Body piercing has been a tradition and a culture among our Melanesian tribes. They have used sharp bamboos, turtle shells etc.. for piercing. Even, nowadays, improper techniques can lead to infections and hypertrophic scars and keloids, especially on the ear lobes. The piercing gun provided by many pharmacies around the country, can cause problems. This is because the pierce is blunt, therefore, it can cause a lot of pain, bleeding and swelling. Because of the bluntness, the skin edges where the pierce penetrates is very irregular. This irregular skin edges has a high tendency for hypertrophic scars and keloid formation. It is better to do piercing under sterile (clean) conditions and to use an anaesthetic cream to numb the skin, as well as to use a sharp instrument to create an opening prior to the insertion of the blunt pierce. These precautions may prevent the formation of keloids.
