i need the same kind of body jewelry they use in the piercing shop but when i go to order them they say stainless steel, not surgical steel, and i have REALLY sensitive skin so i need to be sure, whats the difference?
There are hundreds of different grades of stainless steel. Jewelery used for piercings should be made of implant grade. Note that the term surgical steel is not a technical term. It doesn't mean anything, although it sometimes refers to what is technically implant grade stainless. Implant grade stainless steel must conform to the ASTM standard 316LVM F-138-00, otherwise the seller cannot call it implant grade. This is something you should always ask about specifically. Are your stainless items F-138-00 compliant? Jewelry that only claims to be stainless isn't good enough. Jewelery sold in mall stands are typically nickel plated, bargain-basement low grade stainless. Allergies to nickel are common.......BUT there is a big difference between allergies, and infections. Infections are caused by bacteria, not by the metal itself, and if you're getting infections it's a sign you're not keeping the piercing clean and sanitary. Simply switching to a different metal won't prevent infections from recurring. To prevent infections you need to take steps to keep new piercing clean and sanitary. the best way to do this is rinse with 50:50 hydrogen peroxide and water daily, then apply some neosporin. hope this helps.
This Site Might Help You. RE: is stainless steel and surgical steel the same? i need the same kind of body jewelry they use in the piercing shop but when i go to order them they say stainless steel, not surgical steel, and i have REALLY sensitive skin so i need to be sure, whats the difference?
No it's not. I have worked in several different shops, selling body jewelry for years.-All inside malls- Every place I have worked (all specializing solely body jewelry) have used surgical steal. Not 100% on the grade for all items, but *most* were 316. Some items will be stainless or titanium. Typically stainless is cheaper and personally, I'd rather have a variety in metals because not everyone in the world is allergic to nickel, so why not have cheaper stainless items available for others? If you go up to any mall cart and tell them you have a nickel allergy, they should know to only show you surgical steal....unless they're idiots, which unfortunately some of them are. That being said, I have walked into tattoo shops and they have tried to charge me 35$ for a back and ball for my Monroe.....just a solid white gem.....The receptionist tried to argue with me on the quality of surgical steal, telling me, my products are lower grade and that's why she can charge me nearly 4x the amount. Well, I'm telling you guys, it's bullshit. I saw a display item in the original packaging and it was from the exact same company I ordered from. This was a very popular/redound shop in my area. They lie to push their product because they believe they can con you into buying it because they are the ones who pierced you (or in my case, sat at a counter and had me sign a few forms). It's just a bunch of **** guys...seriously, don't fall for it.
