Pg. 12 2025-26 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News frog eyes and snake eyes. “It can actually lead to necrosis or death of the tongue and tissue.” Even jewelry quality is a health concern. Katie uses only implant-grade titanium or 24-karat gold and avoids metals that contain nickel or copper. “Implant grade titanium is considered a bio-compatible metal, meaning your body will get along with it,” she said. “I have zero cases of it causing issues in my studio.” Though body modification is often viewed as aesthetic or emotional, Katie treats it with the seriousness of medical work. “Body art shops can be a hot spot of spreading disease if they are a red flag,” she said. That’s why her studio proudly displays its licensing and health inspection scores. “From the beginning of the experience to the very end on how I dispose of my items and follow up with clients, it’s just so, so incredibly important to me.” Now in her second studio space, a larger location she remodeled with her husband, Katie reflects on how far things have come. “I’ve made more friends in the last four years than I have in the last 40 living here,” she said. “I’m just grateful that I was able to step away from an office job to really pursue what I wanted to do. And the general public did that for me.” [Sophia Larimore]
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