Holier Than Thou

About

Dermal punching is very similar to piercing in both equipment and procedure but the results are somewhat more striking. A dermal punch is similar to a needle without the bevel,.originally designed for the medical industry to take biopsy samples they are now being used by piercers to remove circular cores of cartilage, thus simplifying the instillation of large gauge jewellery and offering an alternative to the long and tedious process of stretching. Cartilage piercings are prone to keloiding and are difficult to stretch. Dermal punching the area eliminates the pressure that tissue displacement puts on a piercing, thus keloiding of the area is drastically reduced, It gives a cleaner hole which results in a less problematic piercing . areas such as ear and nose cartridge are particularly suitable for this technique although it can be performed on other areas of the body. As sections are completely removed it should be viewed as a permanent modification and although some people will heal completely on removal of the jewellery some will not and so serious consideration should be given to this modification before you make any decision to proceed with it.

A dermal punch allows for an initial piercing as large as 10mm. We advise you have the cartilage punched at a larger gauge then downsize the hole within 2 to 3 weeks. Small dermal punches (2.4/3.2/4.0mm) are healed the same way as regular piercing. Large dermal punches (5.0/6.0/8.0/10mm) could be healed a little differently. You could wear the jewellery for a couple of days to allow the fresh cut tissue to heal. After that the jewellery can be removed. A piercing without jewellery will heal much faster but care must be taken that the area doesn't close.