Body Piercing: Ravishing or Risky?

Earlobe Piercing is the Commonest Form of Body Piercing

Keloids are a Sign to Avoid Piercing in the Future

Body piercing has evolved as a fashion statement from the age-old concept of sexual desirability. It is the art of inserting a hole in the skin or body part to make provision for a piece of jewelry as a decorative ornament. In India, most girl babies and some boy babies have their ear lobes pierced as a part of their culture and no other body part is as dominantly pierced as this. 

Body piercing was initially considered an extreme art form but now has been accepted with ease among the general population. Individuals desire to get their body piercing in different places and numbers and every choice has a motivational factor behind it. Seen initially as a tradition related to increased sexual desirability and experience, it is now seen as a trademark, trendsetter or a non-suicidal form of self-injury. Done with a sharp needle, the process definitely carries with it an increased risk of blood-borne infection and other problems, unless extreme care and precaution is taken by the piercer.

Done by professional piercers, individuals who face complications visit their piercer instead of going to their physician. These individuals feel that their doctors would be unmindful, ill-equipped or biased against them, especially when they have multiple piercings or piercing in intimate body parts. Common reasons that push individuals to meet their piercer include bleeding, infection, tissue trauma and scarring which is present in almost 50% of individuals who are pierced. Piercing can lead to metal allergy development and hence, the pierced individual should choose his/her ornamental jewelry with utmost caution. In today’s world, apart from earlobe piercing, common places to pierce include belly button, eyebrow, nose, tongue tip, nipples and genitals. Ear cartilage is also pierced by some people. Appropriate care of the piercing site becomes mandatory in certain circumstances-during pregnancy (genital piercing), lactation (nipple piercing) or surgery.

Piercing Issues
Infections at the Piercing Site: Any changes to the skin’s protective barrier paves way for skin infection due to staph or strep bacteria. Belly button piercing is the most commonly affected site during such piercing due to its shape. Antibiotics and skin hygiene are common treatment methods and there is no need to remove the jewelry. 

Blood-borne diseases: Piercing immediately reminds anyone of bloodstream infections such as hepatitis B or C or tetanus. This is very common due to unhygienic and contaminated piercing equipment. The person getting pierced should take extra precaution and get himself/herself vaccinated for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and tetanus beforehand. 

Dental illness: Tongue piercing can cause tooth fracture, chipped tooth, gum problems or enamel damage. The jewelry too is swallowed sometimes, when it is loosely fitted. Mouth or lip infections affect speech, food intake, swallowing and swelling problems that can block the throat. 

Jewelry problems: Nickel jewelry can cause problems but most of the inexpensive jewelry contain nickel. Adolescents are bound to buy such ornaments as they mostly lack funds and are forced to choose cheaper ones. Also, never accept jewelry which was already used by someone. Choose the right size, too big or too small can lead to a tissue scar or skin damage. Jewelry in the genitals can lead to breaking of condom and unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

Keloid Formation: Keloids are fibrous tissue overgrowth that can occur in people after a mild trauma to the skin and this is usually resolved with surgical excision, corticosteroid injections, radiation or laser dressing. Keloid formation is an indication to avoid piercing again. 

How Can the Piercer/Person Getting Pierced Take Precautionary Measures?
The piercer must ensure to:

1. Wash your hands with soap before piercing
2. Wear disposable gloves
3. Use disposable tools as much as possible or at least sterilized tools
4. Always ensure that the needle is new and taken out from a new packet
   
   

The individual getting pierced should also make sure that he/she chooses a piercing facility that is clean, hygienic and safe. Never allow anyone to pierce unless you know that they are a certified professional. Choose the piercing site and jewelry carefully avoiding anything that might contain nickel or brass. Choose ones that are made of titanium, 14-carat gold or surgical-grade steel.

After-Care
Once you are pierced, ensure to follow all precautionary measures as advised by your piercer. You would be asked to clean the pierced area with warm water and soap twice daily, use a liquid medicated cleanser while moving the piercing around and use an antibacterial mouth rinse when the tongue or lip is pierced.

After following all the instructions, if you face any of the following problems, please get in touch with your physician immediately without any hesitation:

• Fever
• Pain every time you touch the pierced site
• Red, swollen skin around the pierced area
• Foul-smelling yellow discharge/pus coming from the pierced site
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If you feel that you are done with the piercing fantasy and want to return to your previous state, just leave the pierced area without any jewelry. Holes automatically close when you don’t wear any jewelry. Unlike tattoos, getting rid of piercing is easy. Tattoos are nowadays used to check on the health status of people and diabetics are crazy over diabetes tattoos that come in different shapes and sizes. How healthy and safe is it for a diabetic to get a tattoo? Get to know your answers from the website www.firsteatright.com.

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