Piercing techniques vary from Piercer to Piercer (yes, I capitalize the word Piercer out of respect for the profession). Some Piercers are exceptionally skilled, but in a very limited range of techniques. Other Piercers have a wide variety of techniques at their disposal, but haven’t mastered any of them. And of course, there’s a wide range of skill levels and techniques in between.

What I’d like to talk about are the two most common groups of techniques; Freehand and Clamped. First, let’s define what these mean.

Freehand: Piercing without the use of tools such as forceps to support the tissue being pierced.

Clamped: Piercing with the use of tools such as forceps to support the tissue being pierced.

To clarify, when I refer to a Clamped technique, it doesn’t matter if the tool actually clamps the tissue or not. The point is that a tool is being used to support tissue.

There are disposable tools and reusable tools, and I think it’s important to talk a bit about the difference since there’s a safety issue involved.

Disposable tools are usually a plastic or nylon material and can be sterilized prior to use but are disposed of following a procedure. This protects the customer from accidental exposure in the unlikely event that a tool isn’t correctly decontaminated between uses. It also means that nobody needs to risk handling a contaminated tool to take it through the decontamination process for re-use. (Decontamination is the multi-stepped PROCESS of taking a contaminated item and returning it to a sterile state for re-use)

The down side to some disposable tools is their lack of strength and/or rigidity, which can usually be overcome with the proper technique anyway. So as far as I’m concerned, using disposable tools whenever possible should be a goal for Piercers who do use tools.

Clamping tissue for piercing can be painful and can damage tissues. So skill in handling tools is extremely important. In the hands of a highly skilled Piercer, clamping even the most difficult tissue can be done gently and securely, and the piercing can be performed with incredible speed and accuracy.

Unfortunately, the majority of young Piercers don’t have those skills so bruising tissue and abrading skin are far too common as well as increased healing times, pain, discomfort, increased swelling and increased susceptibility to infection. Choose your Piercer carefully!

Piercing Freehand is often considered to be more dangerous for the Piercer because there’s no protection from needle sticks in place. But what’s not considered in that point of view is the incredible control the skilled Piercer has over both the tissue and the needle. I suspect that the number of needle stick injuries is equal to or fewer with freehand techniques, although I don’t believe there is a way to prove that.

The human hand is second to no tool in its sensitivity, dexterity and control. A skilled freehand Piercer can make a piercing seem deceptively simple. Some freehand Piercers are extremely fast while others aren’t, and still others are almost ridiculously slow. But speed doesn’t seem to matter that much in terms of pain. The lack of scary looking, cold tools can also go a long way in avoiding a lot of the pre-piercing stress many customers feel.

The biggest down side for freehand piercing that I’ve noticed is the lack of accuracy in the less skilled Piercers. I’ve seen more slightly crooked piercings with freehand techniques than with clamped techniques.

The important thing to remember is that you feel comfortable with your Piercer and their skill level or lack thereof. There’s a huge difference between skill level and cleanliness. NEVER allow a Piercer to touch you if you don’t feel comfortable in any way, but especially if you don’t feel comfortable with their level of sterility and cleanliness. A crooked piercing can be re-done but there’s no cure for Hepatitis C.

Anyway, there’s no one right way to pierce. Clamps aren’t necessarily better than free-handing. Free-handing isn’t necessarily better than clamping. It really is about your level of comfort. Even if you have grown accustomed to one particular way of being pierced, don’t deny yourself the opportunity to be pierced by a skilled artist using a different technique. That would be a crime.