Aiming to do something a little different and fun for this week's blog post, we took a few minutes to interview professional piercer @ryandreyfuss after asking our followers what questions they would like to ask! Here are the results, and I hope you enjoy reading a little about what it is like to be a piercer!
Where do you work?
Currently I am the resident piercer at Higher Ground Body Piercing located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The studio is fully disposable & we utilize a freehand & aseptic technique. The atmosphere is realIy welcoming to everyone! I really enjoy my career choice, when done properly it is really rewarding! I get to meet new people everyday, be my own boss, and get to assist in making people view their bodies in a more positive light! That being said the job title does entail more than just Piercing. There are jewelry orders to be placed, keeping up with clients during the healing process and continuing education to name a few!
What made you want to become a piercer?
The obvious reasons are I get to look the way I want, be my own boss, travel, and make people happy through body piercing. I never really “planned” to become a piercer. It kind of just all fell into place, met the right people at the right time and fell in love with the Piercing community as a whole. The whole community is so accepting of everyone which made me feel a sense of family. I wanted to be able to spread that same feeling with all my clients.
What is the biggest challenge you face as a piercer?
The biggest challenge I face on the daily basis is getting new clients to understand why quality body jewelry matters! For you to heal properly the body jewelry needs to have an immaculate polish, be made of Implant Grade materials, and be internally threaded or threadless! In short, you are worth better quality jewelry & remember you get what you pay for!
What is your favorite piercing to do?
I have quite a few piercings that are my favorite to perform! It really just depends on my clients anatomy, but if I had to narrow it down to one it would have to be the Forward Helix! More specifically Triple Forward Helix piercings. Lots of jewelry combinations, and almost everyone can rock the look!
What was your first piercing, and how many do you now have?
My first piercing was my lower lip! I rocked that for a few years in High School before venturing out in to more body piercings. Through the years I’ve gathered many more but retired most of those, now 7 years later I now have 10 piercings.
Have you ever dealt with piercing a client who’s body rejected the piercing? What did you do?
I have dealt with this before. This issue is fairly common when it comes to surface anchors (microdermals) I usually tell my clients they are “long term temporary”. In any case when a Piercing is rejecting due to anatomy and not poor quality jewelry, the only safe thing to do is abandon the Piercing and find a safe, viable alternative.
Which piercing is the most difficult you have ever done?
At this point most piercings are not really difficult, just requires proper planning and lots of marking! So I guess the most challenging Piercing to date would be a 0 Gauge Initial Philtrum!
Thank you to @ryandreyfuss for taking the time to answer these questions! You guys be sure to give him a follow on Instagram, or drop by Higher Ground Body Piercing if you are in the Las Vegas, Nevada area - he does amazing work!