Age
From BMEzine Encyclopedia
Almost every quality studio in the world adheres to a strict policy of an age of 18 being required to get either tattoos or piercings. This is primarily for social and legal reasons, rather than technical reasons. Most studios will allow some piercings such as ears and navels to be done at age 16, and there is definitely variation based on societal norms.
The only normal exception to the age rule is if there is parental consent for the modification being performed. It should be noted that parental consent does not mean just a note from your mother. The parent needs to be present at the studio, and both the parent and the child need to present photo identification.
Yes, there are unethical studios that do not have these requirements. No, this wiki will not tell you which ones or how to find them... but here's a hint: they're the crappy studios that you should avoid. If you're underage and stupid, the worst studio you can find will probably pierce or tattoo you. But, if you're underage and intelligent, then you should find the best studio you can, wait till you're 18, and then get quality work done that you'll be happy with for a long time into your adulthood.
It should be noted that the technical reasons for denying piercings to young people, such as "your body is still growing," are dubious at best.
The Arguement Against Underage Piercing
Physically, there are a few piercings that shouldn't be done on growing tissue; primarily, this means nipple piercings, but if you are still growing, it certainly could include things like navel piercings as well. The other reasons for not getting pierced underage are largely the same as for adults, including(and this is only a tiny percentage of the risks):
- The long- and short-term social implications. It's not right, but you will probably take some abuse for your piercings, if they are visible. You will need to work twice as hard to get equal access to schooling, employment, and general services.
- There is a strong chance that you will get some scarring (or a lot of scarring) and that this scarring will not go away without expensive surgery (and even then, there are no promises).
- You will probably be forced to go to either a low-end studio or do the piercing outside of a studio, both of which are undesirable options because you won't be getting the best piercing possible.
- If you stretch the piercing and change your mind, you will be left with an ugly deformity that can only be corrected with the aid of cosmetic surgery, and, even then, you may be left with a nasty scar.
All in all, outside of the few body parts that shouldn't be pierced while they are still growing, the debate over age requirements is largely political. Assuming that the person is mature enough to properly take care of their piercing and understand its implications, there is no real reason why a young person can't handle a piercing.
Fake IDs
Never, never, never do this! Obviously, there's always the chance that you could get in trouble yourself, but more realistically, you might be screwing over the studio in some states. Many places put the onus on verifying the validity of a piece of ID on the studio. What that means is that if you get pierced using a fake ID, and then your parents freak out, the studio could be in major trouble. It is not unheard of for one stupid kid with a fake ID to actually put a studio out of business. Don't do it!
