Some Jamaicans trading engagement rings for piercings

‘Five or six years ago, I would get probably one dermal customer every three months, now I get at least three a week’.

Beyoncé’s song ‘Single Ladies’ popularised the line “If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it.”

However, more Jamaican couples are using dermal piercings, ditching the traditional ‘rings on fingers’ to show their commitment.

Candice ‘Needlez’ Davis, proprietor of Needlez Body Candy Services and Wax Salon told THE STAR that micro dermal piercing is not new and that Jamaicans have been doing it for some time.

She said: “Five or six years ago, it was a bit unusual, but it has become pretty popular. Five or six years ago, I would get probably one dermal customer every three months. Now, I get at least three a week. It’s something that’s popular now.”

Needlez said that the procedure results in a permanent studded implant.

“It’s not as scary as persons make it out to be. What it consists of is an anchor, and in the anchor, a jewel is screwed in. What we do is puncture a little hole, and then we pretty much hook the anchor into the tissue, and it heals with the anchor underneath the surface of the skin, and it’s not deep either,” she explained.

According to Needlez, the very first dermal piecing she did was for an engagement.

A woman our news team interviewed said that she believes that the trend was started because of cheating men.

“A now the man dem can’t hide say dem married. I have a friend, and that’s what she did. A di new thing. A farin it start from and it reach ya now,” she said.

Needlez said: “On the finger is not the only place people get it. I see persons have done it on their collar bones, navels, face, and all over. It’s not just for the finger, but yes, there are persons who ask for engagement purposes.”

When asked about the health effects, she said: “You do have some dermals that reject from time to time, but it’s usually for lack of care. Just like you would clean an earring before you put it in your ear, dermals are permanently anchored down so you have to clean the area to ensure that bacteria is not trapped underneath it.”

Medical doctor Kemba AbdulHakim told THE STAR that once the procedure is done by a professional and cared for, then the health risks are minimal to none.