What Do You Need to Know Before You Decide for Piercing?

13.06.2011 | By: T. P.

The article describes the problems that can be caused by genital piercing and other body piercings. So where should you have your piercing done?

Piercing in the tongue and nose is particularly popular. (PhotoXpress)

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Piercing is very popular and mostly harmless

Most people who have body piercings experience no major problems with them. People often pierce their earlobes, which heal without any trouble in a very short time. If other body parts are pierced, the wounds need a little longer to heal. Usually, the places for piercing are the ear, lip, nose, eyebrow, nipple, belly button, vaginal lip, clitoral hood and sometimes also the penis. Every place is specific and requires a certain time to heal, as well as sometimes creates specific problems. Minor problems can be effectively solved at home: these are slight bleeding and swelling. General problems are related to getting used to the jewellery that causes difficulties in speaking, swallowing, dressing and exercising. A greater problem might be how to explain the sudden decision for piercing to your parents or partner.

General problems of piercing

If you're deciding for piercing, it’s vital that you’re completely healthy as well as sober. Every disease already affecting your body will prolong the healing process or cause serious problems in combination with a piercing.

A mouth infection can cause difficulties in speaking, chewing and swallowing, and swelling can cause breathing problems.
A nipple infection can damage the tissue of the areola and thus cause difficulties in breastfeeding.
Every infection can be potentially dangerous and affect the whole body.
Chances of skin tear are increased, which means at least ugly scars or even damaged muscle and nerve tissue.
If you have an allergy, you have to be particularly careful in choosing jewellery materials. Jewellery has to be chosen with regard to the place for piercing and has to be made from materials that don’t lead to allergies. Recommended materials are surgical steel, biocompatible silicone, gold, platinum and titanium, especially if it’s your first piercing.
Jewellery, if not properly sized, in the mouth can cause broken and cracked teeth and gum problems. If your piercing is loosened, you can also swallow it.
Jewellery in the navel or nipple causes difficulties in wearing certain types of clothing as well as difficulties in certain sports activities that require a lot of physical contact. Owing to that, wounds usually heal longer because you constantly rub them, sometime they need even a year.
Jewellery in the genital area can harm you and your partner. A wrong jewelry style can tear condoms and thus, of course, increase the risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Piercings of the penis could harm your partners teeth during oral sex.
Vessels and nerves can be damaged if the piercer is not properly trained.
If you remove your piercing because you no longer want it, this can leave an ugly scar if you experienced a troublesome healing.

What do you have to be careful about when choosing a piercing studio?

If piercing is done improperly, the procedure is:

very (unnecessarily) painful
very dangerous

The situation in this area is improving significantly. It’s therefore advisable to risk a little more money and let a professional do your piercing. If instruments aren’t sterile and if the person doing your piercing doesn’t wear gloves and looks ill (sneezing in his/her sleeve), leave the place immediately. In the worst case, you can get infected with HIV or hepatitis B or C. The possible candidates are also tuberculosis, syphilis and sepsis, which can be fatal. Therefore, make enquiries about the studio you intend to visit, best from people who have already visited the place. Read comments on forums and consult your GP, if that can help.

Think through why you want to decide for piercing and how long you want to have it, as well as what you do in your life and where it could bother you. If you play basketball, a nipple piercing isn’t exactly the best choice. It’s even worse if you are a Greco-Roman wrestler.