There is a fairly new piercing out and it has had a lot of hype. They came out with a way to do tygon that isn't as invasive and doesn't have the healing time and or up keep that the tygon piercings have. The scaring factor has also been reduced.

The Early Method

The micro-dermal, or anchor, piercing was invented in 1998. It was a good idea but the jewelry need a bit of work. I was lucky enough to get my first anchor piercings before the new and improved jewelry had been invented. The old method was to use a needle and make a pocket underneath the skin. After the pocket was made the jewelry was put in place. The jewelry was a small barbell that had a little hook that was supposed to hold it in place. Most of the early anchor piercings the body regretted or they got caught on different things so that the skin would never heal around the little hook. Needless to say I ended up removing my old anchor piercings. The scars weren't too bad after they were removed and the skin healed.

What You See Now Days

The new anchor piercing jewelry is a lot better then the first. The new jewelry consists of a bar bell that has a little plate base at one end and the gem or ball that sits about the skin on the other. The piercing method is similar but improved as well. A micro-dermal instrument is used to punch a small hole in the skin. Some piercers put the jewelry in at this point, Others will still create a pocket with a needle to give the base plate a little bit more room. The result is a little gem or silver ball that sits above the skin and stays in place.

What to Look Out For

There are so many different ways to mess up these piercings. If the pocket that is made with a needle isn't done properly the piercing could sit sideways and never heel properly. If you choose a piercer that doesn't know what they are doing, this piercing could be quite painful (the micro-dermal punch creates a hole that is smaller then the plate that is put under the skin. The skin has to be stretched to get the plate in....ouch). Sanitation is always a concern as well. Make sure that the piercer is using new equipment or it has been autoclaved. It is also a good idea to look at a piercers portfolio. Make sure that they have done enough anchor piercings to do your piercings correctly. Also make sure that the location that you pick isn't going to have anything getting rubbed against it or could potentially snag (like a seat belt is a big one.)

Even though it was quite a journey to get my piercings right, i wouldn't change a thing. I learned a lot about body mod mistakes. I love what i ended up with in the end!!!!