Internal Threading vs External Threading Body Jewelry

Most people are pretty excited when getting a new piercing-as it should be. However, this novelty can soon be run down by the wrong choice of body jewelry.

At times, you can trust your piercer to tell you the truth about the piercing jewelry they use. However, it’s often best to have some of this information yourself, so you are better placed to know how to proceed.

One of the things to familiarize yourself with is the thread patterns.

What Is The Thread Pattern?

While there are numerous ways to tell what material was used to make jewelry, the tread pattern is one of the easier ones. Threading generally refers to the type of screw used on a piece of jewelry and whether it’s inside or outside the barbell. A barbell refers to any jewelry with a straight rod and balls at each end.

There are two main thread patterns: external and internal.

An external thread is when the screw is located outside the barbell. The ball features a hole that the bar screws into.

Internal threading on the hand features a barbell with a hole at the end. The bead has an attached screw that screws down into the barbell.

It’s often rare to find externally threaded jewelry made from high-quality, body-safe materials. This means if a piece of jewelry has external threading, there is a likelihood that it’s made from low-quality materials.

Your best bet becomes internally threaded jewelry. Most companies will use gold or implant-grade steel that is extremely safe to wear. However, some implant grade steel and gold alloy jewelry might still contain traces of Nickel which most people get an adverse reaction from.

It does not end there. Externally threaded jewelry is also considered more hazardous because of how it’s worn. When inserting externally threaded jewelry, it’s often possible to cause tissue damage like micro-tears and scraping.

The threads on externally threaded jewelry are like tiny little knives. Inserting this on a fresh piercing that’s fresh and tender can create more irritation. Bacteria can also create a home in the nooks of the external threading. This can then be introduced into the fresh lacerations or cuts resulting from insertion and removal. It’s often suggested that externally threaded jewelry should be left for well-healed piercings.

Internally threaded jewelry is often much safer with much higher quality. With this type of threading, the barbell itself is made very smooth. The hole is also on the barbell, not on the ball, so the threading comes off of

the ball. The result is a much easier jewelry removal and insertion that causes no tissue damage.

The only issue you can run into with internally threaded jewelry is the material it’s made from and the allergies you have.

Many people are allergic to Nickel, which is unfortunately often used in low-quality jewelry.

The Final Takeaway

You are always safe with good quality internally threaded body jewelry, whether new or older, well-healed piercings. The goal is to source them from reputable dealers that sell high-quality pieces from safe materials.

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