Matt Bavougian is the owner and senior piercer at Onyx Piercing Studio as well as Lincoln, Nebraska’s first member of the Association of Professional Piercers. Matt started his piercing career in 1999, and has been piercing full time since 2003. When he isn’t busy ordering jewelry and talking to customers about all things piercing related, he can often be found reading medical journals, reports, and textbooks to further his understanding of the human body and how body piercings affect them. A good portion of his time is spent helping lawmakers, healthcare professionals, and health inspectors become more knowledgeable about the health and safety concerns of the body piercing industry. He has helped write code and laws involving body art in several states across the country and internationally. That knowledge has also been shared with the public throughout the years at dozens of public outreach events.

Matt is a current member of the A.P.P.’s Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee.

He is also a volunteer on the National Environmental Health Association’s Model Body Art Code Work Group , and the Association of Food and Drug Officials’ Sub-committee on Body Art Materials.

Away from work, Matt enjoys home renovation projects to keep his carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills honed. He loves cooking with his wife (including curing and smoking bacon and sausages), and playing outside with his 2 daughters. He also occasionally fills in as a professional stagehand for concert and theatrical events.