Association of Professional Piercers

Last updated
Association of Professional Piercers
AbbreviationAPP
Formation1994;29 years ago (1994)
Headquarters California
Region served
United States
Membership
1,000+
President
Rebecca Dill
Website safepiercing.org

The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is the oldest and longest running organization for professional piercing.

Contents

History

The Association of Professional Piercers was founded in the 1994 by Michaela Grey and colleagues. The first members were professional piercers from Gauntlet and other early piercing studios. Established in 1994 as an international nonprofit organization, the California-based organization is dedicated to the dissemination of vital health and safety information about body piercing to piercers, health care professionals, legislators, and the general public. It is a nonprofit voluntary alliance dedicated to the dissemination of information about body piercing. Today there are APP Members all over the world. [1]

The organization works to disseminate information to both customers and piercers, and they work with legal assistance to countries where the piercing is a bit beside the law. The organization also produces annual meetings that bring many of the best piercers in the world together to share knowledge. [2]

Publishes The Point: Journal of Body Piercing, a quarterly newsletter dedicated to piercing related news and information for individuals in the industry. [3]

APP Direction

Governed by a voluntary elected Board of Directors, the APP is a united group of piercing professionals that freely shares information to help fellow members, piercers, health care professionals, legislators, health inspectors, and the general public get the best and most up-to-date information about body piercing.

Board of directors

APP Outreach

Examples of APP standards

Standards for Tools and Techniques for Initial Piercings

Despite claiming (above under APP Outreach) "Does not dictate the piercing technique(s) its Members use ..." Under their "A Piercee's Bill of Rights" they specifically NEVER allow the use of piercing guns: "4. To know that piercing guns are NEVER appropriate, and are often dangerous when used on anything—including earlobes."

Minimum Standards for Jewelry for Initial Piercings

From Body piercing materials: Products with an ISO or ASTM designation are so noted and a statement specifying the finish requirements particular to body jewelry has been added. In addition, several materials designated for applications other than implants have been proven through historical and practical application to be suitably biocompatible for initial piercing.

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References

  1. Margo DeMello: Encyclopedia of body adornment. Greenwood Press 2007, p.18, ISBN 978-0-3133-3695-9
  2. Skilled Labor: Whitney Bailey - June 11, 2019 : www.thebeachsideresident.com
  3. The Point: Journal of Body Piercing
  4. Paul King, Relevant professional history