Policy
Editorial and medical review policy
How guides are researched, sourced, dated and corrected, and what has to happen before an article is labelled as reviewed.
Authorship
Articles will name their author once named authors are in place. Authors will be professional piercers, with their experience and memberships listed on their profile pages. Until then, articles are published without a personal byline rather than under a stand-in name.
Medical review
Articles that touch on healing, infection, scarring, allergies, pregnancy, medication or any other health topic are to be reviewed by a licensed medical professional (registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or physician). No article is labelled as medically reviewed until that review has happened. The reviewer's name and the review date then appear on the article, and reviewed articles are re-checked at least once every 12 months or sooner when guidance changes.
Sourcing
We prefer primary sources: professional bodies (Association of Professional Piercers), medical organisations (American Academy of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, NHS), standards documents (ASTM F136, ISO 5832) and peer-reviewed studies. Sources are listed at the end of each article.
Independence
Best Piercing does not own or operate a studio or a jewelry store. We do not accept payment, free products in exchange for coverage, or any influence over recommendations. Affiliate relationships are disclosed and never affect what we recommend.
Photos and data
Photographs show real piercings and jewelry. Some are openly licensed images, credited beneath the photograph with the photographer and the licence; we are replacing these with original photography over time. We do not use posed stock imagery, and we never present a photograph as showing a condition it does not actually show. Costs are typical US studio price ranges, dated on each page; confirm the current price with your studio. Pain scores use one fixed 1–10 scale across every placement, explained on the pain chart.
Corrections
If you find an error, contact us. Material corrections are noted at the bottom of the article with the date.
Not medical advice
Our content is educational. It does not replace assessment by a piercer or a clinician. Seek medical care for any piercing that is hot, swollen, spreading redness, producing coloured discharge, or accompanied by fever.