What many people don’t realize when they get a body piercing is that along with the hole in their body can come medical complications. The majority of complications from body piercings come from allergic reactions or bacterial infections. It is not uncommon for a serious issue to come from a new body piercing. Anybody who is considering getting any type of body piercing should learn about all the dangers that come with them.
Just some of the medical conditions and dangers that can arise from body piercings are: staph infections, tetanus, blood poisoning, nerve damage, permanent scarring on the body, and even HIV. There are other dangers to body piercings that don’t involve infections, but can be just as serious, they are: allergic reactions, keloid formation, jewelry rejection and migration, tearing, sores, and permanent numbness.
If you look at all the possible dangers that can come out of body piercings, it’s no wonder that over 35% of people who get body piercings experience one or more of the above conditions. Before you get a body piercing your should know that certain piercings carry more sever consequences than others. A piercing in the genital area may compromise condom use making a condom no longer an option for safe sex. The area of the body that has the most complications from piercings is the mouth. Besides the dangers listed above the mouth carries extra dangers such as swallowing the jewelry, altering eating habits, loss of taste, injuring saliva glands, speech impediments, and chipping your teeth.
In recent findings, tongue rings that are improperly placed, have been known to cause a rare nerve disorder that causes unbearable pain for a person. Jolts of shooting pain are sent through the person’s body up to 30-40 times a day. The only thing that helps this nerve disorder is to remove the tongue ring and allow the body piercing to close up. Apparently there is a nerve in the tongue that connects to a very important nerve in the head which when pierced can cause the shooting pain in the whole body.
So, if you do decide to get a body piercing, how do you know when you have a problem? Some of the things to be on the lookout for after you get a body piercing are: extreme soreness, swelling, redness, extreme pain, funny smell, and oozing yellow pus. If you notice something wrong with your body piercing, see your doctor immediately to get it taken care of. The longer you wait, the worse the condition can get. If you are concerned that the doctor will remove your body piercing, then ask yourself if you rather lose your tongue or just the body piercing?
Not all complications from body piercings can be avoided, as much of it depends on the person who pierces the body part. There are some things that you can do to help prevent infections and heal the body piercing quickly. Make sure to keep the body piercing clean and dry as much as possible. That being said the only time that you should clean the piercing and turn the jewelry is in the shower or right after when it is wet. Use a cotton swab to get around the nooks and crevices to clean out the body piercing. Also, before you even get your body piercing, make sure to do your research on piercers. Make sure that they are licensed and that all the instruments are clean. Don’t just go down to the local piercing place on the corner and on a whim get a body piercing, because you are just asking for trouble.
Remember, that when you get a body piercing, it can mean a lifetime of health conditions in an unfortunate event. Make sure that you are prepared for any of the dangers that come along with a body piercing before you get one.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/408/24464.html
