(ed: I feel it necessary to make a few comments on this article. In doing so, I am not at all implying that sterile gloves are an invalid option. If you find the funds and means to use sterile gloves in your piercing studio, then by all means, please do so. However, I disagree that the use of sterile gloves is compulsory for piercers. [Sterile gloves or ANTT are required to maintain sterility of the jewelry until it leaves your studio, when it becomes the client’s responsibility.]

Cheyenne draws an analogy between piercing and insertion of catheters; I am assuming urethral catheters. [indwelling (venous) catheter is common, and directly related to needle asepsis and ANTT or sterile gloves] The urethra is a sterile vacuum, and a direct path to the delicate and infection-prone bladder. Of course the most sterile materials would be used in this procedure. By contrast, let’s take a realistic look at body piercing:

The piercee enters the studio, covered with city dust, sweat, and dirty clothes. The immaculately clean studio, equipped with an air cleaner, hopefully prevents him/her from adding significantly to the pathogen load in the air, and the piercer watches all piercees carefully to prevent any cross-contamination, but each individual piercee is walking germ ball, if you’ll pardon the expression.

In the room, the piercer thoroughly disinfects the area to be pierced, and uses sterile instruments and jewelry. We all know what happens next: [a sterile bandage should be applied] the piercee gropes at the jewelry, says, “I love it! Thanks!” and then proceeds to put his or her dirty clothes back on and walk back out into the city streets. The jewelry will have already rotated matter into the fresh piercing several times before the piercee has even left the studio. [use a sterile bandage and barbell if possible to avoid this] While we as professional piercers do our very best to minimize incidents of transmission, we aren’t in “sterile” operating room conditions, and can’t expect to maintain absolute control over our environment where piercees are involved.

My greatest concern with sterile gloves is their potential for abuse due to the inaccurate name. [the name is accurate, since they were sterilized] “Sterile” gloves aren’t any more or less sterile than “clean” gloves once they’re in the open air of your studio, [this is false]but I have heard of tattooists, piercers, and even doctors touching things left and right without changing their gloves. Why not? Because the gloves are magically “sterile!” [this is a straw man, and spurious]

Cheyenne very correctly states that there is a right and wrong way to put on a pair of gloves. That method should be used irregardless [sic] of the type of gloves being donned. Assuming that clean gloves are stored properly (in a stainless steel or heavy plastic container with no-hand access, protected from air, moisture, light, and heat), and used appropriately, I feel that they are equivalent to sterile gloves for our purposes. [nonsterile and sterile gloves are not cleaned, handled, packaged, nor stored the same way by the manufacturer, as seen in the video that follows]

As for the cost of sterile gloves: most piercers / know use anywhere from three to six pairs of gloves for a single piercing. If sterile gloves are being used to prevent cross-contamination of clean items to sterile items, then it follows logically that sterile gloves should be used throughout the procedure, not just for the piercing itself. That adds up to $2 per piercing using nonsterile gloves, and $12 per piercing using sterile gloves.

[nonsterile gloves are used for clean steps, and only one pair of sterile gloves is required for handling the sterilized items such as jewelry and needle for a procedure: still under a dollar]  

Adding in all the other costs of disposable piercing equipment, my guess is that few piercees would want to pay the much higher piercing fee, and may end up at a less expensive hack shop instead.

[safer body piercing costs a fraction more, and clients are willing to pay. Not every person will be your client, but the ones who are, care about safety]

I repeat that I’m not at all against the use of sterile gloves, or any other innovation that makes piercing safer, cleaner, or easier for the piercee. But it’s important not to forget that most “piercers” still wear no gloves at all, and that enforceable regulation should be kept to minimum health and safety standards, with an emphasis on cross-contamination awareness. Mandating what amount to academic fine points

[were the gloves that handle the jewelry sterilized or not?] 

is simply not realistic at this time in piercing’s growth. I’d be interested to hear what others have to say on this debate. Any takers? 

[it is realistic, and was in practice when this article was published in a significant number of studios, including Piercing Experience]

Michaela Grey
Gauntlet, Inc.
San Francisco, CA

(Ed. note: Thank you for your comments! I feel I must clarify a few points.

* I do support the use of sterile gloves when possible. I do not think they are necessary and I do not think it is realistic or even worthwhile to make sterile gloves mandatory. [personal incredulity: if it seems that one can get away without sterilizing their equipment or jewelry, that does not make a persuasive argument]

*I maintain that several pair of gloves must be used for each piercing. When you touch the piercee with the Betadine, your gloves now carry bacteria from their previously unwashed skin. They should be changed before marking. [sterile swabsticks with handles provide for ANTT practice] During marking it is almost inevitable that you will touch a part of the piercee not cleaned by Betadine, and many piercers will also be touching a reusable, albeit disinfected, pen. [reuse of marking implements is not safe, cleaning should be performed prior to marking, followed by a final painting of sterile antiseptic] The gloves should be changed prior to piercing. After piercing the gloves may have touched the contaminated tray or sharps container, and should be changed if the piercer returns to the piercee. While breaking down the setup and disinfecting the room, no fewer than 3 other pairs of gloves will be necessary to avoid contamination of the room. None of these glove changes will be affected either way by creating sterile room setup packets. This is about basic cross- contamination. [sterile gloves are needed only for handling the other sterilized items, nonsterile gloves for all other preparations and room cleaning

* Air, according to many physicians, is technically considered sterile. All gloves, tissues, and other disposable supplies sold in the United States are gamma-ray sterilized prior to being sold. [this is a myth, only items marked as sterilized with documentation] Until the box is opened, the contents are sterile. Once opened, I and most other piercers easily go through a box or more of gloves each day. Assuming that that box is stored properly and handled to avoid cross-contamination, these gloves will not be any less “sterile” than a pair of sterile gloves. [false, these gloves were not sterilized]

* My primary concern is that doctors, piercers, and others using “sterile” gloves will assume that the “sterile” condition of their gloves relieves them of the responsibility to avoid cross-contamination. I have seen this occur. [straw man and false dilemma: adequate training for asepsis is required whether ANTT or sterile gloves or a combination are used]

*The APP suggests at least a bulk sterilization of all jewelry when it arrives at a shop. This is, however, a minimum requirement, and assumes that bulk-sterilized jewelry will be stored away from display stock, and handled only with gloves or hemostats after sterilization. In this case, a 10 minute disinfectant soak in Madacide would certainly be adequate to remove any minimal matter that was present on the jewelry. [The APP does not currently allow this inadequate infection control practice, based on false and misleading opinions] It is far preferable, however, to individually sterilize each item and store jewelry in individual sterile packets until ready to use. [sterilization is required]

-Michaela Grey