrogen peroxide, and following any cleaning instructions your piercer gives you, are excellent ways to make sure this does not become a problem for you.

A serious infection, or a poor piercing job, can result in scarring. Any time your body has to heal itself the risk of scarring comes is there, and when you're talking about piercings you can end up with a hole that is unusable due to scar tissue that builds up inside it. This can also be a problem if the body rejects the material that the jewelry is made of, and therefore tries to force it out. The body usually does this by pushing the object out and then filling in the hole with scar tissue. This is usually preventable by wearing jewelry made of non-allergenic material like stainless steel for the first several weeks.

The gauge of the piercing lets you know how big you can wear your jewelry. If you try to wear earrings or belly button rings that are a larger gauge than the hole is, you can end up stretching or tearing the hole to the point that it becomes unusable. This is preventable by making sure you understand exactly what weight your piercing can handle, and what size gauge you can safely wear. For heavier jewelry you can also get piercing protectors, which you can fit into your piercing to help spread out the weight of the jewelry, and prevent it from stretching your piercing out.

Speak with your piercer to find out exactly what you can expect during the healing process. Generally speaking, piercings should not hurt for very long after the procedure - no more than a few days to a week. If you are experiencing pain for significantly longer, or the piercing is red, warm to the touch, or has the appearance of being infected, contact a doctor or your piercer immediately, as the complications can make the piercing much less attractive or even cause it to seal up entirely.

Philip has put together collections of belly button rings and tongue rings that are suitable for most occasions and styles.

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