What are the real risks of body piercing?
September 29, 2004
By: Lori Wilkerson
Are you or your teenager considering a body piercing? Is it
difficult to see eye-to-eye on this subject, or are you just not
sure what the real risks of body piercing are? Sometimes it’s hard
to separate the facts from the myths surrounding body modification.
When that happens, it can make it even harder for parents and
teenagers to come to an agreement on whether a body piercing is an
acceptable form of self-expression.
First, you should understand that the risks of body piercing are
very real. There are genuine problems that can and do arise, and
these shouldn’t be ignored. On the other hand, by taking certain
precautions and taking proper care of your piercings, you can
minimize your chance of having a problem and greatly increase the
chances that you will be one of the millions of people who will end
up with a healthy, normal piercing.
What are the health risks of body piercing?
- Infection - Without proper care, infection can lead to
scarring and even blood poisoning. Infections of piercings are
unattractive and can be very dangerous.
- Allergic Reaction - Some people are sensitive to
certain metals and only discover this when they are pierced and
have a severe reaction to the jewelry. The rash, swelling, and
difficulty breathing can lead to shock and hospitalization.
- Nerve Damage - If a piercing isn’t placed carefully, it
can be pushed through a nerve, severing it and making the
surrounding area permanently deadened to any feeling.
- Excessive Bleeding - This is just what it sounds like.
If you get pierced and happen to hit a large blood vessel, you
could have difficulty stopping the bleeding and may end up in the
emergency room getting it cauterized. Not pretty.
- Risk of Cross-Contamination - You may become
cross-contaminated by Hepatitis, the HIV virus, or another
blood-borne pathogen is you are pierced by improperly sterilized
needles.
- Keloids - These are toughened knots of scar tissue that
look like cysts at the base of a piercing that sometimes form for
no reason at the site of a piercing.
- Can’t donate blood - Is it important for you to be a
blood donor? Is there someone in your family who is ill and may
need blood donations in the near future? Don’t get pierced. You
cannot donate blood for one year after getting pierced – no
exceptions.
- Dental Risks - There are several problems that can
arise from oral piercings, including chipped teeth, worn tooth
enamel, damage to the gums and jaw line from wear, and even
aspiration (inhaling) of a loose piece of jewelry into the lungs.
Infection and swelling of the tongue is also a possibility, and is
very unpleasant.
Are there other body piercing risks?
It depends on what you consider a risk. There are certainly
things you should consider that you could call potential drawbacks
to getting pierced. Among these are:
- Pain - How much of a weenie are you? If you can’t
tolerate pain, you may be risking suffering more than you like for
your vanity. Some piercings hardly hurt at all, others can be
pretty rough for a few weeks.
- Cost - Do you have the money to pay not only for the
piercing and jewelry, but for the aftercare products, such as
Provon® or
Satin® and
H2Ocean®?
- Commitment - You are putting yourself at risk if you
can’t clean your piercing every day, twice a day. Period. End of
discussion. And you have to do your sea salt soaks or H2Ocean®
treatments without fail.
- Judgment of Others - Let’s get real. You may not want
to hear this one, but face it; others may judge you based on your
piercings, so really think this one through. Will it bother you if
others stare as though they are afraid of you? Do you want to have
to explain yourself or remove your piercing for job interviews?
Will you feel badly if your piercing upsets your grandparents or
family friends?
Okay, we’ve looked at the risks of body piercing, and you (or
your teenager) are still certain that a piercing is a “must have.”
How do you prevent all of those scary possibilities we mentioned in
our list of health risks? By doing your homework! A good piercing
with a low risk of infection or other complications is the result of
choosing a good, professional piercer and having the piercing done
in the proper environment.
What should you look for in a piercing parlor that will reduce
the risks of body piercing?
First impressions count! When you walk in the door, scan the
waiting area. Is it clean, neat and professional looking? If the
front of the shop isn’t clean, it’s a sure thing that they can’t
keep the back area clean. If you first impression makes you wary,
turn around and walk out the door.
Credentials
Check to make sure they are licensed by the local board of health
to operate as a piercing studio, and make sure their license hasn’t
expired. Also look for membership in a recognized group such as the
Association of Professional Piercers (APP), which sets high
standards for membership and requires extensive training. An APP
certification will indicate that the piercers have taken classes and
been through a rigorous apprenticeship program.
Helpful, Knowledgeable Staff
Ask questions, and lots of them. If the employees don’t know the
answers and are more like sales clerks pushing jewelry than
anything, you should be wary. They may have a high turn-over of
staff for some reason; this is also a red flag. If, however, they
can answer your piercing questions and give you good, clear advice,
then they have been well-trained by someone with experience.
The one exception may be if the studio is very large and they
have a few sales people who only work the front counters. If this is
the case and you begin asking questions, they should answer honestly
that they are salespeople, and be willing to refer you to a piercer
or apprentice who can discuss your concerns with you. There should
always be a piercer on location at the studio or parlor when
it is open – always.
Printed information
Ask to see the aftercare information they provide to individuals
getting pierced. If you hear, “Oh, your piercer will explain all
that to you,” insist on seeing the printed version before getting
pierced. If they don’t have printed, step-by-step instructions, walk
away. It is too easy to forget what you need to do, forget the name
of the product you should be using, etc. if you don’t have printed
instructions. If they aren’t willing to spend the money to print the
instructions for their clients, who knows where else they might be
cutting corners!
Read through the aftercare instructions and see if they are
current with the prevailing standards. A good way to evaluate this
is by checking them against what you see on sites such as BME,
Tribalectic and APP. If the piercing literature still recommends
using alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, for instance, to clean your
piercing, then the studio is not keeping up with the current
research in body piercing care and may cause you unnecessary
suffering and longer healing times.
The rules are there for a reason
If you’re a teenager and they don’t ask for I.D. or tell you to
come back with a parent or guardian, do not thank your lucky
stars. Leave! The law says your parent has to be present, and
any studio that bends or breaks the rules on one issue will do the
same on others.
In other words, if they are willing to “ignore” one rule to grab
your money, they will ignore others to turn a higher profit. They
may decide that the expense of an autoclave is unnecessary, or that
reusing piercing needles is a great way to save some money. You are
a minor and have little or no protection without your parents
present, and they know this – that’s why they do it - to take
advantage of you, pure and simple.
If you are going to get pierced,
make sure you take a parent or guardian with you for your own
safety. If they’ve been cool enough to get this far with you,
they’ll survive going to a piercing parlor, trust me.
The rest of the place
We’ve made it past the waiting room and decided that the piercing
parlor seems okay so far; they have current credentials and health
certificates, their aftercare instructions look good, and they had
Dad sign a consent form. Are we ready to go? Not yet. You still need
to check a few more things. Don’t be afraid to interrogate them
about the piercing room and the sterilization process itself. These
are two of the most important things to consider.
Ask these questions before ever getting pierced:
- Do you sterilize your tools in an autoclave? May I see your
most recent spore test results? If they don’t do spore testing
at least once a month, don’t get pierced there. Spore testing is
the only way to know if an autoclave is effectively sterilizing
the equipment, and autoclave sterilization is the only method
approved by the Association of Professional Piercers.
- How long have you been piercing, and how did you learn?
Body piercing is complex, and any piercer who is a professional
will gladly explain where he learned and from whom. It takes quite
a while to learn what types of jewelry and needles are best for
each piercing and to learn how to place the piercings optimally.
If a piercer seems defensive or less than forthcoming, be hesitant
to let him touch you with a needle.
- May I see the room where you’ll be doing the piercing, and
can I watch you set up? Check out the area where the piercings
are done. Do they wipe down the area before and after every
piercing? Do they maintain a clean, dust free environment at all
times? When setting up, make sure that the sterilized instruments
are put on a tray and not touched except with washed, gloved
hands. Make sure the piercer uses gloves for the entire piercing
and changes them frequently.
- What type of piercing needles do you use? There is only
one correct answer: Single-use, pre-sterilized, disposable
needles. These should not be opened except in your presence at the
time of the piercing. If they use a piercing gun for any piercing,
leave immediately. No body piercing should ever be done with a
piercing gun, which causes bruising, trauma and excessive tearing
and bleeding.
“I’ve chosen the parlor and piercer and I got a really cool
body piercing. Now what?”
AFTERCARE!!! There is nothing as crucial to addressing the risks
of body piercing as properly following the guidelines for piercing
aftercare. Since you’ve chosen a reliable, professional piercer, you
will have a set of aftercare instructions that will tell you what to
do to properly care for your piercings.
Do not skip a day because you are too tired, too busy, or because
you “forget.” Aftercare is literally preventative care – you are
taking care of your piercing in order to prevent an infection and to
enable the wound to heal properly. While following your aftercare
instructions, watch for signs of trouble so that you can address
them early on before they turn into real problems.
Signs of a potential problem that you should bring to the
attention of your parents (if you are a minor) or your piercer are:
- Discharge that is green or yellow from the piercing
- Splitting, oozing or cracking and bleeding of a piercing more
than a week old
- Swelling and redness after the first few days
- Pain and redness or red streaks radiating out from the
piercing
- Migration (movement of the piercing) up through the layers of
skin
- Difficulty breathing and swelling of the tongue within hours
of a piercing, especially an oral piercing
- A rash or hives soon after a piercing
- A lump or bump forming at the base of the piercing
In some cases, you will need to see a doctor; in others your
piercer will be able to advise you on the proper steps to alleviate
the situation. The important thing is to catch any small problems
before they turn into big ones. If you follow your aftercare
instructions and monitor your piercing carefully, you can minimize
the risks of body piercing so that you can enjoy your new body
piercing completely!
About the Author:
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her work
because it gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world
every day. Right now, she knows a little bit about almost
everything, and a lot about body jewelry, belly button rings and
tongue rings. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who
is not.
Also See: [
Top Ten Piercing Questions & More ]
[
Glossary of Piercing Terms ]
[
The Body
Piercing Process ]
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