Brian W Skellie – Sharing ideas
Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.
— “Self Reliance,” Ralph Waldo Emerson
You may find this conversation interesting or useful as a colleague if you are on the fence about joining the Association of Professional Piercers.
Among jewelry materials for initial piercing, glass deserves a closer look.
Professionals and clients have a right to know the roughness of the surface finish of body jewelry from each manufacturer they choose to do business with. Roughness can be measured as Ra to the microinch (µin) or Metric: micrometer (µ) or nanometer (nm). (The final smooth finish for many polished surgical implants is specified at 0.025µm to 0.05µm (1µin to 2µin)). This would alleviate confusion and allow a more frank discussion of the merits of different processes to arrive at a desired finish.
A little about why I encourage people not to wear acrylic body jewelry.
I was interviewed by Brazilian participants about the Educational Congress for body artists.
*in Portuguese
STATIM is not “flash sterilization” and the term should no longer be used in reference to sterilization cycles for unwrapped items.
For brevity, I suggest that you use all sterile disposable single use items, however if you are to reprocess used instruments: Classes Publications
I am teaching Biomaterials standards for body art at the BMXnet conference in Essen, Germany this month for World Standards Day, the celebration of the birth of ISO October 14th, 1946. ASTM International will participate in the U.S. celebration of World Standards Day, sponsored by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on Oct. 13 in Washington, D.C. This year’s … Read more
Have you seen any body jewelry that made you wonder whether or not it was safe to wear?
Please add any manufacturer to this list who makes body jewelry that does not seem to meet appropriate safety standards. Our work group is collecting a list of examples for body jewelry review. You can email pictures, too. Your comments will be used in our ongoing project to help inform the public and improve body jewelry quality worldwide.
In the current 2013 edition of the APP Procedure Manual, I helped correct the previously confusing references to Statim autoclaves.
The current 2013 version of the guidelines refer to the Statim and the acceptable use of unwrapped sterilization methods.
Sterilization Methods:
Benchtop Sterilization
- Steam under pressure (saturated steam/steam autoclave): 220-270 kpa pressure at 132° Centigrade (270° Fahrenheit) for 3-40 minutes depending on cycle.
- Steam autoclave process types
- Steam flush-pressure pulse (type S):
“Another design in steam sterilization is a steam flush-pressure pulsing process, which removes air rapidly by repeatedly alternating a steam flush and a pressure pulse above atmospheric pressure. Air is rapidly removed from the load as with the prevacuum sterilizer, but air leaks do not affect this process because the steam in the sterilizing chamber is always above atmospheric pressure. Typical sterilization temperatures and times are 132°C to 135°C with 3 to 4 minutes exposure time for porous loads and instruments.” The Statim is an example of a type S steam flush pressure pulse autoclave, which is acceptable for sterilization.
Aseptic Field
The actual procedure surface is referred to as an “aseptic field,” and is a sterilized surface that becomes exposed to air contact only at the beginning of the piercing procedure. The aseptic field used by most piercers is the sterile inside surface of a freshly opened large autoclave or sterile glove package, Statim cassette, rigid sterilization container, or sterilized tray. Once the package is opened, sterile tools, needles, jewelry, and disposables can be dropped onto the inside surface for use. The exterior of sterilized packages such as those containing the jewelry should not touch the aseptic field; the contents should be carefully dispensed onto it.
DISPOSABLE SUPPLIES
To minimize the risk of cross-contamination and to ensure that piercing room procedures are as clean as possible, many components of the tray setup must be disposable. Unless supplies are purchased presterilized* or will be sterilized in an autoclave immediately prior to the procedure, all disposables must be individually packaged in autoclave bags, sterilized, and remain intact in their pouches stored in enclosed, nonporous drawers or containers until use. Disposable materials that must be sterilized include: marking implements, piercing needles, corks or synthetic stoppers, elastic bands, swabs, and gauze.
* This includes only FDA-cleared items that are commercially sterilized according to accepted medical standards. The supplier must make documentation of appropriate sterilization available.