The Difference Between Legal and Best Practice

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding body piercing is that legal requirements automatically represent best practice.

They don’t.

And just because a business is open doesn’t mean they are trained or offering safe practices.

Current vic public health regulations focus on environmental factors, which is important but anyone regardless of if they have training or  not can open a piercing studio. And we see this regularly. I piercer might work at a franchise for a few months then open their own shop. Its not hard to access low quality jewellery or equipment its the quality suppliers that make you apply for an account. And so they should, its not about restricting access its about not ruining their reputation.

Even with the little there is on environmental criteria there is far less and its almost non excitant guidance surrounding jewellery quality.

There are no definitions as to what implant-grade materials are that a studio must use, there differently is no regulation on jewellery design suitability for fresh piercings and many consumers are completely unaware of this. 

Because of this universal flaw, professional piercers around the world have spent decades developing evidence-based standards that go well beyond the legal minimum requirements and they create a new minimum standard to work off.

These standards to name a few cover:

• implant-grade jewellery materials
• jewellery manufacturing standards
• mirror-polished finishes
• sterilisation procedures
• studio design
• cross-contamination prevention
• practitioner education.

Cherrycore is proud to be the first studio in Victoria to consist of a team dedicated to membership of these professional organisations working within our studio alongside some of Australia's most experienced body piercers.

Its important to highlight the Minimum is the base, not the goal and its easy for business and piercers pitch best practice and standards as marking while failing to even understand what that means but membership is evidence.  And while id argue there isn’t a need for membership in the same capacity it once was there is definitely a need now more than ever for these organisations and for them to lift standards higher.  Its almost like we had a lack of access to information and now there is an abundance mixed with false information spoken as if its truth. Welcome to the world of AI generated blogs and lazy companies and piercers with no credible education.

 

Experience Matters

Body piercing has unfortunately developed a reputation as a casual weekend job.

The reality is that there is currently no nationally recognised trade qualification dedicated specifically to body piercing in Australia.

Many commercial courses advertise training that lasts only a few days.

Compare that with most skilled trades or healthcare professions, where education continues for years under supervision.

Body piercing involves anatomy, wound healing, aseptic technique, jewellery materials, sterilisation, cross-contamination prevention, complications, client assessment, and aftercare.

If you think about it, can you imagine having to learning about common medications, anatomy and physiology, wound management, bacteria & viruses, cross contamination prevention all before even learning were a dot goes and the artistry of piercing in the space of a week.. it’s not possible.

Most people need 3 months to see if a work place is even the right fit so how can some one learn all they need in 1wk. When we compare to other industries hair dressing is a 3years apprenticeship and I can tell you first hand, being a basic piercer you can learn the act of piercing in a 2wks, getting over the nervous basic aftercare. Hair dressing is way harder comparing in a beginning sense but to an expert in piercing is harder in the long term. Why? Piercing you need to learn other industries to be good at your own, hair not so much. Once you are skilled in cutting hair you can learn new things and evolve but its different from learning new industries, in hair you have to learn new products but its not the same as learning new jewellery suppliers and needing to be familiar with 20 brands at once. Dont get me wrong hair dressing is hard, ever client is different and working with peoples image is a massive undertaking, its physically and mentally exhausting and I would say a lot of hair dressers are underpaid for what they do. But in a comparison of educational requirements I actually think its closer to a 6-10yr of study for a fully rounded piercing.

Most piercers take 2 years for fundamentals further 2- 4 years to be fluid skilled piercers in advanced practices and a further study for jewellery and anatomy in advance areas.

It is why the APP states a piercer shouldn’t be a mentor before they have been piercing for at lease 5years. You need to have the basics to an expertise first. And in todays age piercers with as little as 3 months of training open studios because they can. Its dangerous because piercers often work alone with out guidance after short course and no one is correcting them, it can create a sense of excellence where non exists.

If I can say that after 23yrs of being a professional piercer I’m still learning that means there is a lot to learn. While I maybe more focused of jewellery and natural stone formation at this point in my career thats not to say I don’t get excited to learn or improve techniques. 

You should ask your piercer how long they have been piercing for, you should not just assume its so simple because it can be dangerous and deforming. Experience is about thousands of piercings, continuing education, and constantly refining your standards. Its not to say some one can’t be technically skilled in 6months of preforming the act of piercing, they absolutely can but that doesn’t mean they can be left with out supervision.

There is a different between being passed for technical ability and being passed for knowledge.

 

The Difference Between Legal and Best Practice

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding body piercing is that legal requirements automatically represent best practice.

They don't.

And just because a business is open doesn't mean the people performing the piercings are well trained or working to a high standard.

In Victoria, the Public Health Regulations focus largely on environmental requirements. That's important, but the reality is that  anyone can open a piercing studio regardless of how much practical experience or education they have and with out insurance. We see it all the time. A piercer might work at a franchise for a few months before opening their own studio. Can you imagine if any other trade did this! You would never use an electrician that openly said I have 3 month of training and no insurance.

Getting hold of low-quality jewellery and equipment isn't difficult. In fact, it's incredibly easy. The suppliers that produce high-quality jewellery are usually the ones that require you to apply for an account. And rightly so. It's not about restricting access - it's about protecting the quality of their products and their reputation.

Where things really begin to fall apart is jewellery.

There is very little guidance surrounding jewellery quality, and almost no meaningful definition of what constitutes implant-grade jewellery, nor are there regulations that determine whether jewellery is appropriately designed for a fresh piercing.

Most consumers have absolutely no idea this gap exists.

Because of this, professional piercers around the world have spent decades developing evidence-based standards that go far beyond the legal minimum. In many ways, the professional industry has created its own benchmark for what safe, modern piercing should look like.

These standards cover things such as:

• Implant-grade jewellery materials
• Jewellery manufacturing standards
• Mirror-polished finishes
• Sterilisation procedures
• Studio design
• Cross-contamination prevention
• Ongoing practitioner education

Cherrycore is proud to be the first studio in Victoria built around a team committed to membership within these professional organisations. In fact I was Victoria's first APP & AUPP member for the state and my team includes some of  Australia's most experienced body piercers.

I think it's important to remember that minimum standards are exactly that - the minimum. They are the foundation, not the goal.

These days it's easy for studios to throw around terms like best practice, industry leading, luxury piercing and highest standards.

They're great marketing phrases, but they don't actually mean anything unless there's evidence behind them.

For me, membership in these organisations has always been one piece of that evidence. Not because membership alone makes someone a great piercer, but because it demonstrates a commitment to continual education and accountability.

To be honest, I don't think membership carries quite the same weight today as it once did. Information is far more accessible than it was twenty years even 10years ago, and that's a wonderful thing.

The problem is that accurate information now sits beside misinformation, AI-generated blogs and people confidently presenting opinions as facts.

We've gone from having too little information to having an overwhelming amount of it, and that's exactly why credible education matters more than ever.

Experience Matters

Body piercing has unfortunately developed a reputation as being a casual weekend job.

The reality couldn't be more different.

Australia still doesn't have a nationally recognised trade qualification dedicated specifically to body piercing, and many commercial training providers advertise courses that can be completed in just a few days.

Now stop and think about everything a professional piercer actually needs to understand.

Anatomy.

Physiology.

Wound healing.

Blood-borne pathogens.

Cross-contamination prevention.

Sterilisation.

Jewellery materials.

Implant-grade manufacturing.

Complications.

Medication interactions.

Client assessment.

Aftercare.

Then, after learning all of that, you still have to master the artistry of piercing itself.

Can anyone realistically learn all of that in a week?

Of course not.

Most people need three months just to work out whether a new workplace is the right fit for them. Yet somehow we're expected to believe someone can become a competent, independent piercer in the same amount of time it takes to go on holiday.

People often assume piercing is easy because the physical act of placing jewellery through skin can actually be learnt fairly quickly.

The act of piercing isn't the hard part, a bad piercing is still a piercings.

Its everything surrounding the motion of doing piercing, its doing it correctly and with knowledge to support every clients different needs.

I've worked as both a hairdresser and a piercer, and I often compare the two.

Hairdressing has a three-year apprenticeship, and rightly so. Learning to cut, colour and style hair takes enormous dedication. Every client is different, and you're working with people's confidence every single day.

But I'd argue that becoming an expert piercer takes even longer.

Not because piercing is physically harder.

Because you don't just learn piercing - you end up learning parts of half a dozen other professions as well.

You need to understand jewellery manufacturing.

Metallurgy.

Gemmology.

Anatomy.

Microbiology.

Sterilisation.

Wound care.

Photography.

Client psychology.

Business.

You never really stop learning.

The Association of Professional Piercers recommends that a piercer shouldn't mentor others until they have at least five years of professional experience.

I think that's a sensible benchmark.

You need to become an expert in the fundamentals before you can responsibly teach someone else the basics.

Unfortunately, today's industry often allows people with only a few months of experience to open their own studios simply because they legally can.

That's where things become dangerous.

Many new piercers work completely alone after completing a short course. There's nobody checking their work, correcting poor habits or challenging their decision-making. Over time, that can create a false sense of confidence that simply isn't backed by experience.

After more than twenty-three years as a professional piercer, I'm still learning.

These days my interests might lean more towards jewellery manufacturing, natural gemstones and refining advanced techniques, but I still get excited every time I learn something new.

That, to me, is what professionalism looks like.

You should absolutely ask your piercer how long they've been piercing.

Not because years automatically make someone good, but because experience matters.

Experience isn't just about how well someone can physically perform a piercing.

It's about the thousands of piercings they've completed, the complications they've managed, the continuing education they've pursued and the standards they've chosen to uphold.

Someone may become technically proficient within six months.

That doesn't mean they're ready to work without supervision.

There's a very real difference between being signed off on technical ability and possessing the knowledge that only comes with years of experience. 

Personally I think a piercers need community with other piercers, creative input and accountability go along way in the first 6 years of being a piercer and this benefits the public immensely.