At Silver Lining we offer both bookings and walk in piercings where possible but we always recommend booking through our website to avoid disappointment on the day. 

When getting a piercing its best to eat beforehand and bring a snack or sugary drink with you particularly if you are prone to fainting. We allow others in the room with you, so you can choose whether you would like to be pierced by yourself or if you would like a friend there to be your support. When you arrive for your piercing, you will need to fill out a consent form with your details and some health questions, then you will go into the studio. Once there we will clean and mark you  so you can check the placement of your piercing before going through with it.  After the piercing we will talk you through how to care for your piercing, don’t worry if you have forgotten, we will email it to you and also give you an aftercare card at the end of the appointment. 

There are a few potential reasons why we would not be able to pierce you. We cannot pierce anyone who is noticeably intoxicated as we require informed consent to pierce, we also recommend avoiding alcohol the day before your piercing, as this can lower your pain tolerance and make you more likely to bleed. On our consent forms we have some medical questions and you may  need to consult with your doctor if you have answered yes to any of the questions. We cannot pierce you if you are currently pregnant. 

Be aware that piercings are anatomy dependent and you may not be suited to the piercing you choose, so you may want to choose a backup piercing that you also like.

At Silver Lining piercing we try to be lenient where possible but believe that piercings should only be done with informed consent, because of this we do not pierce babies or children too young to understand the process.

For lobes our recommended minimum age is 8 years old, but we understand that children mature at different speeds and that some children are ready a few years before or after this. If you book in for a child’s ear piercing please note that we will not pierce unless they understand and consent to the process. 

Most of our other piercings have a recommended minimum age of 14 with a few exceptions, but all minors will need parental or legal guardian consent. If it is not possible for them to attend, we can video call  over the phone for confirmation.

You need to be at least 16 years old for nipple, tongue, surface or dermal piercings and you need to be at least 18 for genital piercings. For those piercings you will need to bring photo ID with you, ideally a driving licence or passport, but if this is not an option a college or bus pass in combination with your birth certificate maybe accepted.

A new piercing may be red and tender for a few weeks. The healing time for piercings can vary depending on where it is and how well you look after it. As people heal at different speeds you may have to wait a little longer until changing but the minimum healing times are 

2-4 weeks for oral piercings (8-12 weeks to wear non-titanium jewellery)

8 weeks for lobes

12 weeks for most other piercings 

6 months for navels and nipples 

As piercings heal from the outside in, they will often feel healed before they are ready to but if your piercing is at least the minimum age old and is no longer red, sore or producing any visible discharge you will be able to change it, if you are intending on wearing a ring it is best to leave it a bit longer to avoid irritation caused by the change of shape

Sticking to proper cleaning and aftercare is important to avoid issues with your piercings.

Do not touch or twist your piercing and make sure to wash your hands before cleaning.

Make sure to only clean your piercings with the proper products.

For most piercings this would be either sterile saline solution or salt water. 

If you are using a saline solution make sure you buy suitable products such as Neilmed or Stericlens. Some saline solutions such as contact Lense solution are not suited as they have additives that can irritate and are not sterile. 

If you are making your own solution, boil the kettle to sterilise the water, wait for it to cool to avoid burning yourself and then add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt to a cup full of the cooled boiled water. Make sure to use sea or rock salt and never use table salt as it has preservatives added that could irritate your piercing. 

For oral piercings rinse regularly (after eating, smoking ect) with cooled boiled water and sea salt.  You may find it useful to fill an empty bottle with cooled boiled water and a few pinches of salt to take out and about with you. When you brush your teeth, rinse with alcohol free mouthwash. Avoid eating too much dairy, spicy foods or hot drinks, avoid playing with or biting your long bar. 

For dermal piercings keep dermal covered with a plaster (small circular ones are best) for 10-14 days, removing it to give it air when you aren't doing anything active and sure it won't be knocked, use individually wrapped antiseptic wipes during the time you are still covering it, use the edge of the wipe to gently clean under the dermal top. Replace the plaster at least once a day. Once the dermal has settled and is uncovered clean as a normal piercing. 

Piercings should be cleaned once a day during the healing period. Over cleaning your piercing is bad for it. 

Alcohol wipes, antiseptic creams and other substances should never be used.

For both new and old piercings it is important to wear the appropriate jewellery.

Fresh piercings need to have the appropriate metal, length and style to allow them to heal with the lowest risk of complications. There are three ways to pierce lobes, but only two are safe to use. Piercing guns should not be used as they cannot be sterilised and can cause unnecessary trauma to the area. At Silver Lining we offer either the clip system or a needle depending on your preference. The clip system jewellery is either surgical steel, gold plated or titanium, and the needle method uses either titanium, gold titanium, black titanium, or coloured titanium. All of our other piercings must be done with a needle. We have a selection of upgrades available, starting at just £3 extra. We do not use rings to pierce with as they can lead to complications or a slower healing time, but we can measure you so that a ring will fit snug once the piercing is healed. Different piercings do need different initial jewellery but you can ask us what style, length and thickness we will be using for your specific piercing. As piercings can swell during the initial healing it is important to have jewellery that has the extra length that will be needed if swelling occurs. As everyone’s anatomy is different, we do not always use the same size and will pick a size suitable for you. Once a piercing has healed you have more choice of jewellery but it is still important to think about what you are putting in to your piercing as low quality or ill-fitting jewellery can irritate a completely healed piercing

Heavier jewellery should only be worn for short periods and is not suitable for long term use as it can pull the piercing and over time this could lead to sagging or even a tear. 

The correct thickness and length  of jewellery is important too, different body parts have different lengths that work best, and it is best not to wear anything too long as it will catch and pull more often, or anything too short as it could become embedded under the skin.

Most piercings can be done through scar tissue, but it depends on the person and the placement, we can check this in person for you. We would probably not advise a repierce for dermal or surface piercings as scar tissue doesn't hold the piercing as well as normal skin would.

Silver Lining was established in 2002 and in the intervening 20 years has expanded to 7 locations around the north of England.

 We are successful, because people like what we do: Clean, professional, knowledgeable and friendly.

We research our field, we train staff to a very high standard and Silver Lining has over 30 years of piercing experience between us. 

We are constantly keeping up with the latest trends, new developments and best practice, sharing information amongst our team of nearly 20 people.

All of our equipment is Hospital grade (vacuum autoclaves and sterilisers) and we train all of our staff in maintaining a sterile environment and in infection control. Our studios are scrupulously clean.

We are pro choice at Silver Lining. We offer many choices:

You can be pierced with surgical implant grade titanium or 14 carat gold, with internally threaded jewellery for a smoother piercing (that some say is less uncomfortable and quicker to heal) which is a little more expensive, or externally threaded jewellery, which is cheaper. 

We pierce earlobes with either traditional earrings with butterfly backs (the first choice of most children) although we advise people that if they swell more than normal we will have to change the earring for a titanium bar, or with a needle piercing with a longer titanium bar, which is more appropriate for larger earlobes or people who have a tendency to swell significantly. 

We will never tell you what to do with your body, or what to choose (unless you ask us to). We can offer you all the information and allow you to make an informed choice.

Our team will be with you all the way until your piercing has healed and you are more than welcome to visit any of our shops for regular check-ups, or contact us via our website or social media accounts for advice and aftercare.

We are looking forward to your visit!