What are the risks of body piercing

Risks, Risks??? Of Course There Are Risks Of Body Piercing

Piercing has gone way beyond the ears to include tongue, lips, eyebrows, navel, and genitals. The skin is one of the body's main protective barriers from infection. Piercing the skin brings high risk of infection if done improperly. These risks include hepatitis, tetanus, and HIV. Less serious local infections can cause illness, deformity, and scarring.

Anyone considering body piercing should go to a reputable piercing studio or ask their physician if they will perform the procedure.

How will a reputable studio decrease the risk of infection?
A reputable studio will decrease the risk of infection in the following ways:

• It should have an autoclave, which is a heat sterilization machine.
• Needles should be in sterile packages and used only once and discarded in a biohazard container.
• Sterile gloves should be used with each procedure.
• All areas within the site of piercing should be cleaned and disinfected frequently.
• All jewelry used in the piercing should be non-allergic (stainless steel, gold, titanium, or platinum only) and it should never have been previously used or worn by others.
• Piercing guns, which were commonly used in ear piercing, should never be used. They cannot be sterilized and they make less precise incisions, which increases the risk of infection.

Check with your local city or county health department to see if there are regulations governing studios in your area or if anyone has lodged a complaint against the studio you are thinking about using