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Piercings: How to prevent complications
Piercings may be more common than ever, but don't take piercing lightly. Know the risks and understand basic safety precautions and aftercare steps.
By Mayo Clinic staffFrom ears to lips to bellybuttons, piercings are popular and easy to get. Still, don't let the ease of getting piercings stop you from doing your research. Piercings carry risks and can cause complications. The decisions you make now — such as where you get the piercing and how you care for the piercing — can help you prevent infection and speed the healing process.
Know the risks
A piercing is the insertion of jewelry into an opening made in the ear, nose, eyebrow, lip, tongue or other part of the body — usually without anesthetics. Although earlobe piercing is generally less risky than other body piercings, any type of piercing poses a risk of infection and other complications. Specific risks include:
- Allergic reactions. Some piercing jewelry — particularly pieces made of nickel — can cause allergic reactions.
- Oral complications. Jewelry worn in tongue piercings can chip and crack your teeth and damage your gums. Tongue swelling after a new piercing can block your throat and airway.
- Skin infections. A skin infection — characterized by redness, swelling, pain and a pus-like discharge — is possible within a few days to weeks after a piercing.
- Other skin problems. Body piercing can lead to scars and keloids — raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue.
- Bloodborne diseases. If the equipment used to do the piercing is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract various bloodborne diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tetanus and HIV — the virus that causes AIDS.
- Tearing or trauma. Jewelry can get caught and torn out accidentally. Such trauma may require stitches or surgical repair.
Medication or other treatment may be needed if you develop an allergic reaction, infection or other skin problem. In some cases, the piercing may need to be removed.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Schmidt RM, et al. Tattooing and body piercing. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 29, 2009.
- DeBoer S, et al. Puncturing myths about body piercing and tattooing. Nursing. 2008;38:50.
- Braverman PK. Body art: Piercing, tattooing, and scarification. Adolescent Medicine Clinics. 2006;17:505.
- Do's and don'ts when considering tattoos or piercings. American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. http://www.asds.net/_ConsumerPage.aspx?id=912&terms=body+piercing. Accessed Oct. 29, 2009.
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