What risks are associated with skin piercing?
The risks associated with skin piercing practices are from blood borne diseases such as hepatitis (B, C etc.) and HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The hepatitis viruses are very resilient and can be very infectious, spreading easily from person to person via contact with small amounts of infected blood, tissue fluids and serum. They are so resilient that some strains have been known to survive for 8 years in laboratory conditions. Therefore infection control procedures are essential.
Other recognised problems include:
- Jewellery embedding – where part or all of the inserted item sinks beneath the skin surface after piercing. This commonly occurs after inappropriate use of ear-piercing guns on other body parts (eg navels)
- Allergies to jewellery – usually the result of nickel allergy, poor gold plating, or sometimes the use of 9 carat gold materials.
- Migration of jewellery – this can happen to any pierced area, especially if jewellery is too thin or is agitated before healing;
- Scarring – when not a planned part of the treatment, this is sometimes the result of poor jewellery insertion, jewellery migration or of infection and poor healing generally;
- Severe localised swelling – can happen anywhere following tattooing or piercing, but particularly dangerous with tongue piercing, where there is a risk of swelling, choking and possible restriction of the airway;
- Localised infections – usually caused by bacteria on the skin – good aftercare can prevent infection, or improve recovery. There is a greater risk of infection with nose piercings, as the nose cannot be disinfected effectively;
- Septicaemia – a serious systemic infection (i.e. affecting the whole body). May be life threatening and requires immediate treatment with antibiotics;
- Bleeding – must be expected for most piercing and sometimes occurs following tattooing, but may become excessive, particularly in areas where the blood supply is rich e.g. lips and tongue.
