Piercings And Tattoos / Question
Published: March 13, 2003
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I pierced my belly myself and was wondering the dangers and what kind of sicknesses I could get?
Signed: Pierced Belly Myself
Dear Pierced Belly Myself,
FX is glad you asked this question, but we are a little worried as well. Piercing yourself can be dangerous because of possible infection or the possibility of injuring oneself during the piercing. In the future, we highly recommend that you go to a professional piercer. This said, FX recommends that you see your doctor just to make sure everything is okay with your piercing.
To answer your question directly, here is some general information on piercing:
Many normal healing piercings become discolored in the immediate vicinity of the piercing. This can be a reddish, brownish, pinkish, or a purplish discoloration. In certain areas such as the belly this can remain for many months and be perfectly normal. Since a piercing involves the body healing around a foreign object rather than the usual process of restoring the body back to a normal state, discoloration may remain for a longer period of time. Some localized swelling or hardness is not uncommon during healing stages and is not necessarily indicative of complications.
There are numerous complications that can result from piercings, but the most common sickness is infection from bacteria. These often require treatment with antibiotics and can be quite serious. If the area is red, oozing, swollen and painful, go immediately to your doctor and get the piercing removed. In addition to infection, Hepatitis C and HIV can be transmitted if piercing needles are not sterilized. Other complications can include developing a rash at the piercing site, embeddment of the jewelry (the jewelry get buried in the skin), damage to the tissue like nerves, blood vessels and salivary glands and dissatisfaction with the result.
You should not self-pierce and it is always advisable to check with your piercer if you have any questions or concerns about your body piercing and instruments and needles they are using. A competent and ethical piercer is willing to admit when a condition appears beyond the scope of their expertise, and will advise you to seek medical attention. There are many websites that provide information about piercings such as Safe Piercing through which you can get information on after care and many other things. Also, before you decide, discuss with your parents or with your doctor about the complications which you can expect and how to manage.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
In the 
