Body Piercing Glossary

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Incubator

• A device to keep microbiological specimens at a particular constant temperature, thus encouraging bacterial or fungal growth.
• Used in spore testing.

Incubation Period

• The time taken between a micro-organism infecting an organism and manifestation of disease in that organism.

Industrial

• A set of piercings on the ear designed to hold a single piece of jewelry.

Inert

• Unable to react chemically with the body.
• e.g.
  Titanium is inert and so will not provoke any allergic response when used in piercings.

Infection

• Invasion of the body by disease-causing microrganisms.

Infection Control

• Measures taken to avoid the movement of disease-causing micro-organisms between patients and from place to place on a single patient.
• See also aerosol spread

Infibulation

• Infibulation is the process of piercing of the male foreskin or female labia in order to prevent sexual intercourse.
• Jewellery connects the two sides of the piercing so that the glans penis cannot be exposed in males or the vagina penetrated in women.
• It is a practice dating back at least to ancient Greece.

Innie

• A navel in which the central part lies deeper inside the wall of the abdomen.
• Much more common than the reverse situation, known as the outie.

Internal Diameter

• In a ring or circular barbell the distance from the internal surfaces of the ring at opposite sides of the ring.
• In a curved barbell the shortest distance between the balls of the barbell measured in a straight line.

Internal Threading

• Threading on jewelry that is concealed.
• Internal threading avoids damages when inserting or changing jewelry. This is particularly important in new or unhealed piercings.

Isopropyl Alcohol

• The alcohol routinely used in medical swabs
• Chemical formula (CH₃)₂CHOH
• Dries cells and so inhibits healing.