The Risks of Body Piercing
Dec. 17 -- Body piercings can carry some serious risks, and experts are concerned that with their increase in popularity, the once rare reports of serious complications may become more common.
Yale physicians, for example, recently reported the case of a young woman who developed a brain abscess, or infection, that was likely caused by her tongue piercing. Based on the type of bacteria that were found in her brain, her physicians believe the infection traveled from her mouth to her brain through her bloodstream.
According to experts, cases of travelling infections like the Yale case are relatively uncommon, though may become more widespread as body piercing gains in popularity.
"I think that serious problems will be seen more often," says Samantha Tweeten, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at UC San Diego and San Diego State University, and author of a 1998 Clinical Infectious Diseases article on the infectious complications of piercings. "But there are two possibilities here: One is that with the increase in popularity, people will seek trained piercers more. The flip side is that people may be more inclined to do them themselves."
The Trouble with Tongues
Experts say there are two ways that piercings can cause problems.
The first is when the piercer uses improper sterilization techniques, which in addition to bacterial infections, have also been linked to the transmission of hepatitis and even HIV.
"The classic risk is that the needles are not sterilized between patients," says Dr. Marvin Bittner, associate professor at Creighton University School of Medicine and an expert on infectious disease.
The second cause of piercing problems is through poor "aftercare", that is how a person treats their piercings once they leave the parlor.
Healing times and proper care techniques can vary widely based upon what has been pierced — the navel, the ears, the tongue or the eyebrow — so it's important to be well informed about cleaning and maintenance.
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