Many forms of body art, including earlobe stretching and henna dyeing, are becoming increasingly popular in the Ames area.

A fairly new fashion trend in this country is earlobe stretching, which consists of making large holes in the earlobes in the same place where earrings would be worn.

Bert DuChene, an employee at the Asylum tattoo parlor in Ames, said stretching the earlobes is a gradual process.

“My holes started as the normal size; I just gradually put bigger studs in,” DuChene said.

He is now able to fit his entire pinky finger through the hole in his ear. DuChene said he is more than happy to prove this fact to anyone who doubts it.

Lately, the new fashion trend DuChene has noticed is genitalia piercing. He said more and more clients are requesting this procedure.

Contrary to what people may believe, there is virtually no pain with genitalia piercing, he said.

“Female genitalia piercings heal within a few days,” DuChene said. “And there is no numbing involved, just straight piercing.”

He said he would be wary of allowing anyone to perform piercings if any type of anesthetic is used.

It is illegal to use an anesthetic in piercings, DuChene said, unless the person doing the piercing has a medical degree.

People are not limited to one type of genitalia piercing, he said. There are a variety of piercings from which men and women can choose.

DuChene said lately more women request one or more piercings than the male clientele.

Another trend growing more popular in the United States is henna dyeing, or Mendhi.

According to the henna Web site, this procedure can be done professionally or at home.

The Asylum has information for henna dyeing, but lacks the resources, DuChene said.

For centuries, henna has been used as a Middle Eastern method of enhancing beauty in women. It is used as a hair treatment and as a dye.

The current fashion trend is a skin painting method, used as a temporary tattoo or body art.

A mixture of sifted henna, citrus juice and boiled, distilled water is applied to the body in a certain design with small paintbrushes or sticks, then left on as long as possible, allowing it to darken.

The mixture is then scraped and washed off, and if done properly, may last up to a month.

Henna is usually applied to the hands, feet, hair or head and comes in both black and red forms.

The Web site details many reasons and benefits for henna dyeing, but cautions against skin allergy.