Den gamle regel.
Ifølge EU direktiv 76/769/EEC og EU direktiv 94/27/EC omhandlende nikkel i smykker m.m. der kommer i direkte og længere varende kontakt med hud, fremover må smykkematerialer der bruges i piercinger ikke afgive mere nikkel end 0,5 ug/cm2/om ugen. I øjeblikket afventer Europa parlamentet en acceptabel test metode fra CEN ( den europæiske organisation for standardisering). Så snart denne test godkendes skal alle EU medlemslande ophøje direktiverne til lov.
Fra Jan. år 2000 gælder følgende regler for produkter som kommer i tæt og langvarig kontakt med huden.
Nye krav til bla. piercings smykker, som betyder at STÅL KIRURGISK 316 L. ikke må anvendes til førstegangs piercinger da de indeholder mere end 0,05 % nikkel. (typisk 6 til 15 %). Det må derimod gerne bruges i helede piercinger, da en helet piercing ikke er at betragte som åben eller beskadiget hud . Kirurgisk stål 316 L. afgiver ikke nikkel i den mængde der overskrider grænsen på 0,5 ug/cm2/om ugen. Der vil blive en overgangs periode på 18 måneder. i detail- butikker.
Vi opfylder allerede kravene nu , så vi anvender kun TITANIUM eller IMPLANTANIUM® (Nickel Negativ)i 1.gangs piercinger hvis i ønsker det.
Alt guld som forarbejdes til smykker skal legeres med andre materialer for at opnå tilstrækkelig styrke. Guld findes, i flere forskellige karat der angiver hvor meget guld de indeholder. 24 karat er rent guld, 18 karat er 75% guld og 14 karat er 58,5% guld. Smykker med et lavere guld - indhold må ikke sælges som guldsmykker. Guld fås også i forskellige farver. De mest anvendte er hvidguld og rødguld. Rødguld er det mest anvendte i Skandinavien og indeholder guld, sølv og kobber. Hvidguld indeholder guld, sølv, kobber og palladium. I Skandinavien er alt det hvidguld der bearbejdes nikkel fri, mens det ofte indeholder nikkel hvis det købes andre steder. Guldsmykker fungerer udmærket som piercing smykker, selv om der har været enkelte der har reageret allergisk, når guld har været brugt som førstegangs smykke.
At sætte sølv i kontakt med huden i en nylavet piercing er en fejltagelse. Udover at sølv misfarver og bliver sort, får mange mennesker allergiske reaktioner af sølv, især i nye piercinger. Vi anvender aldrig sølv i den del af smykket der går igennem selve piercingen. Sølv findes i et utal af legeringer og den eneste der kan komme på tale er 925 sterling sølv.
( ikke længere til 1. gangs piercinger)
Alt vores stål er det, der kaldes for kirurgisk stål. Egentlig findes der ingen type stål der hedder kirurgisk stål. Stålet hedder egentlig 316L, og indeholder 10 - 14% nikkel, det kan virke som meget, men stålet frigør mindre end 0,1 milliontedel pr. cm2 pr. uge. Det er så lidt at 316L klarer EU´s direktiv for " produkter som kommer i tæt og langvarig kontakt med huden. Grænseværdien er 0,5 milliontedel pr cm2 pr. uge. Der findes desuden en anden type 316 LVM. hvor V. står for Vacum. det vil sige at stålet nærmest er suget sammen så overfladen bliver endnu mere glat og mindre modtagelig for urenheder.
( bruges fra år 2001 til førstegangs piercinger)
Nyhed som erstatter Kir. Stål i år 2001.Dette opfylder de nye EU direktiv, og vil blive brugt til førstegangspiercinger sammen med Titanium.
Niobium et grundstof som blandt andet brydes i Norge. Niobium kan poleres eller eloxideres for at få det til at fremstå i klare farver. Niobium kan fås i næsten alle farver undtagen rød. Sort opnås gennem en varme proces og er den eneste af farverne der kan anses for at være permanent de andre farver blegner med tiden. Niobium har været anvendt i piercinger gennem længere tid og har ikke været årsag til allergiske reaktioner.
( bruges fra år 2001til førstegangs piercinger)
Titan minder en del om Niobium, dog er det en blanding af flere forskellige metaller. Titanet blandes i henholdt til hvad det skal bruges til. Den eneste type der en brugbar til implantere og piercinger er Ti6AL4V ELI. Titan kan også fås i flere farver men dog ikke så mange forskellige som Niobium. Titan er et glimrende materiale til allergikere.
PTFE er et glimrende materiale til allergikere. PTFE er et plastmateriale der anvendes i hospitals verdenen til knæ - og hofteled. Materialet er let bøjeligt og kan tåle at komme i en Autoklave.
Black bond er egentlig Titanium aluminium nitrid og et meget anvendelig materiale til medicinske formål, og er sikkert at bruge til implanter. Ydersiden er så stærk at den kan betragtes som permanent. Som grundmateriale anvendes smykker i 316L stål som bombarderes med titanplasma i et vakuum kammer. Dette giver en stærk og holdbar film af titanium aluminium nitrid. Black bond findes kun i sort. Titanium Nitrid er et linende materiale men med en gylden overflade.
Platin er et usædvanlig materiale der minder meget om hvidguld. Platin indeholder 95% platin og 5% kobber eller Palladium. Vi har aldrig hørt om nogen der har reageret allergisk på Platin.
Af hygiejniske årsager kan vi under ingen omstændigheder bytte smykker med mindre de er defekte.
SUGGESTED MATERIALS FOR BODY PIERCING JEWELRY
To heal a body piercing successfully,the jewelry worn must be of suitable material and design.The more inert the material,the less the chance of metal allergy. The following are the recommended materials used for body piercing jewelry,in alphabetical order:
Used when a lighter-weight piece is required, for enlarged piercings (not intended for fresh or unhealed piercings). Acrylic is very brittle, and will shatter under stress. For releasing beads in captive bead rings, first warm the ring in the palm of your hand; do not use ring-expanding pliers.Acrylic is not autoclave-safe(ie. not heat-resistant).Extended exposure to isopropyl alcohol will degrade acrylic jewelry.
Solid gold of at least 14 karat. Gold-filled and gold-plated or jewelry s not acceptable, as plating will eventually rub away or flake. Some piercers prefer to install only 18k gold in fresh piercings. Any solder used to afix beads, etc., should be 18k hard solder, as solders actually contain a higher amount of alloys to yield a lower melting point. Some people are sensitive to the alloys present in karat gold (namely nickel,zinc and copper) and cannot tolerate wearing gold jewelry.A few people have perspiration acidic enough to corrode the alloys in karat gold, evident by blackening of the jewelry and surrounding skin. White gold is particularly problematic for use in body piercings.A higher concentration of nickel is used to yield a whiter metal.White gold alloyed with palladium (an inert metal of the platinum group) instead of nickel is preferable.Gold jewelry may acquire a surface discoloration when exposed to iodine (Betadine) and when autoclaved. This discoloration is not true oxidation, which only takes place at the melting point of the alloys present.Jewelry discolored by iodine or heating can be buffed/polished to its previous shine. Over a long period of time, gold jewelry exposed to urine may acquire a rough,dull surface.The acids found in urine leach into the surface and dries to form a hard crust.Buffing or polishing the jewelry will remove this build-up. Daily cleaning of the jewelry will prevent this build-up.
An elemental metal, strong yet flexible. Niobium is non-reactive chemically; few people are sensitive to niobium. The wide array of colors achieved through anodizing (not dyeing), in which the jewelry is submerged in an electrolyte bath. Anodizing forms an oxidized layer on the jewelry. The color we see is light refracted through this layer, and the thickness of the layer determines the particular color produced. The voltage applied during anodizing determines the thickness of the oxidized layer and hence the resulting color. The anodized layer (oxide) will eventually wear-off: how long the process will take depends on how thick the oxide layer is and the amount of friction/wear on the jewelry. Matte black is achieved by heating the niobium until it is red-hot and cooling it. After blackening, the jewelry can be polished to a certian degree. Black niobium will not fade; rather,it will deepen and grow smoother with age and wear. Niobium jewelry is available in matte ("satin") or high-polish ("mirror") finishes. Very rough-finished niobium should not be used for fresh/unhealed piecings, as the pores present in the matte finish can trap bacteria as well as retain polishing-compound residue which can be toxic. The rough finish will also have a tendency to "stick" to new piercings via dri discharge, which can cause the newly-formed tissue to rupture, extending healing time.
Platinum and metals in the platinum group such as Palladium are completely inert, making them excellent choices for body jewelry. However, platinum is economically impractical formost manufacturers and consumers. Palladium, on the other hand, is similar to 18k gold in cost.
Stop from Jan year. 2000 in 1. time piercing)
Of the many stainless steels available, only 316L or LVM is suitable for use as body jewelry. Both are used for medical implants. 316L is a low-carbon variety of 316. 316LVM is 316L, Vacuum Melted when manufactured. The low pressure prevents any air / airborne contaminants to attach to the molecules in the metal, resulting in a more consistant and purer steel. For most people, however, that the steel be 316LVM is not a necessity to heal and maintain a healthy piercing. 316LVM is recommended for people who have experienced problems healing with 316L. The jewelry should be polished to a reflective shine (mirror-finish), free from rough edges, tool marks, wire-drawing lines and pitting which is presen in the surface of the steel when it arrives from the mill. When polished, true 316L is a white, not grey, metal. Under-polishing will be most evident along the inside of the ring, where polishing is most difficult. 316L arrives from the steel manufacturer at specified degrees of hardness. Most jewelry manufacturers use the least-hard steel available for rings. Working the steel and forming the steel into rings hardens it to some degree. Annealing, a controlled heating and cooling process performed in a vacuum, yields a more flexible steel, resistant to metal fatigue. Most piercers and jewelry manufacturers agree that steel rings should be annealed to some degree after forming or formed from annealed wire, as an annealed ring is easier to safely and quickly manipulate for insertion; in the thinner gauges, pliers are often unnecessary. On the other hand, some manufacturers feel that annealing the thinner gauges (18 through 14ga) makes the ring too maleable to maintain its shape and retain the bead. However, for most applications annealed rings are safe. For piercings subject to enough pressure to reshape the ring, a thicker gaugeis advised. Depending on the gauge and diameter, annealing limits the minimum bead size which can be used (eg. a 14ga 5/8" ring would not securely hold a bead smaller than 7/32"). The more a ring is annealed, the easier the finish is scratched from tools or simply from daily wear. The trade-off is that the harder rings require tools to manipulate,which increases the chance of damage during insertion. A non-annealed or close to full-hard ring will break under stress, when the ring is torqued open. Fractures invisible to the unaided eye may be created. These breaks can trap bacteria and lymph discharge and complicate the healing process. The importance of manufacturing the barbell balls, their threads and ring beads of 316L has been questioned by some manufacturers and piercers, but it is of the author¹s oppinion that any part of the jewelry in contact with the openings of the piercing or with bodily secretions should be of 316L or of one of the other metals suitable for use in piercings.
Used where a more flexible piece of jewelry is desired. Nylon can be secured with a threaded ball. Teflon and monofiliment nylon are autoclave safe. Nylon can be discolored by Betadine. Nylon is a good material for beading-style implants.
An extremely lightweight elemental metal similar to Niobium, also available in a range of colors through anodizing. Unanodized,titanium is charcoal grey in color and polishes to a smooth finish Anodized titanium polishes to varying degrees of finish, depending on the color (ie. thickness of the oxidized layer). Titanium and its oxide are harder than niobum; hence, the color of anodized titanium lasts longer than that of niobium.Titanium is extremely porous.Thus it is verdy difficult to achieve a smooth finish.Titanium is often used in permanent surgical implants where the tissue is encouraged to assimilate the implant. The body will readily accept titanium because of its non-reactive quality; in the case of implants, the pores allow for the tissue to atttach.