Another "icky" article, warning about body piercing (from the NYT).
April 4, 2000
PERSONAL HEALTH
Fresh Warnings on the Perils of Piercing
By JANE E. BRODY
The fads of
teenagers can
run from the
ridiculous to the
absurd: leaving
shoelaces untied,
sucking on pacifiers,
dyeing hair five
different colors,
wearing pants so big
they expose half the
buttocks. Parents
may cringe at such
weird behavior, but
most adults realize
that battles over
teenagers' styles are
futile, the fads will soon fade and the damage won't be permanent.
But the situation can be quite different when it comes to this craze: body
piercing. People, many of them fad-driven teenagers, boast of holes in their
ears, noses, navels, nipples, eyebrows, lips, tongues, cheeks and in some
cases even their genitals.
And some are putting their health on the line when they pierce themselves or
one another or rely on unlicensed operators who know little about aseptic
technique or the medical risks incurred when holes are stabbed through
various body parts. Even those who head to the mall to have their ears or
noses pierced by jewelry sales clerks may be asking for trouble.
Many who call themselves "piercing professionals" have had no formal
training and may have learned the techniques from seminars, videos or
magazines, or as apprentices to other so-called professionals.
All too often, the decision to get pierced through, say, the tongue or the
nipple is made with little consideration of the pain involved, the potential
hazards and the long recovery time. Fifteen-year-old David, for example, had
his tongue pierced against his father's wishes. For more than a week, he
could hardly talk and could eat little other than mush. Even when the swelling
receded, his tongue still hurt, his speech was affected, and his father refused
to talk to him.
David's warning: "Not only make sure you have a long, hard think about a
tongue- pierce, but think of the consequences and things that might happen
afterward. When one says that the first five or six days is close to hell, you
won't fully understand it until you get a tongue-pierce."
Another teenager who had some regrets
cautioned his peers "to consider their career
choices or college choices because of others'
reactions" to certain piercings.
In a recent issue of Emergency Medicine, a
medical magazine, Dr. Charles Stewart of
Colorado Springs and the Dakota Heartland
Hospital in Fargo summarized the various
complications that have been known to result
from body piercing.
ALLERGY
Most common are allergic reactions to the jewelry inserted, especially if it is
brass-plated or contains nickel. The allergy typically results in a weeping,
crusting, itchy wound. To avoid this problem, "body jewelry should be made
of surgical-grade stainless steel, 14-karat yellow or white gold, or titanium,"
Dr. Stewart wrote.
INFECTION
Almost as common and potentially far more serious are infections, which
result in redness, swelling, tenderness and pain and often swelling of nearby
glands. When sterile techniques are not used, bacteria and viruses can be
introduced into the bloodstream, including the hepatitis B virus that can cause
chronic hepatitis and liver cancer, and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In
people born with heart valve disorders, bacterial endocarditis, a potentially
deadly infection of the heart, can result if they fail to take preventive
antibiotics. A Mayo Clinic study of 445 patients with congenital heart disease
revealed that nearly one in four developed endocarditis after body piercing.
Piercing the nose can result in a staphylococcal infection and piercing the
cartilaginous part of the ear, which has a very poor blood supply, can result
in a pseudomonas infection, necessitating surgery and a resulting in
permanent deformity. Even tetanus is a risk in people who have not been
immunized in the last 10 years.
UNSIGHTLY SCARS AND INJURY
Some people, most commonly African-Americans and people from
Mediterranean areas, develop large, ugly scars that may have to be surgically
removed. Also, if piercing jewelry catches on something, the tissue can be
ripped. Piercing of the tongue can result in permanent numbness, difficulty
talking, loss of taste and breathing problems if swelling is severe. The jewelry
inserted in a pierced tongue can cause teeth to fracture or the lining of the
mouth to become chronically inflamed.
MOVEMENT OR REJECTION
The jewelry may move or the hole become thin and narrow, causing
scarring, inflammation and prolonged healing. Mechanical stress is a common
cause, for example, when the jewelry is under pressure or friction from
clothing, or the piercing has been placed in an area that changes shape with
body movement, or the jewelry used is too thin or too thick and heavy for the
tissue in which it is inserted.
Start by asking friends who have been pierced about their experiences and
what they would suggest if they were to do it all over again. Think about
your future. How will adults who interview you for school admission or jobs
react when they see your piercings? One young woman was fired from a law
firm because the rest of the staff was so repulsed by her multiple facial
piercings.
Become as well informed as possible about the procedure, its risks and how
long it is likely to take for the piercing to heal. Are you willing to tolerate
whatever pain and complications that might ensue, regardless of how long
they last? And are you willing to adhere to postpiercing cleaning techniques
for as long as they are needed?
Kelly A. Muldoon, a pediatric nurse practitioner in Bridgeport, Conn., pointed
out in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care that "healing times vary from about
eight weeks to more than a year, depending on the site pierced." Throughout
this time, one must adhere to strict hygienic practices and avoid touching the
hole or the jewelry except to clean them.
Piercing should be done only by a well-trained professional who practices
sterile techniques, wearing new disposable gloves and using disposable tools
(make sure a new package is opened in front of you and look for brown
sterile markings on the package). Nondisposable tools must be sterilized
between uses in a steam autoclave.
A piercing gun is safe only for piercing the ear lobe, not the cartilaginous part
of the ear or any other body part, which should be pierced only with a proper
gauge needle. Ms. Muldoon cautioned that jewelry used in ear piercings
should not be used in any other area of the body.
Some states require parental permission to pierce a minor. If your parents say
no, forget about it. Don't use a piercer willing to skirt the law, and never
pierce yourself or a friend. Dr. Stewart said many operators were "hucksters
who, after attending a single piercing seminar, set up a 'studio' with the hope
of making a fast buck."
Don't rely on the Internet for information about piercing or access to
piercers. Dr. Stewart pointed out that much of the information on Web sites
is "biased, erroneous or downright misleading."
Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company |
