How to Identify Body Piercing Risks
It's extremely important to understand the risks of body piercing before you have one performed on any part of your body. Learn to identify the most common body piercing risks, including allergic reactions, bodily damage and infections, before you make the decision to get a body piercing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Prepare yourself to deal with the possibility of an allergic reaction to the products used during and after the procedure to clean your body piercing. Professional body piercers should use a product like hydrogen peroxide or antibacterial soap to clean the area that you are having pierced. Because different parlors often use a variety of products, it is best to ask the piercer in advance to identify any chemicals in these products to which you might have had previous allergic reactions.
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Be aware of the risk of bacterial infection when getting a body piercing. Though the risk of infection is low when your piercing is performed by a trained professional with sterilized equipment, there is also the possibility of infection during the period after your piercing when you are left to care for it on your own at home. Piercing performed using piercing guns, which are often not sterile and poorly maintained, is known to produce a much higher number of infections, so it is best to avoid parlors that use piercing guns in any type of piercing.
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Keep in mind that viral infection, such as HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B, is a possible risk of body piercing. Professional piercing parlors that follow safe piercing procedures greatly reduce the risk of viral infection, but it is always important to identify whether your piercer uses unused disposable piercing needles and that all equipment is properly sterilized and well maintained.
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Learn to identify the risks of infection from fresh bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds, oceans, streams and rivers, as well as marine animals that may carry diseases. You should generally avoid swimming or extended contact with in any bodies of water for at least a month after you get your body piercing.
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Understand the risk of permanent damage to the nerves in the area of your body that is pierced. Though it is impossible to identify in advance whether or not nerve damage may result from a piercing, it is fairly common that, due to poor piercing procedures and the failure to follow proper aftercare guidelines, you may lose some feeling in the area that is pierced. This occurs most often in tongue and genital piercings, though it is possible in any type of piercing.
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Tips & Warnings
Professional piercing parlors will not pierce anyone under the age of 18.
