Ive read a few postings and have noticed a lot of mis-information going round so a little bit of advice.
Initial piercings should be carried out using a surgical grade Titanium such as Ti6AL4V/ASTMF-136 which meet parts 1 & 2 of the EU nickel Directive
This a requirement by law EU Nickel Directive 76/769/EEC & 94/27/EC
316L surgical Stainless Steel only meets part 2 of the directive and is only suitable for healed piercings.
There are some nickel reduced Surgical steels avaiable but are not widely used. Mainly becuase of the weight issue Titanium is lighter and therefore is less likely to track (move)
And now Days Titanium is more cost effective.
Gold is not a good alternative as most gold available is 9ct and not suitable for unhealed piercings and the cheaper the gold the higher the risk!!
Although you can use 14ct+ Gold for initial piercings you should make sure it is manufactured by a body jewellery specialist such as BODYSHOCK.
In my expierence Gold discolours in an autoclave also in the body.
You can also use PTFE (Medical Grade) for initial piercings and unhealed piercings
Acrylics such PMFK (Clinical Grade) are also suitable for unhealed piercings
Acrylics shouldn't be used for initial piercings as yet again it does not fair well in an autoclave.
I trust this helps a little
