Comcerneddisabledflier

I just got a genital piercing--well two that are called a Magic Cross together. I know that they probably will not set off the metal detector. But I think they may show up on the body scanner.

I am curious from others how that alarm is resolved with the pat down. The ampallang portion is still sore. I wouldn't want it being patted down.

Just curious if there are any other people with genital piercings on this board--male or female it doesn't matter--and if their piercings were picked up by the scanner and if so how the alarm was resolved. Is ut even worse touching than the standard pat down? Can you just show the piercings? The answer to this might determine if I fly during my piercings healing period. God knows those gloves could spread infection .

Comcerneddisabledflier

And why I got them: I have been working on body art that minimizes the ostomy, and the piercings are part of it. I really like the way it looks and like having things besides the ostomy (tattoos and piercings) down there to look at.

Comcerneddisabledflier

Again, I would like to know what happens if/when the piercings are picked up by the scanner.

Affection

Sounds like the back room, take them out under a sheet treatment is in store for you.

--Jon

dranz

> I would like to know what happens if/when the piercings are picked
> up by the scanner.

You're gonna have to prove that their cannot be used as weapons or tools.
Which will require that you submit to a visual inspection.

oec

A story from a male friend: long before the scanner nonsense, his genital piercing set off a handheld wand (not the WTMD), and the TSA required him to submit to a visual inspection to resolve the alarm. I don't know if that's what they'd still do, but they didn't touch him in any way.

The piercings you have would definitely be picked up by the scanner, and a healing ampallang is not something you want to jostle around too much, so I'd err on the side of caution and refrain from flying until you're further along in the healing process.

Comcerneddisabledflier

I don't care about showing it. But I wouldn't want it to have it jostled like you say. I especially would want to avoid the clip from the bag hitting the side of the piercing. That would hurt and be bad. So I think I will not fly for a few months.

goalie

There is no requirement that my screening be done in private is there? As if no, and if it was me, I'd just drop trou right there and out in the open as I've got nothing to hide.

svenskaflicka

I am sorry to get a bit personal here, but is a genital piercing about art? I would think even your underwear hitting that area would be so painful. Why would you want to endure this form of torture?

My questions are more about curiosity and perhaps naivete than about opinion. I just didn't realize that such a procedure existed.

tanja

I am not so sure about that. More than once A TSO agent has written here on that they dont want to see any naked skin or body parts.

That they want to FEEL. And that you can get in trouble for showing them.
And even arrested

onlyairfare

There was also the case a few years ago of the woman who had a breast/nipple piercing that set off an alarm. The woman was taken to a private room IIRC, and was forced to remove the piercing. This required the use of pliers and it was reported as quite painful to her. Not to mention, very humiliating.

It was reported that a number of male clerks stood just outside the "private room" and laughed at the woman traveler's discomfort.

I'd keep away from air travel until your piercing has completely healed. The TSA "clearing" of the piercing could be very painful, not to mention a possible or probable cause of serious infection.

oec

Unfortunately, I think that would be best. My opinion is that you should be able to fly without having your ostomy or your piercings seen or touched, but the reality is that both of those things will likely be touched, probably roughly, by the TSA. Therefore, it's best for your health and your healing piercings to avoid them.

People get genital piercings for many reasons, pleasure and art among them. Though the initial piercing is painful, the healed result can be quite pleasurable. In any case, the OP also has a medical condition (ostomy) that in many cases requires an external appliance to collect waste, so he has multiple concerns with the scanner and the pat-down.

Fortunately for the OP in this question, the piercings do not involve rings; in other words, they can be removed without pliers (the OP clarified that the jewelry cannot be removed without special tools). That said, removing or roughly handling piercings while they are healing is ill-advised, especially in an airport where there are less than sterile (medically speaking) conditions. When the incident you mention happened, I was quite appalled as removing piercings in the way the woman described is quite difficult and painful if someone who doesn't know what they're doing is attempting it. (I was appalled for other reasons, especially that they took her aside for that, but the removal was completely over the top.)

RATM

Due to the nipple rings/pliers incident, I believe visual inspection is now allowed. I assume that would extend to other inimate peircings?

Comcerneddisabledflier

It can be pleasure. It cam be art. I got mine to complete a tattoo I got on my scar (pubic mound area) from my surgery. It basically comes down to having something else to look at down there.

Actually my piercing can only be removed with special pliers at the piercing shop. 1. the hole can close in just a few minutes withit the jewelry. 2. The barbells have internally threaded jewelry, meaning their designed not to get loose.

The blood on the apadravya was pretty bad. The ampallang didn't bleed all that much . Bu it did hurt and is still quite sore when it is jostled. Many people get tattoos/piercings after major surgery. I think it is a measure of exercising control: both of the body's appearance and also over pain after years of an uncontrollable painful illness that drastically changed the body.