S
linky,
sleek and oh so comfortable in either silk or cotton, sarongs are riding
high on the fashion stakes. Once the preserve of men, they've been taken
over by the 'gals who are finding more innovative ways to wear them. Here
from designer Purnima Abeyratne are some daring ways to wrap your sarong.
So go ahead take the plunge.
The Spice Girls have done it and so has George Michael. What? Pierced their bodies. This trend it seems, is catching up among the young people in Colombo as well. Walking into the popular 'hang outs' in the city like shopping malls it would be difficult to miss youth sporting extra earrings, nose rings or even, more bizarre, naval ring or eye brow rings.
Although to many of us the thought of blowing one's nose with a nose
ring or eating spaghetti with a tongue ring may seem quite an unpleasant
experience, many fashion conscious youth appear to think otherwise. So,
the 'Mirror Magazine' went on a 
hunt
to find out what drives people to follow the trend of piercing body parts
and at what cost.
At the plush sales outlet of Abdeen Jewellers at Liberty Plaza we first came across a nose piercing, already in progress. "Almost all jewellery shops do this, but as far as we know only earrings and nose rings," said Mohammed Imran and J.M. Mubarak who are employed there.
"Basically there is nothing complicated about it , especially since today it is the gun and not the needle that is used. The needle could be somewhat harmful but the gun is totally free of any infections," they said.
Nanda Nallkawita employed at a jewellery shop where piercing is done said, "piercing of any place other than the ear is very risky and we certainly do not want to take the risk. It involves tiny nerves and cartilage. Therefore, we always advise customers to go to a doctor." Piercing is now made easy with the use of a 'gun'. Here firstly the place to be pierced is marked and then a stud, sometimes imported, is sterilized on the gun and pressed into the skin. It did not look painful or dangerous. There was no blood either.
According to a young girl who had just had a second ear ring in, it is a little painful as soon as it is done, but a few hours down the line she had experienced a sharper pain. However, jewellers are careful not to allow any infections to take place. Spirits are applied soon after the piercing. One is also advised not to take the stud out for at least a week until the opening heals.
"Getting an ear ring is not harmful. But one must be extremely
careful in getting naval, tongue or piercing the eyebrow," said 
several
jewellers who said they try to restrict their customers to only nose and
ear rings. But even the simplest piercing could be dangerous given the
conditions under which it is done. An older person, for instance, has to
be more careful on the cartilages on the upper part of the ear and on the
nose.
Many doctors who do body piercing wished to remain anonymous. One of them, who has a private clinic in Nawala said among the many people coming to him for piercing were several foreigners. "And I do not see anything harmful about it," this doctor said.
Another Doctor who is employed at a private nursing home said that although he does it he tries not to encourage anyone. "I do it on a very private and personal basis and do not take many customers. Any doctor can do it, but one must be very careful however, especially with the needle.
I always get sterilized needles and we clean skin and sterilize the ear ring beforehand, because we do not want to take any chances," he said. Although the standard fee according to some doctors is Rs.50, one must spend around Rs.350 at a jeweller.
But this seems to be the last thing that many young people are worried about. Twenty year old Sarala Emmanuel had always been intrigued by the idea of a nose ring and finally got it done at a private clinic in Wellawatta. "To me it was a not a fashion trend which needed to be followed or a must by my religion, as some of my friends thought. But the reactions I got after having got one was quite fascinating," she said.
According to her, some had thought she looked like a terrorist and some
had complemented her that she looked a typical 
Tamil.
But she was more worried about the pain so that beforehand she made sure
to get the doctor to anesthetize her nose. "I had full faith in the
doctor and he said that he has done it several times. There was no such
pain but only a slight irritation.
There are possibilities of getting an allergy. I had to get it done twice because the first time when I took it off I couldn't put it back but I think it was worth it," a smiling Sarala said.
When asked if she ever tried blowing her nose with the nose ring on she replied, "well in fact, I did get a cold after getting it done, and it never really bothered me that I had a nose ring. Half the time I was reminded by others. After sometime you think of it as a part of your body and stop being conscious about it. But as for blowing my nose with it on, it was never a problem," she said. Of course in her case she is lucky that it is a stud. But if it was a nose ring- now that is something to think about.
Charmaine Yousoof, who is thirty eight years old, on the other hand, wanted an extra ear ring because she thought that it was the trend and needed a change in her looks. At the same time, she does not believe that it is meant only for the young. Although the majority of those who get their body pierced are teenagers, she feels that fashion is common to all.
For model Michelle Reimers getting her naval pierced was altogether a fascinating experience. "It is an Indian tradition. I thought that it was quite nice and felt like having a go at it," she said. But she added that getting a belly ring is not the best thing for majority of people to do. Firstly according to her they should have nice figures and secondly the courage to face the pain of the moment.
"It was quite painful getting a naval ring. But I had no fears, and soon felt that it was worth it," said Michelle who has had it for nearly two months and receives compliment after compliment on her belly ring.
"I got it done at 'The Gallery' at Majestic City with the help
of the gun and not the needle, and there was no blood involved. 
First
I had a problem with the ring going inside the belly button each time I
sat for example. So, I decided to place it in a more convenient manner.
But other than that it has created no problems. So far, I am the only person
I know who has a belly ring," she said.
Watching her move freely and taking the naval ring on and off her body quite easily, she did seem very comfortable with it. When questioned as to whether she had any fears at all in relation to infections, allergies, etc. the smiling model simply said, "no. But one important thing is that you must not take it out for at least a week, and everything will be all right."
Today to see young men sporting ear rings fails to draw surprised looks- it has become quite a common fashion -or otherwise- statement. "I got my ear pierced by a friend who happened to own a piercing gun. I figured that it was the latest fashion and that I should try out," said Angelo Bertram, who likes to stay in touch with the latest trends.
According to him, he neither worried about safety or health, although his friend is neither a doctor or a jeweller. "Besides, the ear is one of the safest places to pierce. My friends think it's really nice," he said.
Although many like Angelo, have no qualms about piercing various parts of the body, sometimes without proper supervision or medical aid, doctors warn of allergies and infections that could arise from ad hoc piercing.
According to Dr. Terrence Fernando, Director of General Hospital it is always best to consult an eye, ears and nose specialist when piercing the body. "It could be dangerous when it comes to piercing the cartilage, as I have seen many ladies have done. So, it is always best to be on the safe side," he advised.
Continue to Mirror Magazine page 3 * The Legacy continues
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