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!
