Dermal anchors can also be called surface anchors, microdermals and single point surface piercings and have been around for about 10-15 years, which in a piercing context is still considered relatively new.
We only sell Dermal jewelery to companies, as we absolutely do not encourage you to tinker with them yourself. However, you can buy different top counters for your jewelry in this category.
You can read more info about Dermals and care advice below.
Traditional surface piercings (made with surface barbells) always have two balls linked together with a rod that runs under the skin. Thanks to the fact that anchors do not need to be linked with a rod, they have a greater chance of healing well in areas where traditional surface piercings do not succeed. They also open up endless possibilities if you look at design and patterns, as they can be done one by one.
As with all piercings, it is good to know in advance what you are getting into. Unfortunately, there is very poor information about anchors, where "they are hassle free" is one of the biggest untruths. Many people think that you just insert them, they heal perfectly, they never give you any problems and you can have them for as long as you want. It would be nice if that were the case, but it is not. Anchors suffer from many problems that traditional piercings do.
Since anchors have some advantages over traditional surface piercings, they are still surface piercings. They can migrate, just like a surface piercing. They have less risk of migration than a surface piercing in certain areas such as. hips, wrists / arms, back and collarbones, but migration is always a risk with anchors, just like with any piercing. Migration, for those of you who do not know the concept, is simply that the body heals the jewelry against the surface of the skin, until it goes through if you do not remove it in time.
The risk of infection is there, just like with all piercings. As with regular piercings, infections are very rare and are largely due to the piercing being touched with dirty hands. As always, wash your hands first, if you must touch your anchor, but do so as rarely as possible.
If an anchor is ejected, or must be removed, scar tissue will form. It is usually no more than that from a regular piercing. It is impossible to know in advance how much scar tissue it will be, as it depends on how well the piercing feels when removed and on how much scar tissue each person's body tends to form. However, it is important to understand that scar tissue will form.
Another important factor to consider if considering an anchor is that they may need to be removed during various medical procedures such as x-rays, CT scans, MRIs and surgeries. If you have to go through these procedures often, an anchor is not a good option. Unfortunately, there are no retainers you can put in as for regular piercings.
With our experience, most people are usually able to keep their anchors for about 2 years. After that, they usually go up and down in periods and start to become problematic. With that said, we know people who have had their anchors for 7-8 years.
To change disk
People always want to know how early you can change your top disk on your anchor. As with regular piercings, different piercers have different views on it. On the whole, we believe that patience gives better results. When an anchor looks the way it does, it is easy to irritate it when changing jewelry. The newer it is, the easier it gets irritated.
We generally suggest that you wait 8-10 weeks before changing the top counter, but of course it depends on how it feels. Some may be ready to change earlier and some may have to wait longer.
If you are thinking of a surface piercing or anchor, come by the studio and talk to one of our piercers about the different aspects of this type of piercing.
Care instructions:
For your newly made anchor or diver to heal optimally, keep the following in mind:
- have your anchor covered with patches / compresses around the clock for the first 10 days. This keeps your anchor protected from dirt, hair, etc. and helps the body fit better around the base plate.
- do not expose your anchor to body fluids, perfumes / lotions or make-up. These products can be very irritating to your newly made anchor and can both prolong and complicate healing.
- always wash your hands before cleaning your anchor.
- do not let anyone else touch your anchor during healing and remember to keep pets away from the bed during healing.
- makeup is the enemy. Avoid as long as you have your anchor. Always.
Cleaning:
Wash your hands first!Wash your anchor 1-2 times a day for the first 3-4 weeks.Rinse gently clean with lukewarm water to dissolve any scabs.Then use a mild antiseptic soap / solution, preferably Barbarella Bodysoap, and clean around the jewelery, leave it on for a maximum of 30 seconds and then rinse thoroughly.
You can also clean with saline solution 1-2 times a day, but we suggest that you wait with it until after the first 10 days. For this purpose we have both H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray and Recovery Aftercare Purified Saline Spray (vegan).
We can NOT guarantee that the disks fit Labret jewelry, Barbells etc, they are for Dermal Anchors!