What is the app?

What is the Association of Professional Piercers? The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is an international health and safety organization. It is a nonprofit voluntary alliance dedicated to the dissemination of information about body piercing.

The APP…

​Provides a professional association for piercers. Encourages piercers to meet and/or exceed the APP Member Requirements and provides an avenue to show the public that this standard is being met. Provides piercers, legislators, and the public with support and assistance in drafting appropriate legislation in the industry. Provides piercing technique, business, and health education classes at our Annual Conference & Exposition for piercers, health inspectors, and others related to the industry. Provides educational and informational materials, including consumer-oriented brochures available in the APP Store, and resources for piercers, like our Health and Safety Procedure Manual, Online Courses, Suggested Apprenticeship Guidelines & Curriculum, and other Publications. Publishes The Point: Journal of Body Piercing, a quarterly professional journal dedicated to piercing related news and information for individuals in the industry. Attends and is involved in health-related conferences. Provides information and professional opinions to the media, when requested and in response to erroneous information and articles about body piercing. Presents lectures to students, health care professionals, and other related groups. Has Membership Types for professional piercers and non-piercers who support safe piercing. Staff an email/phone response system for individuals with questions regarding piercing.

Maintains a comprehensive website with information for piercers, piercees, educators, legislators, health care professionals, and anyone else with questions about body piercing.

The APP does not…

​Police the piercing industry or piercers. The APP will respond to and resolve complaints against its members, in addition to those falsely claiming membership. License or certify piercers. Members do receive a certificate of membership which must be renewed every year. Attendees of APP classes receive a seminar certificate. Allow piercings performed at its annual conference, nor does it teach people how to pierce. The APP provides supplemental education to piercers and has a number of Corporate Sponsors who provide basic piercing education. Dictate the piercing technique(s) its Members use, what aftercare they suggest, or what specific piercings they may choose to perform. Have a position on tattooing, branding, scarification, dermal punching, scalpelling, implants, or other types of body art. Members are not precluded from also practicing these types of body modification where they are allowed by law.