Body piercing is considered to be slightly outlying on the list of forms of ‘acceptable’ personal decoration and modes of accessorizing.  Ears are frequently pierced, both female and male, but the nose ring, the eyebrow ring, the lip ring, not to mention others, are still considered to be just outside the mainstream.  This is despite efforts of young people across the nation.  Most companies still require employees to remove facial piercings and tongue piercings before coming to work, in an effort to maintain professionalism.  Despite this work-related stigma and granny’s stares, young people seem determined to express themselves by punching holes in their body and hanging some sort of ornamentation from the hole.

One concern regarding body piercings is safety.  Insofar as safety is concerned, for piercing, titanium jewelry is by far and large the best way to go.  Other metals react more to the skin that they are in contact with.  Regardless of the type of metal used in the piercing, body piercings take a LONG time to heal; during this healing period, the piercing is at an even higher risk of becoming infected.  One way to lower the risk is in choosing the right metal.  Piercing titanium jewelry is the best way to go.

Titanium is non-reactive to human skin; it is also the toughest jewelry on the market.  While sterling silver is a popular jewelry choice (seemingly becoming more and more popular recently), sterling jewelry that is to be inserted (posts of earrings, for example) are coated with white gold or stainless steel in order to avoid silver’s contact with the skin.  Actually, it’s the nickel in sterling silver that causes the problem, but regardless of its source, sterling silver is problematic when it comes to insertion points.

18K gold is better for insertion than 14K gold.  For piercing, titanium jewelry is better than all of the aforementioned options.  It will not discolor your skin as sterling silver will do, and it has a lower rate of infection than the other standard options for piercing. There are a few other jewelry metals available for piercing; titanium jewelry remains at the top of the list.

Titanium is not only for piercing.  Titanium jewelry is quickly growing in popularity, especially for wedding bands and engagement rings.  Introduced for its quality of being virtually impossible to scratch, it became popular with active men and women who believed their rings might suffer more than the average amount of horseplay.  Titanium rings may not be the best bet if you use dangerous machinery; it is impossible to cut them off in the event of an emergency. 

While titanium rings have their advantages and disadvantages, for piercing, titanium jewelry seems to be, unquestionably, the best choice.

If you are serious about body piercing, titanium jewelry is serious about protecting the freshly pierced skin, and providing you with years of comfort and durability.  Other materials available are stainless steel, 18 karat gold, acrylic and to a lesser extent pyrex.  Implant grade titanium has quickly become the material of choice for those in the industry and in the know, and it is not surprising that more and more body piercing studios stock a large variety of titanium jewelry.

For your body piercing, titanium jewelry is probably the smartest choice, simply because it does not react with any body fluids.  It does not matter if you have a pierced tongue or belly button; the metal will not trigger any allergic reactions, skin irritation, or become discolored after a prolonged contact with your saliva or other body fluids. This is of course great news for anyone who has ever had an allergic reaction to a piercing before. Usually these reactions happen when nickel is somehow found in the piece of jewelry you are wearing.  You may have noticed that necklaces and rings containing nickel leave a bit of a green mark when rubbing against your skin and combining with sweat. With titanium you will not have to worry about these impurities.

Of course, for those who like to wear highly polished pieces in their piercing, titanium jewelry also has other benefits.  As its inclusion in the aerospace industry has shown, this lightweight material is practically indestructible and will retain its high polish and beautiful shiny surface for years to come.

Piercing titanium jewelry comes in a variety of styles and for many different uses:
• Titanium belly button rings are perfect for your navel piercing.  The steel is colored in any number of ways, and may sometimes even display a little crystal. The top ball is usually 5 mm and the bottom measures about 8mm.

• Titanium curved barbells are perfect for nipple and eyebrow piercing. The cones on the end make a simple fashion statement while the length of 10 mm is perfect for the sensitive areas surrounding the eyebrow and nipple areas.

• Earrings have always been in fashion, and it is not surprising that titanium jewelry for your ear piercing can now be found at almost all reputable jewelry stores.

Because of the wide variety of styles available, you will be able to find something that fits any mood, style, and also budget. 

So go ahead and add some titanium to your piercing and enjoy the light weight and beautiful color display you will soon have. Be assured that the titanium will be kind to your skin and body, and will not get discolored at any time.  Additionally, because of the cleanliness this material affords the wearer, you will be able to cut down on your risk of infection considerably!