I see a LOT of APP piercers saying that soap and make-it-yourself sea salt solutions are no longer acceptable aftercare, that they are out dated, and that all you should be using is pre-made sterile saline. If this is so why does APP still have them listed on their website/brochures? Just curious :)

You will hear that opinion from a lot of piercers, both APP members and non-members alike. The aftercare brochures reflect the general consensus of safe aftercare products/regimens at the time of their printing. Aftercare is, and probably always will be, a debated topic among body piercers. One piercer may swear by the use of mild soaps (like castile for example) in a clients aftercare regimen based on their experience. Another piercer may claim the use of soaps is completely unnecessary and perhaps too much for a fresh piercing. Same for sea salt soaks, etc. There are arguments that can be made for sterile wound wash saline. It’s perfectly mixed (isotonic), it’s sodium chloride instead of sea salt (sea salt is not the cleanest type of salt), it is pressurized so it remains sterile throughout its use. But having said that, plenty of people do a sea salt soak and heal just fine. Some use mild soaps and do fine too. Others may have a harder time using these products. The climate a client lives in and their lifestyle can call for subtle tweaks in aftercare suggestions. So while the argument isn’t likely to die down anytime soon, and I don’t think we can appease every piercer no matter what we have in the aftercare brochures regarding what to use or not use, it isn’t really such a bad thing in my opinion. The fact that we’ve gotten to the point that the current argument comes down to saline vs SSS vs mild soap is a pretty minute argument compared to ones of years past. We no longer really have to argue over the use of things like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Hibiclens, Bactine, etc. Which is really awesome. Especially for those that were piercing and having to take part in that argument years ago. Cody Vaugn APP outreach committee

I've seen a lot of photos online lately where a piercer posts a photo of a daith piercing and mentions migraines (like 'this client wanted to get a daith piercing to help with his/her migraines) with no background or clarification on whether or not it actually would help. It feels like false advertising in some cases, and I was just wondering (as a client) what a piercer should say as a 'disclaimer' either in person or on pics when referencing the migraine issue and daith piercings.

The APP has an official response to the whole “migraine cure” thing that you can read here. I want to take a moment to make something perfectly clear to anybody that gets migraines and is considering a daith piercing. There is absolutely ZERO evidence/study/research to even remotely think that a daith piercing, or any piercing, will cure or relieve migraines. If you are a person that doesn’t just get bad headaches, but actual migraines, then you’re likely desperate for some sort of relief. It is very unprofessional, and unethical for any piercer to even hint at the possibility of a piercing doing anything for a migraine. Period. So if a person wants a daith piercing because it’s a really awesome looking piercing, go for it. There is an absolute 0% chance it will in any way lessen/relieve/cure migraines. Our Membership Liaison Jef Saunders wrote a very good blog article about this issue which you can read here. Over the years, odd articles start to float around the internet that pick up some buzz. One of the last ones I remember was claims that tragus piercings could help you lose weight if pierced in a certain acupuncture point. That of course is not true, and very silly. This daith rumor on the other hand has really blown up and gotten out of hand. Cody Vaughn - APP Outreach Committee