Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a remarkable non-stick material, also known as Teflon. One of the first commercial uses for PTFE was in the coating of frying pans and is still used today helping your omelette glide effortlessly from pan to plate – yum! PTFE was even used on the Millennium Dome in London where the canopy is made of PTFE coated glass fibre fabric to help make it more durable and suitable for the British weather.

But what’s that got to do with body jewellery? Well it’s great for body jewellery as it’s extremely flexible, non-stick and biocompatible.

Body jewellery made from PTFE causes less friction in your piercing and helps to reduce lymph build up, the white liquid that sometimes appears around your piercing during healing.  PTFE body jewellery can also help speed up the healing process.

PTFE body jewellery is also very flexible and this means that it causes less stress on your piercings.  This is particularly useful for new piercings like scaffolds as non-flexible barbells like titanium and steel can put pressure on your piercings which is not only uncomfortable, it can also take longer to heal.

Sometimes no matter how well you care for your piercing, it can become infected. If you have a troublesome piercing PTFE body jewellery is one of the best materials to wear in it whilst it heals.

Replacing your body jewellery with PTFE barbells or circular barbells, which are friction free, will help speed up the healing process so you can get back to wearing the jewellery you really want to! If you want to keep your piercing during pregnancy PTFE belly bars are ideal as they are so flexible they will change to the shape of your piercing as your bump grows, which makes them very comfortable to wear.  PTFE pregnancy jewellery is also safe to wear during your ultrasound scan, just screw off the ends and you can leave the bar in place, so it’s safe for you and your baby.