An apparatus for piercing a skin surface, and methods for operating and manufacturing such an apparatus. In one embodiment, the apparatus can include a support housing having an engaging surface to engage the skin surface. The support housing can include a first guide extending axially away from the engaging surface and a second guide extending transverse to the first guide. The apparatus can further include a probe coupled to a guide member with the guide member sequentially engaged with the first guide and the second guide to move in a first direction toward and away from the engaging surface without simultaneously moving in a second direction transverse to the first direction. Accordingly, a practitioner can reposition the probe from one location to the other (for example, by orbiting the probe relative to a central axis of the support body, or by translating the probe linearly relative to the support body) without moving the housing relative to the skin surface.