What to Expect with Anatomy Checks and Piercings

At Eden, we see day in and day out how no two people are the same — especially not their bodies. That’s why we do everything in our power to give our clients the best experience and safest for them. For our piercing clients, anatomy checks play a key role in making sure people get the looks they want without potentially compromising their safety and well-being. We want you to enjoy your piercings for as long as possible, after all!

What are anatomy checks? Why do they matter for piercings?

Anatomy checks are a way for a body piercer to check to see if the piercing someone wants is even viable. We’ll take a look at the area so be sure there is enough tissue to support the desired piercing, and that the chosen jewelry will not interact with any other existing piercings or put pressure on your tissue.

Anatomy checks matter for a number of reasons. The biggest are the safety of the client and piercing lifespan. We want to make sure that the piercing lasts, and to do that, our piercer has to make sure that the piercing itself won’t have issues due to lack of supporting tissue or the natural ways our bodies move. If your body pushes, rubs or interferes with the jewelry, it can lead to irritation, migration, or even rejection. We also want to make sure the clothes you regularly wear or any other aspect of your life, like riding a motorcycle or playing sports, won’t negatively affect the piercing. Your piercing deserves the best chance to heal, even if you have suitable anatomy! 

Common piercings and how they are affected by anatomy checks

Nipple piercings

Despite being a very common piercing, these are definitely a part of your anatomy we have to make sure can handle the piercing. Nipples come in all different shapes and sizes that may need to be accommodated in different ways. For example an inverted nipple requires a different technique to piece than a protruding nipple, a more unique shape may call for the piercing to be done at a non-horizontal angle, and each client is sized at the time of piercing for the correct bar length. 

Navel piercings

Innies, outies, and everything in between — navel piercings require anatomy checks because each belly button varies wildly from another. We’re not saying that your unique belly button makes it impossible for you to have a navel piercing, but we might need to consider a specific jewelry style to make it work. A navel that collapses when sitting or standing will require “floating navel” style jewelry with a low profile bottom piece and the bigger gem on top. Not every navel is able to be pierced though, we will always check that there is enough of a “lip” to the navel before piercing to ensure its best chances of healing properly, so having a back up plan is the way to go. 

Industrials and other ear piercings

Anything involving the upper ear and cartilage can get very tricky. Everyone’s ears are different; most people have unique features that make their left ear slightly different from their right! A traditional industrial is something very few people have the anatomy for whether it be due to not having enough of a curve on the side of your ear to support the jewelry or the flat part coming too far forward, which could put pressure on the jewelry resulting in embedding, migration, or total rejection. Many other piercings in the ear will require similar anatomy checks, mostly to be sure there is enough tissue to support the piercing and that the jewelry will sit comfortably after being pierced. 

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At Eden Body Art Studio, we take care of each client who visits us, whether they’re coming in for a custom tattoo or visiting our expert body piercer. We want to ensure that each client leaves happy and satisfied for years to come with their decisions. To learn more about our piercing services, click here. If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment, you can fill out our booking form.