An examination of a timeline points clearly to the period during which the world witnessed the start of our modern body piercing history. To the left of a span of years in the 19th Century, one finds in the available literature at least occasional references to body piercing techniques. Then as Americans partied through the “Roaring Twenties”, the world abandoned its old, Victorian inhibitions. That development helped to encourage a new public interest in body piercing. At the same time, the world heard about noteworthy scientific discoveries. Read about a few of those discoveries in the following article. See how they influenced the history of body piercing.

During the Victorian period of the 19th Century, no one dared to make mention of the art of body piercing. Yet even as the world stifled release of any information on body piercing, it also prepared itself for creation of modern body piercing history. During that time, physicians were learning how to autoclave and thus sterilize surgical instruments.

The first chapters in the modern body piercing history contain ample reference to surgical steel. Steel accessories could be autoclaved, and were for a while the accessories of choice among body piercing professionals. Later, the high percentage of nickel in surgical steel led to removal of steel accessories from the market in certain European countries.

Yet within the United States, surgical steel remains the most commonly used body piercing material. A writer of modern body piercing history should make an effort to explain that fact. On one hand, steel accessories can be polished, in order to increase the amount of luster in such accessories. On the other hand, surgical steel can cause tension in certain body tissues.

Another unique principal behind modern-day piercing is that unless the piercing has been overstretched, it can be viewed as temporary. The person who has a body piercing does not need to hesitate about seeking the removal of that accessory. Piercing professionals have an expert knowledge of all parts of the human body. When a body piercing does not “work” in one location, the piercing procedure can be repeated in a different location.

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