Complications of Body Piercing

Posted on October 22, 2007 in Latest News

Body piercing has gained lot of acceptance in today’s world. It no longer brings about the hair-raising effect as it used to do earlier. Piercing has been extended to other body parts like the tongue, lips, nose, eyebrows, nipples, navel, and genitals.

Piercing surely looks hip and adds that extra boost in confidence. It definitely gives one that extra edge over the others.

But, now lets take a look at another side of piercing which is really ugly. No doubt piercing your body gives you that sense of acceptance in a group but the presence of a foreign body is faced by big time rejection by your own physiological body. It is very essential that body piercing take place in the presence of well supervised medical care.

There are various complications that come along with body piercing. There is wear and tear and also infections whose names might sound completely incomprehensible and is also beyond understanding.

Lets look at some of the complications which are bound to occur at the frequently pierced sites.

Mouth: Very often we see the tongue being pierced. It looks really cool but unfortunately has a list of complications associated with it. Airway compromise, altered eating habits, gingival trauma, hematoma formation, increased salivary flow, infection, injury to salivary glands, interference with radiographs, loss of taste, Ludwig’s angina, pain, permanent numbness, speech impediments, tooth fracture or chipping and uncontrolled drooling accompany Tongue piercing. Well, on a lighter note the only potential benefit I can see here is that with so much pain in the mouth one can really loose weight fast.

Navel: Bacterial endocarditis,frictional irritation, infection, jewelry migration and rejection are the problems that arise with navel piercing. Ouch now that hearts real bad. Imagine slipping on a T-shirt and screaming out in pain every time the cloth rubs against your skin.

Ear: Allergic reaction, auricular perichondritis, embedded earrings, infection, keloid formation, perichondral abscess, traumatic tears is what ear piercing brings in. This area is real delicate and pain here is magnified in leaps and bounds. So, if you want to go in for ear piercing make sure it is done under medical supervision.

Genitals (women): Allergic reaction, compromise of barrier contraceptives, infection, keloid formation is what happens when the genitals are pierced. If one happens to catch these infections it means a long time ban on sex, until these areas are completely healed.

Genitals (men): Frictional irritation, infection, paraphimosis, penile engorgement, priapism, recurrent condyloma, urethral rupture, urethral stricture, and urinary flow interruption are what men suffer from when they pierce their genitals. Not only your sex life but also urinating will become painful.

Nipples: Abscess formation, bacterial endocarditis, and infection mars the beauty of your breasts. Breastfeeding impairment also is an issue which women might have to face.

Nose: Infection,perichondritis necrosis of nasal wall and septal hematoma formation may bound to occur with nose piercing.

Many complications from piercing are body-site-specific or related to the piercing technique used. Navel, nipple, and genital piercings often have prolonged healing times. Family physicians should be prepared to address complications of body piercing and provide accurate information to patients. You have the gift of choice so whatever you choose always keep the pros and cons of piercing in mind before you go in for it. It is ultimately you and no one else who is going to live with that body of yours.