APP/Other Body Mods

TATTOOS * BODY PIERCING * SURFACE/DERMAL ANCHORS * BRANDING

APP/Other Body Mods

The Association of Professional Piercers

The Association of Professional Piercers (A.P.P.) is a non-profit international health and safety organization run by volunteers and dedicated to the dissemination of information about safe body piercing.

The A.P.P. is an organization with the highest standard of health, safety, and sterile and/or aseptic techniques. Members of the A.P.P. must adhere to very strict guidelines in the way that their shops are 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 well-educated in the areas of aseptic technique, cross-contamination, as well as airborne and/or bloodborne pathogens. Members of the A.P.P. must also be First-Aid certified and CPR certified.

There is much more to know about the A.P.P. so check out their website at www.safepiercing.org or let us know if you have any questions. Chuck and Brittany are currently the only A.P.P. members in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

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 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 hurt worse to tattoo than to brand!

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, in a technical sense, is more "permanent" than a tattoo 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. Your genes will determine the way in which your scar will look like during and after the healing process. The more prone you are to keloids/keloiding, the more "raised-up" your scar will heal. Everyone heals differently and at different speeds and thus the final look of a brand varies greatly from person to person.

Surface/Dermal Anchors

Surface/Dermal anchors are a somewhat "new procedure" for the piercing industry; though the mainstream piercing industry itself is only a few decades old, Surface/Dermal anchors are the newest addition to body piercing. For those familiar with transdermal implants and/or surface piercings; this is a mix between the two. Surface/Dermal anchors have the look of a single-point piercing.

The actual surface/dermal anchor resembles an upside down "T". They heal up rather quickly and are fairly low-maintenance. That being said, not all piercers are able to insert these properly and comfortably. It takes an experienced body piercer to do these correctly.

The best spots on the body for a surface/dermal anchor are places/areas that have a somewhat solid "base" or bakcing (arms, backs, temples, forehead, legs, etc). There are areas of the body where surface/dermal anchors will not sit securely enough to heal properly (lips, genitals, tongue, etc) and a traditional piercing should be considered.

As with any non-traditional body piercing, surface/dermal anchors carry with them a risk of scarring, rejection, migration. It is best to let your piercer know if you have any concerns and/or questions about a healing or even a healed piercing. The average lifespan of a surface/dermal anchor is generally anywhere from 6 months to 2 years or more.

Feel free to email us at info@deadrockstar.net or call us at 701.277.7100 with any questions you may have.

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