The importance of anatomy
Body piercing is not the simple act of piercing the skin. It is also to be able to analyze the anatomy of the person in front of you. This is a very important skill, because there are a good amount of piercings that require a particular anatomy to be done and to be viable in the long run. We often think about the most popular ones, namely the navel and the industrial, but there are more than we think!
First, let's start with the navel piercing. Each person is so different that the anatomies vary enormously and therefore, the possibility of doing the piercing or not also varies. If it is feasible, perhaps a different style of jewelry is needed to accommodate the anatomy rather than the so-called "traditional" jewelry. Here is the example of two sisters who had the same piercing done, but who had completely different anatomies:
Source : @planetarypiercing on Instagram
In the left picture, it is a floating navel, a jewelry on which we put a flat disc at the bottom due to the fact that the navel is flattened when standing. This is to avoid the constant movement of the jewelry when the customer sits down. On the right, we see her sister with a traditional navel jewelry. The shape of her navel allows this style of jewelry without it harming her healing since she has more room to accommodate it. More often than not, a floating navel can accommodate a great variety of anatomies and is often the style that suits the majority. Unfortunately, there are piercers who do not have the skill to analyze anatomy properly and end up making piercings that look much more like a belly surface and have very high risks of rejection:
In this photo, the piercing should have been much lower, where the blue line is. Since the placement is incorrect, it has started rejecting, hence the red and dry skin around the jewelry. In the end, a rejection can leave a scar more or less apparent as in the photo on the right and this, permanently.
As for the industrial piercing, it is a bit the same principle. It is an extremely complex piercing to do and it requires a particular anatomy to be able to be done:
Industrial Piercing by Alex Kidman – Chronic Ink
In this photo, we see that the anatomy is suitable for a traditional industrial piercing: there is no pronounced internal cartilage that could put pressure on the bar and the folds of the ear are well defined so that they can accommodate the jewelry. Without these factors, the piercing may never heal in addition to making a constant pressure, and perhaps slit your ear as in the image below:
*These piercings weren’t done at Studio Zen Tattoo
However, if you do not have the proper anatomy, it is still possible to look at the different options available for you. Particularly the floating industrial, which adapts to the anatomy. You can use a fold of the ear and make a helix on the other side, or simply two helixes connected by a straight bar that gives the impression of a traditional industrial piercing:
Source: Alchemy Body Piercing and stab.rat on Instagram
These are ways that will allow the piercings to heal better and avoid complications such as irritation bumps, discomfort, a slow healing that may never come to term, or a split on your cartilage from the constant pressure like what was shown earlier.
In any case, each piercing may be at risk of not being feasible in some individuals. Navel and industrial piercings are the most complicated and popular at the same time, hence their mentions and their possible variants to promote better healing. This is why it is very important to consult a professional piercer who knows the anatomy well and who will be able to advise you adequately for a desired piercing.