Lost ball (screw ball or captive bead)

I. Lost screw ball:

1. A lost ball for a navel, breast, ear, or eyebrow piercing, etc.:

If you’ve lost your piercing ball, there is no need to panic. Simply be patient and look for it, and once you’ve found it you can simply screw it back in or ask somebody for assistance.

Do the following:

• Put a wash cloth into the sink
• Wash and disinfect both your hands and the piercing/ball.
• Press the piercing from back to front, holding it tight with your thumb, then simply insert it into the tissue in the direction of the piercing bar, until you feel it making contact. Then gradually turn it to the right (clockwise). J
• Once you’ve made one revolution, the hard part is over. Now it will be easier to hold and you can turn it all the way in.
• As an added safety measure you can come to us to make sure it is properly inserted.

2. Losing a ball in the case of a tongue piercing:

If you’ve lost your piercing ball, there is no need to panic. Simply be patient and look for it, and once you’ve found it you can simply screw it back in or ask somebody for assistance.

Do the following:

• Put a wash cloth into the sink
• Wash and disinfect both your hands and the piercing/ball.
• Press the piercing from back to front, holding it tight with your thumb, then simply insert it into the tissue in the direction of the piercing bar, until you feel it making contact. Then gradually turn it to the right (clockwise). J
• Once you’ve made one revolution, the hard part is over. Now it will be easier to hold and you can turn it all the way in.
• As an added safety measure you can come to us to make sure it is properly inserted. Especially in the case of a mouth piercing.

3. A lost ball in the case of a labret or banana bar:

If you’ve lost ball which was attached to a barbell or a banana bar, you should try to unscrew it (see above).

Do the following:

• Put a wash cloth into the sink
• Wash and disinfect both your hands and the piercing/ball.
• Press the piercing from back to front, holding it tight with your thumb, then simply insert it into the tissue in the direction of the piercing bar, until you feel it making contact. Then gradually turn it to the right (clockwise). J
• Once you’ve made one revolution, the hard part is over. Now it will be easier to hold and you can turn it all the way in.
• As an added safety measure you can come to us to make sure it is properly inserted!

If a piercing ball has fallen out and you can no longer find it, try to leave the inserted portion of the piercing inside the canal. Try using Leukoplast, which will help keep the piercing bar inserted.

This will prevent the bar or the labret from falling out. This is a particularly simple procedure in the case of labrets: just fix the labret backing to the ear using Leukoplast; then come to our studio as quickly as possible and we will attach a new ball to it.

4. A lost ball in the case of a genital piercing:

If you’ve lost your piercing ball, there is no need to panic. Simply be patient and look for it, and once you’ve found it you can simply screw it back in or ask somebody for assistance.

Do the following:

• Put a wash cloth into the sink
• Wash and disinfect both your hands and the piercing/ball.
• Press the piercing from back to front, holding it tight with your thumb, then simply insert it into the tissue in the direction of the piercing bar, until you feel it making contact. Then gradually turn it to the right (clockwise). J
• Once you’ve made one revolution, the hard part is over. Now it will be easier to hold and you can turn it all the way in.
• As an added safety measure you can come to us to make sure it is properly inserted. This is indispensable for genital piercings!

II. A lost ball (for a captive bead)

1. A lost ball (for a captive bead):

If you’ve lost your piercing ball, there is no need to panic. Simply be patient and look for it, and once you’ve found it you can simply reinsert it back in or ask somebody for assistance.

Do the following:

• Put a wash cloth into the sink
• Wash and disinfect both your hands and the piercing/ball.
• Hold the ring with two fingers. The bead will have two holes, so you will have to guide one hole “blindly” toward the ring to insert it. Once you’ve done that, wedge the second bead downward/laterally into the other end, until you hear a “click”.
• For mouth or genital piercings this will be a little tricky since the area is moist.
• Ask for somebody’s help. You can also use a paper towel to fasten it.
• If you’ve never used ring opening pliers, be careful since you risk hurting yourself and damaging the ring.
• As an added safety measure you can come to us to make sure it is properly inserted. This is       indispensable for genital piercings!