anatomy of the body for piercers elayne angel...anatomy of the body for piercers elayne angel app...

AnatomyoftheBodyforPiercers ElayneAngel

APP2016 1

§  Author of The Piercing Bible §  Professional piercer since 1980s §  Annual instructor (but not a

medical professional) §  Performed well over 40,000

piercings §  Former APP Outreach Coordinator,

2-time Medical Liaison, and President

§  To understand the body’s

anatomy in relation to piercing

§  To foster performance of safe,

sane piercings through

knowledge of anatomy

§  To encourage further study

§  Tissue types

§  Overview of skin

§  Relevant anatomy by piercing

§  Risks and possible complications

based on localized anatomy

§  Dermis/epidermis (skin)

§  Mucous membrane

§  Skeletal muscle (in

certain areas)

§  Weighs 6-9 pounds (3-4 kilos)

§  Approximately 16% of body weight

§  Approximately 20 square feet (2

sq. meters)

§  Thickness 1/64”- 5/32” (0.5 - 4mm)

§  Largest organ* in the body


APP2016 2

Skin is an Organ?

*Skin is considered to be an organ because it

meets the definition:

“A group of related cells that combine

together to perform one or more specific

functions within the body”

§  Barrier to outside environment

§  Protects body from hazardous

substances, injury, infection

§  Maintains water balance

§  Regulates temperature

§  Delivers sensation

§  Produces vitamin d

§  Epidermis: keratinized epithelium

(the epithelial outer layer)

§  Dermis: dense, fibrous, connective inner layer

§  Subcutaneous: superficial fascia/hypodermis

§  The outermost layer is comprised of

dead cells

§  Keratinized epithelium: the

protective, hardened layer on

surface, which covers the basal

(base) layer

§  When a piercing is fully healed, its

surface has epithelialized

§  The thinnest layer of the skin

§ Cells divide only in the base layer §  Avascular—no blood vessels/lymphatics § Nourished via diffusion from the underlying blood

and fluid supply in the dermis


APP2016 3

§  Cells in the deepest layer of epidermis

divide constantly to make new cells

§  The new cells die as they are pushed

outward towards the surface

§  The surface skin cells flake off

continuously and are replaced with

new ones

§  The body produces a totally new

epidermis about every 30 days

§  Skin’s color is created by special cells called melanocytes, which produce the pigment melanin

§  Melanocytes are located in the deepest layer of the epidermis

§  A piercing located in the

epidermis is so superficial

(shallow) it will reject

§  Piercings must pass

through the dermis (next

skin layer down) to heal

and remain

A layer of interlacing fibers that provide strength, tone, and elastic properties:

§  Blood Vessels

§  Nerves

§  Sebaceous glands

§  Sweat glands

§  Hair follicles

§  Hair erector muscles

Includes:

§  Venules—small veins

§  Arterioles—small arteries

§  Afferent nerves—sensory

§  Efferent nerves—motor

§  Collagen and elastin

§  Sebaceous glands (“oil glands”) are in the dermis

§  They secrete skin oil called “sebum”

§  Sebum moisturizes and conditions hair and skin to prevent damage


APP2016 4

§  Expressed from the sebaceous glands

§  Sebum often collects in

healed piercing channels

§  Not pus—does not

indicate infection

Sebum on the surface of the skin

§  Sits atop the muscle

§  Contains loose connective

tissue, lobules of fat, skin

ligaments, sweat glands

§  Beneath the dermis; not

part of “skin” proper

(Also called subcutaneous tissue or subcutis)

§  Thickness depends on location in the body

§  Flexible connection between the skin and the underlying muscles

§  Allows the skin to stretch and move independently

§  Binds it to deeper layers

§  Blood vessels and nerves here are larger than in the dermis

§  Deeper piercings have greater risk for bleeding or nerve damage

§  Larger gauges also have increased risks

§  When you pinch up the skin it separates

layers below the epidermis

§  Separation occurs in thin fibrous layers

and fatty tissue

§  Note difference in thickness from

abdomen vs. back of hand

§  Thickness in hypodermis layer mostly

relates to the amount of fatty tissue

§  Wherever possible, to prepare the piercing site pinch, lift, and roll the tissue

(in the direction of the piercing)

§  Can loosen the upper layers from underlying tissue, and possibly free

vessels to keep them out of the way

§  Note that thick fascial tissue will not get loose


APP2016 5

§  Overall, wide piercings take longer to heal

§  They are more subject to complications

§  Too wide inhibits drainage

§  Keep width under 2”

§  Even better, under 1”

§  “The Circulatory System”

§  The vessels and tissues that circulate blood and fluids

throughout the body •  Arteries

•  Veins

•  Capillaries

•  Lymph vessels

Arteries carry clean, nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body

Veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart from the body

§  Arterioles: small blood

vessels that branch out

from arteries

§  Venules: small blood

vessels that branch out

from veins

§  Capillaries: connect the

arterioles and the venules

From heart To heart

§  Capillaries are the smallest of the blood vessels

§  Distribute oxygenated blood from arteries to the tissues of the body

§  Feed deoxygenated blood from tissues back into the veins


APP2016 6

Capillary flow nourishes the overlying epidermis by diffusion

§  Good circulation crucial to

wound healing

§  Brings needed oxygen and

nutrients and takes away

waste products

§  Without good circulation,

wounds heal very slowly or

not at all §  PA healing time: 4-6 weeks

§  Navel healing time: 6-9 months

§  Lymph vessels carry lymphatic fluid

§  Clear, colorless liquid containing water,

cellular waste, white blood cells

§  Helps rid the body of toxins and waste

(part of the immune system)

§  600-700 lymph nodes filter lymph

before it returns to the circulatory

system

Lymph capillaries collect cellular waste fluids, which flow to lymph

vessels, then to lymph nodes, then to the body’s eliminative

organs (kidneys, colon, lungs, and skin) to eliminate the waste

§  Lymph has no pump, so it

moves by

•  Muscle contraction

•  Deep abdominal breathing

•  Manual lymphatic massage

§  Inactivity prevents removal of

metabolic waste by-products

from the lymph glands for

excretion

§  When lymph nodes recognize invaders in the lymph fluid, they make more infection-fighting white blood cells, which can cause swelling

§  Swollen glands near a

new piercing are normal and to be expected


APP2016 7

§  The dried, crusted matter

found on healing piercings is

not plasma (as it is commonly,

but incorrectly, called)

§  It is a serous exudate of lymph,

dead cells, and interstitial fluid

(liquid from between the cells)

§  Sensation is provided by afferent (sensory) branches

originating off of nerve roots

exiting the spinal column

§  This creates a map of

cutaneous (skin) nerve

distribution called dermatomes

“Piercers routinely

puncture the smallest and

most peripheral of the

vessels and nerves with no

ill effect whatsoever. This

is a normal part of body

piercing.” Elayne Angel

§  Comprised of striated muscle cells arranged in parallel bundles

§  Innervation through the somatic nervous system, largely under voluntary control

As this image of the

facial musculature

shows, we frequently

pierce through certain

muscles around the

mouth


APP2016 8

§  With facial and lip piercings,

less likely to interfere with

muscle function

§  In other areas, piercings may be aggravated by

muscle movements

§  Jewelry may also bind

muscles together

§  Mucous membranes are moist linings of the body tracts (systems) that have openings to the environment

•  Respiratory •  Digestive •  Urinary •  Reproductive

§  Epithelial tissue §  Not every mucous membrane

secretes mucus

Mucosa we pierce: §  Nostril (inner surface) §  Intra-oral: Lips/tongue §  Hood/clitoris §  Labia minora §  Glans/foreskin

§  Mucosa can be delicate

§  Tends to heal quickly

§  The mucus secreted by

these membranes keeps the

lining epithelial cells wet

§  What gauge might this be (to scale)?

§  Is this shallower than most piercings go?

§  Which strata do most surface piercings pass through?

§  A piercing will reject if placed

in or migrated to the epidermis

§  The outer piercing is rejecting

§  There is no way to stop it

§  Remove jewelry to minimize

scarring!

anatomy of the body for piercers elayne angel...anatomy of the body for piercers elayne angel app...

Documents