Category APP Brochures

Point 85: New UKAPP Brochures

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The UKAPP has created two new informational brochures addressing female genital piercings and national concerns regarding the same. Please read the previous articles in The Point (Issue 70, Issue 74, and Issue 77) regarding the classification of consensual female genital piercings as mutilation in Europe. These UKAPP brochures were written in full cooperation with the APP and are of interest to anyone concerned about issues of body piercing, female health, and human rights.

Print ready PDFs of these may be downloaded from the organization’s website: https://www.ukapp.org.uk/ Please note that the order of the brochure is formatted to allow for tri-folding when printed, much like the brochures available from the Association of Professional Piercers: https://www.safepiercing.org/brochures.php

Point #62: The APP Brochures Overview Article Three : What They Are and How to Use Them

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Julie Taylor headshotApril Berardi headshotLou Quino headshotBy Julie Taylor, April Berardi, and Lou Quino

The informational brochures available through the Association of Professional Piercers can be used in a variety of ways to educate the public about safe piercing. To help you better make use of these resources, we have summarized some of these pamphlets in our three part series by outlining the numerous ways in which studios have successfully utilized this vital information.  (See The Point #60 and #61 for more information.)

In this, the last of the series, we will turn our attention to the brochures geared towards minors and to our international users. Remember: The Outreach Committee supplies these brochures FREE of charge to any member interested in doing outreach at a local convention or conference. (If you are attending a convention or conference in your area, please contact outreach@safepiercing.org.)

Brochures for Minors2010brochures
The APP has a series of aftercare brochures which are specifically geared toward minors. These brochures provide young piercees with a simplified, easy-to-read outline on how to take care of their new piercing. These brochures are extremely useful for piercers working with schools or youth groups, as they have been edited with their young audience in mind. They offer more basic text and remove any mention of genital piercings—making them acceptable for use in elementary, middle, and high school presentations.

International Brochures
Reaching people in their preferred language can reduce confusion, help bridge communication barriers, and help to serve as a relationship building tool to gain the trust of varied clientele. For those very reasons, many of the APP’s brochures are also available in Spanish and French. (The North American population contains not one but three recognized national languages; for this reason it only makes sense that the APP publish brochures in all three languages.) This increases both the numbers of piercers and piercees who have access to proper and vital piercing information and allows for more outreach opportunities.

The following brochures were previously discussed in issues 60 and 61:

What is the APP
Picking your Piercer
Jewelry for Initial Piercings
Oral Piercing Aftercare
Oral Piercing Risks
Taking Care of your Piercing (updated from “Suggested Aftercare Guidelines for Body Piercings”)

Conclusion
Studios are always looking for more ways to get involved in their community, to spread the word and to support the APP’s mission.  We hope that you have found new ways to use the brochures to promote safe piercing. The resources provided by the APP are invaluable and, when used by the entire membership, can impact our communities on a larger scale.

To download these as well as other APP publications, or for more information about the APP brochures and other resources, visit the APP’s website. You can place an order on the website or by calling (888) 888-1APP.  You can also access and download web and quality print versions of  PDF files for free.

 

 

Point #61: The APP Brochures Overview Article Two: What They Are and How to Use Them

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Julie Taylor, April Berardi, and Lou Quino

There is a hefty stack of informational brochures available through the Association of Professional Piercers that can be used in a variety of ways to educate the public about safe piercing. To help you better make use of these resources, we’ve summarized a few of these helpful educational pamphlets below and listed a number of ways in which studios have successfully utilized this vital information.

This is the second of three articles about the APP’s brochures. In this segment, we’ll be discussing “Oral Piercing Risks & Safety Measures,” “Body Aftercare,” and “Oral Aftercare”

Name of Brochure: Oral Piercing Risks & Safety Measures
“A well-informed and discerning consumer is subject to far fewer dangers than one with incomplete or inaccurate information. When properly performed, the piercing procedure itself takes only a few seconds and involves minimal discomfort and often no blood. Healing is commonly rapid and uneventful.”

This brochure can help a piercee not only seek out a safe place to be pierced by a professional, but also provides guidelines for the appropriate placement, aftercare, and jewelry for oral piercings.  This brochure also succinctly outlines the steps required to diminish potential hazards and concerns, such as the fear of an unsafe procedure, the potential for damage to teeth and oral structures, and the risk of infection.

The risks of piercings can only be truly controlled with the conscientious efforts of 2010brochuressafe piercers to share accurate information with the public. We suggest the use of the following two pamphlets to educate anyone who may be interested in oral piercings or may be concerned about oral piercing safety. Members are encouraged to pass along these brochures to any medical professional who may deal with piercees. Examples of these medical professionals include school nurses, dentists, EMT’s, ER personnel, and physicians. Many piercers have also found it helpful to share these during college outreach visits or with local college RA (Resident Assistant) programs.

Name of Brochures: “Oral Aftercare” and “Body Aftercare”
“These guidelines are based on a combination of vast professional experience, common sense, research, and extensive clinical practice. This is not to be considered a substitute for medical advice from a doctor. If you suspect an infection, seek medical attention. Be aware that many doctors have not received specific training regarding piercing.”

These brochures contain helpful information for providing proper aftercare to a client or a potential client. They include helpful hints and tips, what to do and not to do, potential pitfalls and how to avoid them, along with a list of suggested care products.

These pamphlets provide a ready made, full-color alternative to creating your own studio brochures. Shop personnel should distribute these to clients who are receiving oral or body piercings, and to those inquiring about future piercings. Members have found it helpful to share this information with local healthcare professionals, schools, and at conventions.
**Note: The APP has special versions of each of these aftercare brochures available for minors. These brochures include simplified language and are available for outreach to middle schools and high schools.

Studios are always looking for more ways to get involved in their community, to spread the word and to support the APP’s mission. We hope that you found new ways to use the brochures discussed to promote safe piercing. The resources provided by the APP are invaluable and when used by the entire membership; in the same ways, we can impact our communities in a much bigger way than on our own.

To download these and other APP pamphlets, and for more information about the APP brochures and other resources, visit the APP’s website at www.safepiercing.org. You can place an order on the website or by contacting (888) 888-1APP. Or, you can download web or print quality .PDF files of the brochures for free!

Point #60: The APP Brochures Overview Article One: What They Are and How to Use Them

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By April Berardi, AJ Goldman, and Johnny Velez
with support from the Outreach Committee

There is a hefty stack of informational brochures available through the Association of Professional Piercers that can be used in a variety of ways to educate the public about safe piercing. To help you better make use of these resources, we’ve summarized a few of these helpful pamphlets below and listed a number of ways studios have successfully utilized this vital information.

This is the first of three articles about the APP brochures. In this segment, we’ll be discussing “What is the APP?,” “Picking Your Piercer,” and “Jewelry for Initial Piercings.”

What is the Association of Professional Piercers?
“The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is an international nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the dissemination of health and safety information about body piercing.

Governed by a voluntary elected Board of Directors, the APP is a united group of piercing professionals who freely share information to help fellow members, piercers, healthcare professionals, legislators, health inspectors, and the general public get the best and most up-to-date information about body piercing.”

This newly updated brochure contains the organization’s mission statement (above) and a brief section about the origins of the association. It provides a list of the many publications, products, and educational services you can get through the APP, and there’s also a brief explanation of the different membership levels that are available. Additionally, there is a bulleted list that clarifies what the APP does and does not do within the scope of its efforts.

Studio personnel can give this pamphlet to clients, potential members, and healthcare professionals, and also use it for their own reference. Distributing these regularly reinforces credibility with potential clients and other professionals. These are also great to hand out at conventions and to leave for distribution at other businesses such as retail stores and local health clinics.

Picking your Piercer
This brochure contains a summary of suggested guidelines you should adhere to when considering a prospective piercer and studio. It includes topics such as piercer qualifications, licensing and permits, studio set up and hygiene, autoclaves, and more.

“Your safety is in your own hands, and you need to be an educated consumer. The information contained in this pamphlet can help. Members of the Association of Professional Piercers uphold the standards outlined in this brochure, and your piercer should too—even if he or she is not an APP member.”

These brochures are perfect for anyone who is considering getting a piercing, whether it be a first-time customer or a seasoned collector. APP members are encouraged to bring these brochures to local mall stores, health clinics, conventions, and schools. Members have actually reported sales increases when working with high schools and colleges. If there is a local college in your area, consider partnering with a Resident Advisor (RA) on programs to educate the students about safe piercing. To discourage minors from making uninformed, hasty decisions about their body art, visit your local high schools and drop off these brochures to nurses’ offices and counselors.

Jewelry for Initial Piercings
This brochure touches on the basics of what to look for in initial piercing jewelry. It details the importance of biocompatible materials and goes over the common options. It also discusses different jewelry sizes and styles and covers quality issues including surface finish, and what type of threading is the safest.

“Choosing jewelry for a new piercing is obviously quite different from shopping for a ring to wear on your finger. Because body jewelry is worn inside a wound and is in contact with your internal tissues, only certain products are suitable. The size, style, material, and quality of the initial piece of jewelry all affect your ability to heal. Because the body jewelry industry is saturated with substandard products, piercers and clients alike may forget that cost alone should never be the key factor in your purchase.”

Getting this valuable knowledge out to our client base is imperative for educating the general public. This brochure has been put together to help inform your clients about why they should choose your studio, and buy your jewelry. It is an ideal complement to the “Picking your Piercer” and “What is the APP?” brochures and they make a real impact when distributed together. These work really well for price shoppers, potential clients, and the general public.

Piercers often look for ways to get involved in their communities, support the APP’s important mission, and to spread the information around. We hope that you find these summaries and suggestions useful. The resources provided by the APP are invaluable, and when used by the entire membership, they help us to have a much bigger impact our communities than we could on our own.

To download these, and for more information about the APP brochures and other resources, visit the APP’s website. You can place an order on the website or by contacting (888) 888-1APP.