Piercing Questions
The prices vary depending on the location of the piercing and the cost of the jewelry. For basic piercing prices click below. Feel free to schedule a jewelry curation appointment if you would like to look at jewelry and get a price on a specific piece before scheduling a piercing appointment. You can schedule on the pricing page or give us a call at 406-728-1191
Piercing prices
No, we only preform fresh piercings with never before worn jewelry purchased at the shop to ensure the jewelry's hygiene and quality.
Our standards for quality fall in line with the Association of Professional Pierces guidelines.
- Jewelry we carry is implant titanium ASTM-136, solid 18 karat gold (or higher), Niobium, and fused quartz glass.
- All threaded or press-fit jewelry must have internal tapping. No threads on posts to cause tissue damage with insertion.
- All surfaces and ends must be smooth, free on nicks, scratches, burrs and all polishing must have a consistent mirror finish.
Body jewelry is worn inside a wound and is contact with your internal tissues and only certain products are acceptable. The style, size, material and quality of your initial piece of jewelry all effect your ability to heal. Of all the numerous materials available, few have proven appropriate to wear in fresh piercings. the material worn in an initial piercing must:
- be able to withstand the heat and pressure of autoclave sterilization
- be inert and compatible with the body so it doesn't cause irritation, allergy or infection.
Titanium is a lightweight metal that is ideal for people with concerns with metal allergies, in particular - nickel sensitivities.
Gold has a long history - thousands of years - of proving appropriate in initial piercings
Niobium is similar to titanium but does not have the implant grade designation. It is the only black anodized metal we carry.
Fused Quartz glass is inert and can be autoclaved
For hygiene purposes, jewelry cannot be returned or exchanged under any circumstances. If you would like to purchase jewelry, we are available to put it in for you to ensure that you have exactly the right fit. We recommend not purchasing jewelry for other people as gifts unless you are sure what size is needed - this includes length or diameter and gauge. We have gift cards available that can be used toward jewelry, piercings and tattoos.
It depends on what you are wanting to get pierced. We do ear lobes on minors 5 years and up. Everything else is generally 13 and up. Please click the link below to check age restrictions on individual piercings. The exception to this is all surface anchors, nipples and genital piercings are 18 years and older.
We do not pierce younger then 5 because we require consent to do a piercing.
For minors: Montana state law requires that all minors getting pierced or tattooed must have parent/guardian presence during the entirety of the procedure. The parent must sign a waiver of consent for the minor to be pierced or tattooed. Both the parent AND the minor must provide valid phot IDs at the time of the appointment as well as the original documentation of a birth certificate or guardianship papers. The signing parents name must be on the birth certificate.
Stepparents are NOT allowed to consent for stepchildren unless they are able to provide adoption papers proving guardianship. For special guardianship situations please give the shop a call at 406-728-1191 to determine what documentation you will need to bring to your appointment.
The only exception is that minors under 13 getting ear lobes pierced are not required to have a photo ID, but the signing parent must still provide photo ID along with an original birth certificate.
We except drivers' licenses, school ID cards, Montana state ID cards and passports as valid photo ID.
age restrictions
We recommend no more than 4 piercings at once for effective healing purposes. This can vary depending on the location of the piercings and individual factors. This can be discussed in person during your appointment.
Absolutely! We are here for you for the duration of your piercing!
You can give us a call at 406-728-1191, email us at 5thstreetinktattoo@gmail.com, or schedule a piercing checkup or jewelry consultation in the link below
book an appointment
Downsizing refers to switching the jewelry in a piercing to a shorter post once any initial swelling has subsided.
Because of the way piercings heal, most require initial jewelry with a noticeable amount of extra room to allow the tissue to swell in the early phases of healing. This is crucial to avoid the jewelry embedding into the skin.
Once this initial swelling has gone away it will reveal the extra room and result in the jewelry being too long for the piercing.
Jewelry that is too long can easily snag and move around excessively, leading to irritation and renewed swelling. The excessive length may lead to migration or a change in the angle of the piercing, especially if the piercing gets slept on. This damage can be irreversible and may lead to the piercing failing.
In oral piercings excessively long jewelry can lead to damaged teeth, gums or other oral structures.
We will give you an approximate time when it is safe to change your jewelry. Please make a jewelry change appointment at this time so we can take a look at your piercing and see if is ready for the downsize.
We offer a 50% discount on the downsized bar if you purchase it at the same time you get your initial piercing. We will give this purchase to you in the form of a jewelry deposit as we would like to look at your piercing before downsizing to make sure it is ready.
The deposits are good for 6 months because after that the window to downsize before you begin to experience problems with the length of your jewelry has passed.
We do this to encourage you to follow up and take the best care of your piercing as possible!
book an appointment
While piercing guns may seem like a quick, easy and convenient way to create holes, they have major drawbacks in terms of sterility, tissue damage and inappropriate jewelry design.
Piercing guns cannot be sterilized. Even if the antiseptic wipes or plastic barriers used were able to kill all pathogens on contact or prevent surface contamination, they do not prevent blood that is aerosolized by piercing to contaminate the inside of the gun and inside its working parts, and there is no guarantee that the gun was wiped down properly.
It is well documented in the medical community that many blood borne pathogens and microorganisms can live on the surface of an item for extended periods of time without proper sterilization.
Piercing guns can malfunction and require taking out a half-inserted piece of jewelry, which may cause blood flow in the general area, and the removal can be done with tools that have not or cannot be properly sterilized.
Though slightly pointy in appearance, piercing studs are quite dull compared to piercing needles. Piercings done with piercing guns are accomplished by using excessive pressure to force the metal through the skin. The result is more like a crush injury and causes similar tissue damage. In cartilage the result of this excessive pressure shatter cartilage. Medically, this is referred to as blunt force trauma.
A sharp surgical needle slides smoothy through the skin causing significantly less damage.
Piercing studs are "one size fits all" and may not allow for swelling, increasing the probability of imbedded jewelry. (See "why it is important to downsize jewelry" above for initial piercing specifications)
While a piercing has the potential to be a temporary body adornment there is a risk of irreversible changes to the body including discoloration, a mark or scar, bump, dimple, or a permanent hole. This can happen even when the piercing is preformed properly, and the healing is uneventful.
Many piercings shrink or close quickly after jewelry is removed, but some piercings will remain open indefinitely. The placement of the piercing, the length of time you have had it, the thickness of the jewelry along with your individual tissue can all have an impact on whether or not your piercing stays viable after removing the jewelry.
Piercings that are stretched to large dimensions commonly leave significant voids that may be considered disfiguring. To correct them plastic surgery is required.
Scarring and discoloration can be relatively normal if you have a history of darkened scars.
Migration often leaves a small track of scarring or discoloration from where the piercing was originally placed.
Rejection usually leaves a split scar.
Excessive scarring can sometimes occur in reaction to a piercing and can be difficult to resolve. If you have a history of scarring and keloids (large growths of fibrous tissue) a piercing is generally not advised.
Migration (the piercing moves from its original placement)
Rejection (the jewelry is completely expelled from the body)
Can happen if unsuitable or insufficient tissue is pierced, if the jewelry is too small in diameter, too thin of a gauge, or is of poor quality.
Migration and rejection can also result from using too harsh of an aftercare product, poor health habits, or experiencing excessive physical trauma or emotional stress during the healing period.
Unfortunately, sometimes when everything is done properly a piercing can migrate or reject for no reason. This is simply a risk of placing a foreign object in your skin.
If you think your piercing is rejecting or migrating, you can make a piercing checkup appointment here
Book an appointement
If you believe that there is an issue with your piercing, please contact us so that we can take a look at it for you. You can give us a call at 406-728-1191 or click the link below to schedule a checkup appointment
We cannot diagnose an infection as we do not have a medical license, but typically complications such as irritation or allergy are far more common.
Please do not remove your jewelry if you think you have an infection. Simply taking out the jewelry may not resolve the problem and if an infection is present may result in the more serios problem of an abscess forming. Most piercing complications can be resolved without the piercing being lost. even temporary removal of jewelry can result in a rapid closing of the piercing channel and make reinsertion difficult or even impossible.
It is normal for a piercing to be tender with slight redness for the first couple of days. There is also a normal secretion that can be whitish- yellow that forms a small amount of crystalline- appearing crust at the opening of the piercing, and slight swelling is common in the early phases of healing.
Signs of infection can be:
- Redness (not the slight redness mentioned above)
- Swelling and hardness of the piercing site
- Pain or a hot sensation at and around the piercing site
- Thick yellow to green discharge from the piercing.
- Intense pain
Please see a medical professional immediately if you are experiencing:
- severe redness, swelling and sever intense pain
- have a large amount of discharge that is thick, green, yellow or grey and smells bad
- have red streaks coming from the piercing site
- take steroids or have a chronic illness or other health condition and are experiencing signs of infection
- Have symptoms that last for a week or get worse
- Experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, dizziness or disorientation
Book an Appointement
The short answer is that we require a note from your physician clearing you for a piercing
Some things to consider would be that your body's immune system can undergo some serious changes during pregnancy that may have a negative effect on healing and may even prevent piercings received shortly before becoming pregnant to heal properly. Sometimes even healed piercings may act up while you are pregnant.
There may also be a risk that if you experience a complication such as an infection that there may be negative impacts.
We recommend that you let your body focus on the important, complex and demanding task that it is handling already.
There are several piercings that we check your anatomy to see if we think the piercing will be viable. Migration or rejection is common when unsuitable or insufficient tissue is pierced (see "what causes migration or rejection above)
To see if a piercing is anatomy specific click here
piercing services
In surface anchor piercings, a tiny ornament is inserted into a single opening that is formed in the tissue with the same tools that are used for body piercing. They are placed on flat areas of the body.
It is expected that at some point, generally between 6 months and a couple of years, the body is likely to reject this type of adornment - pushing it out like a sliver. Since there is only one point of entry, there is nothing holding the piercing in - unlike a piercing that has an entry and an exit with a piece of jewelry going through both and holding it in.
The lifespan is likely lower in areas that experience a lot of movement and receive a lot of friction from clothing. Placement in areas that are not exposed to physical trauma and snags are recommended.
Surface anchors can safely be removed with standard piercing tools and techniques usually.
An origination of professional piercers from across the world that has come together to create safe and uniform regulations on body piercing with the highest sanitation and jewelry quality standards. They further education as the industry strives to continually learn and grow.
The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is an international health and safety organization. It is a nonprofit voluntary alliance dedicated to the dissemination of information about body piercing. Governed by a voluntary elected Board of Directors, the APP is a united group of piercing professionals that freely shares information to help fellow members, piercers, health care professionals, legislators, health inspectors, and the general public get the best and most up-to-date information about body piercing.
THE APP
- Provides a professional association for piercers
- Encourages piercers to meet and/or exceed the APP Member Requirements and provides an avenue to show the public that this standard is being met.
- Provides piercers, legislators, and the public with support and assistance in drafting appropriate legislation in the industry.
- Provides piercing technique, business, and health education classes at our Annual Conference & Exposition for piercers, health inspectors, and others related to the industry.
- Provides educational and informational materials, including consumer-oriented brochures available in the APP Store, and resources for piercers, like our Health and Safety Procedure Manual, Online Courses, Suggested Apprenticeship Guidelines & Curriculum, and other Publications.
- Publishes The Point: Journal of Body Piercing, a quarterly professional journal dedicated to piercing related news and information for individuals in the industry.
- Attends and is involved in health related conferences.
- Provides information and professional opinions to the media, when requested and in response to erroneous information and articles about body piercing.
- Presents lectures to students, health care professionals, and other related groups.
- Has Membership Types for professional piercers and non-piercers who support safe piercing.
- Staffs an email/phone response system for individuals with questions regarding piercing.
- Maintains a comprehensive website with information for piercers, piercees, educators, legislators, health care professionals, and anyone else with questions about body piercing.
Always talk to the person preforming your Botox or filler about your concerns and get their advice. They perform the service and at this time would have more industry information than us.
The information we have gathered seems to unanimously say that you should wait two weeks after a Botox treatment to get a piercing in that area.
Filler is recommended 6 to 8 weeks. Filler is basically made of hyaluronic acid and does eventually integrate into the tissue. However, it takes longer and the swelling from the procedure can last longer.
The overall concern seems to be that any swelling or moving of tissue could move your piercing with it - so we do not get an accurate location when we do the piercing, and it can end up in a slightly different location from your tissue moving. this would not be considered a piercing migration or rejection issue.