Piercing Cannulas: Size and Usage Guide
The cannula is the preferred tool of many professional piercers for the initial puncture, instead of a classic piercing needle. This guide explains what it is, why it's used, and how to choose the right gauge for different areas of the body.
What a piercing cannula is, why it's used instead of a classic needle, and how to pick the right gauge for different piercing types.
What a piercing cannula is and why it's used
A cannula is a medical catheter needle, made of a sharp inner needle and a flexible plastic outer sheath. In piercing, the advantage over a classic needle is that the sheath temporarily stays in the channel after puncture, firmly guiding jewellery insertion with reduced risk of losing the correct channel path. The cannula's colour code follows the international medical standard for diameter.
How gauge sizes are chosen
The cannula's gauge must exactly match the gauge of the jewellery to be inserted — a cannula that's too thin won't let the jewellery through, one that's too thick leaves an unnecessarily wide channel. Standard sizes range from thicker gauges (suited to areas like the navel or industrial piercings) to finer gauges (suited to the nose or other delicate areas). The piercer picks the gauge based on the anatomical area, tissue thickness, and the jewellery the client will wear.
Piercing cannulas, available sizes
Correct use
The cannula is a single-use, sterile device, individually packaged — used once, for one client, then disposed of per the studio's sharps medical waste protocol. It's never re-sterilised or reused, no matter how it looks after first use.
Both are sterile and single-use. The structural difference: the cannula has a plastic sheath that guides the jewellery right after puncture, while the classic needle is a single sharp metal piece. The choice between them comes down to the piercer's technique and preference.
Întrebări frecvente
What cannula gauge is used for navel piercings?+
Navel piercings typically use a thicker gauge from the available range — the piercer confirms the exact size based on the chosen jewellery and the client's tissue thickness.
Can a cannula be reused if it looks clean?+
No, never. It's a sterile single-use medical device — disposed of immediately after use on one client, regardless of appearance, per the sharps medical waste protocol.
Why do some piercers prefer a cannula over a classic needle?+
Because the plastic sheath left temporarily in the channel after puncture guides jewellery insertion with better control of the path, reducing the risk of missing the correct channel angle.