jewellery materials
This is a guide to
stainless steel
Stainless steel shouldn't be used in fresh piercings. It's contains nickel and in some people it can cause an allergic reaction it's best to keep titanium in for at least 12 months.
bioplast
Some people say bioplast has some great benefits when having in a fresh piercing, these include minimised swelling. Infections and faster healing time. Bioplast is flexible making it ideal for facial and industrial piercings. Bioplast can be autoclaved. It comes in all colours and shapes, so it's suitable for all piercings. A thread can be created on each end by using a metal ball or a threading tool.
niobium
This is a metal resembling titanium but is softer and heavier. When using niobium in a piercing jewellery it has to be as pure as possible. The threshold valve is 99.9% niobium.
Niobium doesn't react to body fluids, oxygen or cleaning products and is allowed in healing piercings by EU nickel law.
silver
Jewellery made from silver should NEVER be used in new/damaged piercings as blood/sweat and other bodily fluids can make the silver oxidize which makes the metal black.
It can realease silver salts which can cause severe allergies and discolouration to the skin - this will be permanent!
The purity of silver is measured in 100's. The numbers stapled on the silver jewellery is what indicates this. E.G. 925 silver means 92.5% silver + 7.5% other metal (often nickel).
gold
Gold is an alloy. This means it's not just made up of pure karat gold, but base metals as well. The fluids that the body produces during the healing process can cause corrosion of the base metals in gold. Once a piercing is healed, gold can be worn. 9 karat gold is recommended.
ptfe
Polytetrafluoroethylene. Also known as Teflon, is an amazing inert bio material with great biocompatability characteristics. PTFE is suitable for an initial piercing, although I wouldn't recommend for surface piercing.
PTFE is also perfect for school, work and hospital stays. Especially if jewellery isn't allowed. PTFE is acceptable in a medical enviroment for x-rays, operations and scans.
titanium
The only quality recommended for use by the association of professional piercers. It is certified to meet ASTM or ISO standards for surgical implant applications. It's very rare people have allegic reactions to titanium. It's also none magnetic - which means if an MRI scan is needed dermal anchors/skin divers are fine to stay in.