Dear Body Candy,

Do you have to wear strictly belly rings in your belly piercing, or can I wear any piece of jewelry that's the right size? My best friend put an eyebrow ring in her belly piercing, and it looks super cute. I just want to make sure it's safe to do so before I try it.  

Thank you,

Carly

Body Candy: Hey Carly!

You can wear any curved or spiral barbell in a belly piercing, including what’s called a “J Bar” because the shape is less of a smooth curve and more like the letter “J”. (Hence the name!) As long as it fits in the piercing in length, it’s fine. Navel piercings rarely are performed at a gauge smaller than 14 gauge so if you switch to a smaller gauge piece of jewelry, you may need to stretch the piercing to put a standard belly ring back in. You’ll also want to keep an eye on your piercing and look for signs of rejection or migration just in case. If you see anything out of the ordinary happening, you’ll want to head to your trusted piercer ASAP. Good luck!

Love, 

Body Candy

Dear Body Candy,

  What's the difference between a surface piercing and a dermal piercing?    

- Mackenzie 

Body Candy: Hey Mackenzie,

The difference between a surface piercing and a transdermal piercing is pretty simple. A surface piercing, regardless of location of the type of jewelry used for it, will have both ends of the jewelry exiting the body. Whether it’s a bridge piercing (straight barbell) or something like an anti-eyebrow piercing (surface bar), you will still have both ends of the jewelry outside the body. With a transdermal piercing, an implant is used that allows one end of the jewelry to remain under the skin while the other end is visible. Another difference is that while both a surface piercing and a transdermal run the risk of rejection or migration, the risk of rejection for a transdermal implant is significantly higher. These are often considered “long-term temporary” piercings. Hope that helps!

Love,

Body Candy