The APP
The APP (Association of Professional Piercers) is an international health and safety organization and a non-profit voluntary alliance dedicated to the dissemination of information about body piercing.
It is an organization with the highest standard of health, safety, and sterile and/or aseptic techniques. Members of the APP must adhere to very strict guidelines in the way that their shop is set-up and operated. Members must also adhere to requirements for the quality of jewelry (both to be pierced with and for healed piercings) that is carried and/or used in their shop. As far as sterilization practices go, members are VERY well-educated in the areas of aseptic technique, cross-contamination, as well as airborne and/or bloodborne pathogens. Members must have "sterile" areas and "contaminated" areas clearly labeled and practice proper sterilization techniques in those areas. There is much more to know about the APP so check out their website at www.safepiercing.org or let us know if you have any questions. Currently, Chuck, Brittany (Fargo store) and Aileen (Bismarck store) are the only APP members in the F-M area and the state of ND.
Body Branding
Body branding is a form of scarification in which heat is applied to the skin to create a scar in the shape of a specified design. Though there are many different methods of branding we practice what is known as "thermal-cautery" branding. This method somewhat resembles how a tattoo is performed. The skin is prepped, the stencil is applied, and the design is branded. Contrary to popular belief, branding is not nearly as painful as one might expect. Many people who have had a number of tattoos as well as a brand done have said that there were areas on the body that tattooing hurt worse than their brand did!
That is not to say that body branding is for everyone; it is still an intense procedure and should be very well thought out before deciding what and where you want it to go. Though tattoos are considered "permanent" they may still be covered, reworked, or even removed if so desired. A body brand is a scar (scar tissue) that is more "permanent" than a tattoo (in a technical sense) and should be something that a person is 110% sure of before going through with it.
Another consideration with body branding is your genetic make-up. This will determine the way in which your scar will look before, during, and after the healing process. The more prone you are to keloids, the more "raised-up" your scar will heal. Many people in this area have Scandinavian genes, and in this case, the scar may heal up to almost a white color overtime although everybody is different. Everyone heals differently and at different speeds.
Dermal Punching
Dermal punching is a means of starting off with rather large jewelry for an initial procedure. Most commonly done on the earlobes/cartilage they can also be done on nostrils, tongues, septums, and used in the insertion of micro-dermals. Currently, we only use dermal punches on ears.
A dermal punch is basically a singel use disposable circular razor attached to a plastic handle which is used to remove a specific size of tissue in order to accomodate whatever jewelry is to be installed. They generally heal faster than a traditional piercing and/or a stretch on a piercing. There is more dedication required for these as they are considered a "heavier" body modification.
Surface Anchors (aka Microdermals)
Surface anchors showed up in the world of piercing around 2006 and are a somewhat "new procedure" for the piercing industry. For those of you who are familiar with transdermal implants and/or surface piercings; this is a mix between the two. It has the look of a single-point piercing.
The actual dermal anchor resembles an upside down "T". These are inserted using a standard piercing needle or a dermal punch. They require a bit more pressure than your average piercing but are quite easy to put into place. They heal up rather quickly and require fairly low-maintenance.
Things to consider when thinking about getting a surface anchor:
They are quite easy to get but they do require some experience with the design of the jewelry in order to remove them if necessary. For the most part, a body piercer should be able to remove a surface anchor with a standard piercing needle.
A good spot on the body for a surface anchor is anyplace that has a somewhat solid "base" to it (arms, backs, temples, forehead, legs, etc). There are a few areas of the body where they just won't sit secure enough to heal properly (lips, genitals, tongue, etc).
As a whole, the piercing community cannot say for sure what the "long-term" effects of surface anchors are; they are just surpassing the developmental stages. Though, with a lot of confidence, we can say that they are working out and healing above and beyond what we thought they would be doing!
If you have any other questions on body-branding, dermal punching, and/or surface anchors, please let us know!
Thanks and be safe!!