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If you have ever had a piercing in a reputable piercing studio, you will be familiar with the kind of consent forms you will be required to fill out. Consent forms vary in wording and questions across many different studios, but essentially the result remains the same. You are agreeing to answer a variety of health questions truthfully and providing a signature to ensure that you understand the procedure, and ultimately giving consent to your piercer to perform it.
These forms may seem a little daunting, and some of the questions you need to ask may seem a little pointless, but it’s important for the safety of yourself and your piercer that you answer these questions correctly and truthfully so that we can ensure your piercing is performed under the best conditions for you.
Before we continue, it is important to understand that answering untruthfully because you suspect you will be denied a piercing could put you, and potentially your piercer, at great risk. Dodging these questions to ensure you get your piercing is irresponsible, dangerous, and unfair to your piercer.
So, let’s look at the questions on the form you would be given at No Divide and dive deeper into why we ask, and most importantly, why it is essential that you answer truthfully.
Have you consumed any alcohol or drugs in the last 24 hours?
This one is relatively obvious. We will deny you a service if we suspect you are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs when you come to the studio for any piercing or tattoo. We need every person in our studio to feel safe, comfortable, and in control of their reactions, and one thing that a person under the influence is not, is under control. We have sharp implements, sterilised equipment, staff, and other potentially vulnerable clients in the room, and we need to ensure everyone is safe at all times.
Another reason for denying your piercing under the influence is that people famously make very bad decisions when drunk or on drugs. You cannot knowingly make informed consent when under the influence, which means we cannot perform a piercing on you.
If we suspect you are under the influence or intoxicated, we will decline to pierce you.
With this being said, it’s important to tell us if you have had any alcohol, even if it was one glass the night before, and even if it may not seem like it was a considerable amount. Alcohol is well known for being a blood thinner, and while this may not cause excessive or dangerous bleeding for your piercing, it can cause more bleeding than usual. While bleeding immediately after a piercing most certainly can happen, it’s important for your piercer to be aware in case of any excessive bleeding that may take place.
Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?
We will decline to perform a piercing while you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and that is to protect both you and your baby. If, in the unlikely situation that you were to develop a serious infection as a result of your piercing, that infection can transmit to your baby, either through vertical transmission (through the placenta to your unborn baby) or through breast milk during breastfeeding. Piercing is never worth the risk to the health of your baby, so we would advise that you come back for your piercing after you have given birth, and after you are finished breastfeeding.
Have you had any cosmetic surgery?
This question relates only to areas where you may be pierced, and it is important to let us know about lip fillers for lip piercings, nose surgery for any nose piercings, ear pinning, and breast reduction, augmentation, or mastectomy in relation to nipple piercings. Let’s look a little closer at this…
Lip fillers are designed to alter the way the lips look by injecting a substance into the lip. If you have had lip fillers, we won’t pierce through the area as fillers alter the shape and consistency of this tissue. It can make the tissue a lot harder, and we can see filler migrate and cause angling issues in healing piercings. There is also the risk of your piercing being angled incorrectly once the filler has been dissolved.
Nose surgery alters the tissue in the nose and can cause increased sensitivity. In the case of septum piercings, it can also remove the ‘sweet spot’ entirely from your nose, so that your only option would be to pierce through cartilage. Not only is this far more painful than piercing through the sweet spot, but this tissue may contain scar tissue. You may be unable to have a septum piercing if you have had a deviated septum corrected, or a significant nose reduction. With that being said, we do not recommend any nose piercings for over a year after any nose surgery.
Ear pinning can reduce the space available at the back of the piercing. The stitch site can change the anatomy of the back of the ear, and in the same way that every anatomy is different, every ear pin is different, and your piercer will be able to recognise whether a different location will be required for your piercing.
Breast augmentation, reduction, or mastectomy can alter the nipple tissue. This is particularly true if you have had your nipples relocated. It’s important to let your piercer know that you have had any surgery as this can drastically affect the way your tissue feels and responds to piercing, including healing. We would recommend waiting at least a year for nipple piercings after surgery to ensure that you do not develop any infection in your piercing or surgery site.
Do you have a history of dermatological disease or allergies?
Enquiring about allergies is a pretty standard procedure for any piercing and tattoo studio. Many people have a latex allergy for example, and telling your artist will allow them to find an alternative such as nitrile or vinyl. Some people have significant reactions to any cleaning solutions, so it’s important to use an alternative for client safety. As farfetched as it may seem, stating that you have a serious peanut or seafood allergy is also recommended. There may be peanuts on the premises, staff may have eaten something that includes seafood, and we will want to eliminate any possibility that you may have a serious allergic reaction.
Dermatological diseases can inhibit the healing of your piercing if they are in or on the area of your piercing, particularly if there is irritation, itching, swelling, or broken skin, and we would always recommend a different location for your piercing. If you have been diagnosed with any form of keloid scarring, it is important to let us know as piercing can trigger this condition. (Please be aware that irritation bumps are not keloid scarring. Head over to our blog ‘Irritation Bumps, Hypertrophic Scarring, and Keloids’ for more information on these conditions.)
Do you have any other conditions that might affect the healing of your piercing?
This is an important question to ask as you may have some underlying condition that can delay, inhibit, or even prevent you from healing a piercing. We also ask this question to protect your health and safety. If you suffer from any condition that suppresses your immune system, having a piercing may put you at significant risk. There are also some medications that make it inadvisable to get a piercing too, particularly blood-thinners such as Warfarin. Accutane can impair healing as well as cause significant scarring, so it’s important to relay that information to your piercer. If you are unsure, please ask your piercer. Sometimes a piercing will be declined until you have spoken with your GP about the risks.
Do you suffer from Diabetes, seizures, or fainting?
Diabetes commonly causes healing issues and can prolong the healing of piercings and tattoos in those diagnosed. If your diabetes is managed and under control, you still may be able to receive a piercing, but we will cap the number of piercings you can get to one or two due to compromised healing. If your doctor has recommended that you do not receive any piercings and tattoos, you should heed this advice as it is to keep you safe. No beauty procedure is worth compromising your health.
Fainting is perhaps the most common and immediate side effect of piercings for many people. Particularly those with a needle phobia, fainting can come on immediately and without much warning. There are several factors at play here, the first and foremost is anxiety leading up to the piercing, an adrenaline rush as the piercing is performed, followed by a sudden drop in blood pressure, which is the bodies response to injury or pain, particularly after an adrenaline rush.
It is important to keep breathing through any piercing, as the most common cause for fainting is tensing and holding your breath during your procedure. A good piercer will always guide you through by asking you to take a nice deep breath and exhaling as we make the piercing. This ensures that you don’t deprive yourself of oxygen as your blood pressure drops.
You can also experience a dip in blood sugar, and this happens if you have not eaten adequately, or if you suffer from low blood sugar to begin with. We always recommend every single client has eaten well before they come in for a piercing, and to bring a sugary drink with you to help try to avoid the sudden dip in blood sugar. Sugar free drinks won’t help you here, you need the sugary stuff! We also carry plenty of sweets in our studio so that we can always ensure you’re getting something sugary back into your system.
If you are prone to fainting, even if it is a random occurrence with no triggers, it is important to tell your piercer so that they can prepare the room for you. You can have someone accompany you, and we will prop your legs up to keep blood flowing, and our piercer will be much more prepared to keep you safe if and when you do faint.
Seizures may be caused by fainting, and it is important to let your piercer know if you suffer from seizures so that we can be prepared for this and minimise harm to you and those around you should you suffer a seizure in the procedure room.
Do you have any other conditions we need to know of? (ie. Heart condition, high blood pressure)
It’s important to let us know of any conditions to do with your heart, even if you are not taking any medication, but especially if you are. Not only does a piercing potentially put your heart at further risk (through lowered blood pressure associated with receiving a piercing, as well as potential for infection), but the medications you take may also have a negative effect when it comes to receiving a piercing. It’s important to consult your GP about any condition you may have and whether it is safe for you to receive a piercing.
High blood pressure, particularly unmedicated, can result in excessive bleeding, especially with mouth and tongue piercings. We would advise you to speak with your GP before coming in for a piercing.
Have you had any previous piercing or infection in the area to be pierced?
This question allows us to assess your piercing history, and how and why a previous piercing may not have worked out for you. In the case of having a previous piercing in the area, you may have scar tissue under the surface that we will need to account for. If the piercing was recent and we can still feel swelling, or if we can see skin that hasn’t healed or discoloration of the area, we will either suggest a new location, or ask you to wait until the area is healed sufficiently.
If you have had an infection in the area, then the scar tissue may be even greater, and it’s important for us to understand a bit more about how and why that infection took place, and how long ago. We would always recommend a minimum of a month before coming back in to get re-pierced after your piercing has fallen out, but we would likely recommend longer for instances such as infection or migration. It’s important to be honest about how long ago you piercing was removed for infection so that our piercer will be able to assess your piercing site and see if it is viable to be re-pierced.
Are you going on holiday in the next 7-10 days?
This question can cause great disappointment in many of our clients who are hoping to have a shiny new piercing for their upcoming beach holiday, but there are multiple reasons why this is not recommended.
Piercings swell, and they will swell much more significantly in hot climates, particularly with lots of movement and travel. An often-overlooked factor is just how much the body can swell during air travel, and a brand-new piercing and flying does not make for a happy piercing.
Swimming is also one of the biggest enemies of fresh piercings and tattoos. Not only is the prolonged exposure to moisture a huge inhibitor in healing, but the bacteria present in seas, lakes, ponds, rivers, and chlorinated swimming pools can all cause some hideous infections.
I have had many a client tell me that sea water is great for cleaning piercings to the salinity. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but bacteria is prolific in sea water despite the salinity, in no way helped by the constant and overwhelming amount of human waste and sewage that we pump into our oceans every single day. I would advise you all to do a quick internet search for sea water under a microscope and tell me if you still think this is safe to go anywhere near an open wound in your body. An open would like a piercing is the perfect place for one of these unknown bacterias to enter your body.
I have the same visceral reaction toward chlorinated swimming pools. Anyone who has ever spent even a day around a child will know that they often do not politely exit the pool to use the toilet, and I would advise you remember this the next time you go swimming with your fresh tattoo or piercing.
To put it bluntly, swimming is a no go, and holidays will provide you with all sorts of tempting scenarios to put you and your piercing at risk. The last thing we want is for you to experience a piercing emergency and be unable to access adequate healthcare in a foreign country. Your piercing can wait until you get back, and you can heal with much more control at home.
Have you been in contact with chicken pox in the last two weeks?
This question is for the benefit of any clients and staff that may be immunocompromised or who have not previously had chicken pox. We take this question seriously, and we have a duty of care to protect anyone who may be at risk, as transmission of chicken pox to an adult who may not have had chicken pox in childhood can be extremely dangerous and even fatal.
Have you had a live vaccination in the past 2 weeks?
Similarly to the question above, a live vaccination can put the immunocompromised at risk, particularly if they are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons. A transmission of a disease that they are unable to be vaccinated for can be extremely dangerous.
Have you had any symptoms of covid-19 in the last 7 days? Have you been in close proximity with anyone who has had symptoms, or anyone who actively has covid-19?
This question may not seem relevant so many years after the pandemic, but covid-19 has not gone anywhere and still does the rounds even to this day. For the same reasons as above, this question is designed to protect those who may be immunocompromised.
Personal Information
We take your personal information so that, in the event that we will need to look back at your medical history or consent form, we will be able to locate this form quickly. We ask for your date of birth, and your photo ID to prove that we can perform the piercing legally.
We always ask you to confirm that you give us consent to pierce you by stating which piercing it is you want to receive, and we ask you sign and date this to confirm that you understand the procedure, consent to a piercing, and prove your identification. If you are accompanied by a parent, they will sign at the bottom of the form to confirm that they consent on your behalf.
Once your piercing has been performed, we will take another signature from you that confirms that the piercing was performed to your expectations, and to a level of care, quality, and hygiene that you are satisfied with.
A note on Age and ID
Our firmest rule at No Divide is that no one under the age of 16 can have a piercing performed on them without a parent or proven legal guardian present, and there is no exception to this rule whatsoever. Under the age of 16, you are considered a child in the eyes of the law and we cannot perform any piercings on you without parental supervision.
Genital piercings will not be performed on anyone under the age of 18 years of age, under any circumstances, with no exceptions, even if a parent is present. This includes some more advanced or high-risk piercings. While you have certain rights and responsibilities that begin at the age of 16, you are still considered a child in the eyes of the law until the age of 18.
We take these ages very seriously. Coming into the studio with your friend who is 18 does not equate to a parent or guardian, nor does it prove you age. Even having previous tattoos or piercing at other shops does not prove age, even if you have received piercings with us, we will still ask for ID. If we ask for ID, we need to see it as proof before we can perform any piercing. Any form of ID that does not contain a photo AND your birthdate will not be considered. Forms of ID that we accept include a Passport and Driver’s License (including Provisionals). We will write down the passport number and the Driver’s License number on your form to ensure that we can accurately prove that we were provided with your legal identification at the time of piercing. These are necessary steps that we must take to ensure that we are not breaking the law, and that we are not piercing children under the legal age and without parental supervision.
Photo identification will need to be present from 16 and above to prove your age, particularly for any genital piercings from the age of 18.
If you cannot provide ID when asked, we will not perform your piercing.