LV LifeFashion & Beauty

Piercing: the new trend in body art

Tara O'Lone, manager of Puncture Body Piercing in Upland, makes sure that the safety and sanitary rules are observed for each client. / photo by Amy Babin
Tara O’Lone, manager of Puncture Body Piercing in Upland, makes sure that the safety and sanitary rules are observed for each client. / photo by Amy Babin

by Jaclyn Roco
LV Life Editor

Some call it a form of expression. Others call it desecration of the body. Well, whatever you call it, piercing and stretching seem to be the fad. But although many students at the University of La Verne can be seen sporting this new trend, there are others who feel that piercing should be considered much more.

Tara O’Lone, sales manager for Puncture Body Piercing in Upland, said body piercing should be taken as an art form.

“I think that as far as piercing being a trend – well, everyone has their own personal reasons for getting it done,” O’Lone said. “And I would kind of think that inspiration has to be part of making this decision.”

However, O’Lone has cautions for those contemplating getting anything done. “There is some amount of pain, some amount of care involved,” she said. “This shouldn’t just be considered a trend, even if inspiration is part of the reason.”

Behind O’Lone’s counter sparkling with colorful jewelry-plugs made of dead bugs and real flowers, steel bars and weights -is a sign that supports her statement: piercing means a sense of responsibility. It reads that customers are warned not to take off their jewelry while in the store. Obviously, O’Lone said cleanliness is an important matter for her shop.

“It’s just a precaution for people that might have crusty, dirty or bloody things. We don’t want them to spread,” she said.

To ensure that the shop will not be responsible for any damage done on the customer’s part, O’Lone has her customers sign a release waiver. She said it is up to the customers to care for what they get done. The shop has its own code of sterilization, which is meant to “destroy all microorganisms and bacteria to make a sterile environment.”

Allison Meyer, a sophomore, said she has been a customer for Puncture for the past 10 months. “It is one of the cleanest places I’ve ever seen,” Meyer said.

Intent on getting her pierced ears stretched from a two to a zero (the smaller numbers represent a bigger stretch), Meyer was asked to sign the release form and asked for identification.

“We don’t pierce people under 18 without a parent or parental consent,” O’Lone said. “We require a photo ID and a birth certificate for anyone between 16 to 18. Of course anyone who wants nipple and genital piercing have to be 18 and over.”

After being seated at one of the examining rooms next to the counter, Meyer’s original plugs, which she admitted were dirty, were removed.

The examiner said washing used plugs was important. He said it was like washing behind the ears or in the bellybutton.

He told Meyer to breathe slowly while he placed the proper sized needle in each piercing. After letting the skin stretch a little, a new plug was placed into the resized holes.

“My favorite,” Meyer said. “Blue with stars.”

“Stretching is really making microscopic tears around the piercing,” O’Lone said. “We recommend treating it for the first week. Usually it doesn’t get inflammation, just some redness or swelling.”

O’Lone said the amount of stretching that could be done was infinite. Since no new skin cells are being developed, an ear could be stretched past their shoulders, which is typical for other cultures.

Because Puncture doesn’t stretch past double zero size (three-eighths of an inch), O’Lone usually suggests to her customers to stretch their ears themselves with teflon tape. If a person were to add a layer to his or her existing plug, then the ear would slowly stretch out with minimal pain because the skin doesn’t even realize it is being stretched. Doing this is more personal, she said.

Puncture also does the usual piercing in areas around the ear, mouth and tongue. The most popular areas are around the tongue, nostrils, navel and la bret (underneath the mouth) areas, O’Lone said. Industrial piercing involves two piercing connected by one piece, while the tragus is a piercing done on the nub of an ear.

“Girls are tougher than boys,” O’Lone said. “Girls are more inclined to get navel, nostril and ear cartilage. Guys get more stretching, or their lips or septum (between the nostrils) done.”

Although O’Lone believes piercing and stretching will continue, she said that some people in Indonesia have denied stretching their ears due to Christian missionary or Americanized influences.

“What good would that do if stretching is a part of who they are,” O’Lone said. “Stretching declared them a man or a women. They would stretch for the rest of their lives.

“You see (stretching and piercing) more (in America) because it is becoming more accepted,” O’Lone continued. “America lives void of culture. So having kids stretch is like keeping culture alive.”

Meyer adds that stretching and piercing is more than a part of culture.

“I (stretched) because I wanted to keep myself apart. It was almost a form of rebellion,” Meyer said.

Puncture Body Piercing is located at 2176 Foothill Blvd., #E in Upland. For more information on piercing or stretching, call (909) 981-2877.

Jaclyn Roco
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Amy Babin
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