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Skin Prep for Clients

Both myself and many of my peers post videos of us doing piercings and piercing content on our social media. And without fail, one of the most common questions, the most repeated comments is “What is that orange stuff? What are you putting on the skin?” I wanted to answer this once and for all and have a place to direct folks when they ask. So let’s talk about it- skin prep!


Skin prep is the process used to prepare the skin before piercing. This process disinfects the skin, removing gross debris and applying an antiseptic solution designed to kill harmful microbes and bacteria on the surface of the skin. Scientific evidence shows that alcohol-based anti-septic solutions for surgical preparation of intact skin are most effective in reducing antimicrobial activity. Iodine or the “orange stuff” is another skin prep commonly used in piercing, and it is known to destroy the DNA and microbial proteins of pathogens.


Bacteria and germs are everywhere. They live on surfaces all our our homes and places of work, all over nature, and all over our skin. When we are about to knowingly create a wound in the skin, it's imperative that we clean the area to remove any potentially harmful microorganisms that might naturally live on the surface of our skin. All it takes is the broken skin to create an entry point where staph, MRSA, or other infections could take hold. For this reason, piercers will clean and prep the area to be pierced to ensure that nothing harmful can be introduced via the piercing.


Many piercers do this with a two-step prep. We clean the area with alcohol first, to remove any gross debris- makeup, bits of hair, dead skin cells, etc. Then, after we mark and determine the placement for the piercing, we prep a second time with iodine. This colored solution kills any remaining bacteria on the surface and allows us to visually see what areas we have already prepped to ensure that we are careful where we touch when working.


Not every piercer uses a two-step prep. For example, one of my former coworkers has an iodine allergy- so using something he’s allergic to every day is not ideal. He works with a single-step prep of CHG to clean the area prior to piercing CHG or chlorhexidine gluconate is another surgical skin prep used to prep the body for surgery. Other piercers might use a two-step alcohol prep, especially if clients have certain skin allergies. I personally use 5 different types of skin prep depending on the area I'm piercing, the client, any allergies or skin condition concerns, etc.


Regardless of what product your piercer uses, properly prepping and cleaning the skin before piercing is an essential part of ensuring a safe, clean, healthy piercing. So next time you see a piercer seem to be smearing a cotton swab full of barbecue sauce on a client in a video, you’ll know that that’s just iodine, and the piercer is doing a good job keeping their clients safe and healthy!









 
 
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