Piercings: Techniques and Complications

  • Christa De Cuyper
  • María Luisa Pérez-Cotapos S.
  • Laura Cossio
Chapter

Core Messages

  • Body piercing is a popular form of body art, especially among teenagers.

  • Many complications of body piercing result from the disruption of the integrity of the skin. The risk of infection is high when performed in unhygienic conditions. Correct procedures and good aftercare can help to reduce this risk but will not exclude the occurrence of complications.

  • Nickel contact dermatitis is the most frequent complication of body piercing. The European Nickel Directive resulted in manifest reduction of Nickel allergy. However, worldwide regulation is needed. High grade surgical steel is safe, and is the most commonly used piercing material in professional piercing.

  • Health care professionals should be aware of the medical consequences of body piercing, and the implications for medical interventions.

  • Not only the customer, but also the body art practitioner is at risk of acquiring a transfusion-transmitted disease during the procedure.

Keywords

Urethral Stricture Sexual Pleasure Hygienic Condition Body Piercing Nickel Allergy 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. 1.
    Ferguson H (1999) Body piercing. BMJ 319:1627–1629PubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    Laumann AE, Derick AJ (2006) Tattoos and body piercing in the United States: a national data set. J Am Acad Dermatol 55:413–421CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Panconesi E (2007) Body piercing: psychological and der-matologic aspects. Clin Dermatol 25:412–416CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Armstrong ML, Koch JR, Saunders JC et al (2007) The hole picture: risks, decision making, purpose, regulations, and the future of body piercing. Clin Dermatol 25:398–406CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    Stirn A (2003) Body Piercing: medical consequences and psychological motivations. Review. Lancet 361:1205–1215CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Lidén C, Norberg K (2005) Nickel on the Swedish market. Follow-up after implementation of the nickel directive. Contact Dermatitis 52:29–35CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    www.teg.co.uk/nickel/94-27-EC.html. Accessed 19 May 2009
  8. 8.
    Waugh M (2007) Body piercing: where and how. Clin Dermatol 25:407–411CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    The Association of Professional Piercers website. www.safepiercing.org/index.html. Accessed on 12 May 2009
  10. 10.
    Worp J, Boonstra A, Coutinho RA et al (2006) Tattooing, permanent makeup and piercing in Amsterdam; guidelines, legislation and monitoring. Euro Surveill 11:1–6Google Scholar
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
    Kaatz M (2001) A trend and its complications: piercing. Kosmetische Medizin 24:188–193Google Scholar
  13. 13.
    Hardee PS, Mallya LR, Hutchinson IL (2000) Tongue piercing resulting in hypotensive collapse. Br Dent J 24:57–58Google Scholar
  14. 14.
    Alter MJ (1999) Hepatitis C virus infection in the United States. J Hepatol 31(Suppl 1):88–91CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  15. 15.
    Antoszewski B, Jedrzejczak M, Kruk-Jeromin J (2007) Complication of body piercing in patient suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus. Int J Dermatol 46:1250–1252CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  16. 16.
    Handrick W, Nenoff P, Müller H et al (2003) Infections caused by piercing and tattoos — a review. Wien Med Wochenschr 153:194CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. 17.
    Tweeten SS, Rickman LS (1998) Infectious complications of body piercing. Clin Infect Dis 265:735–740CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. 18.
    Brook I (2001) Recovery of anaerobic bacteria from 3 patients with infection at a pierced body site. Clin Infect Dis 33:e12CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. 19.
    Rowshan HH, Keith K, Baur D et al (2008) Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection of the auricular cartilage caused by high ear piercing: a case report and review of the literature. J Oral Maxillofac surg 66:543–546CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. 20.
    Javaid M, Shibu M (1999) Breast implant infection following nipple piercing. Br J Plast Surg 52:676–677CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  21. 21.
    de Kleer N, Cohen M, Semple J et al (2001) Nipple piercing may be contraindicated in male patients with breast implants. Ann Plast Surg 47:188–190CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. 22.
    O'Malley CD, Smith N, Braun R et al (1998) Tetanus associated with body piercing. Clin Infect Dis 26:735–740CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. 23.
    Kaur C, Sarkar R, Kanwar AJ (2003) How safe is nose-piercing? Inoculation cutaneous tuberculosis revisited. Int J Dermatol 42:645–646CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  24. 24.
    Trupiano JK, Sebek BA, Goldfarb J et al (2001) Mastitis due to Mycobacterium abscessus after body piercing. Clin Infect Dis 33:131–134CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  25. 25.
    Ferringer T, Pride H, Tyler W (2008) Body piercing complicated by atypical mycobacterial infections. Pediatric Dermatol 25:219–222CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. 26.
    Meltzer D (2008) Commentary-complications of body piercing. Pediatric Dermatol 25:283–284CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. 27.
    Ahmed-Jushuf IH, Selby PL, Brownjohn AM (1984) Acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis following ear piercing. Postgrad Med J 60:73–74CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. 28.
    Bader MS, Hamodat M, Hutchinson J (2007) A fatal case of Staphylococcus aureus : associated toxic shock syndrome following nipple piercing. Scand J Infect Dis 39:741–743CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. 29.
    McCarthy VP, Peoples WM (1988) Toxic shock syndrome after ear piercing. Pediatr Infect Dis J 7:741–742CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. 30.
    Dänhert I, Schneider P, Handrick W (2004) Piercing and tattoos in patients with congenital heart disease — is it a problem? Z Kardiol 93:618–623Google Scholar
  31. 31.
    Hill C (2004) Comment on: antibiotic prophylaxis, body piercing and infective endocarditis. J Antimicrob Chemother 54:278CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. 32.
    Millar BC, Moore JE (2004) Antibiotic prophylaxis, body piercing and infective endocarditis. J Antimicrob Chemother 53:123–126CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  33. 33.
    Ochsenfahrt C, Friedl R, Hannekum A et al (2001) Endocarditis after nipple piercing in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve. Ann Thorac Surg 71(4):1365–1366CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  34. 34.
    Shebani S, Miles HFJ, Simons P et al (2007) Awareness of the risk of endocarditis associated with tattooing and body piercing among patients with congenital heart disease and pediatric cardiologists in the United Kingdom. Arch Dis Child 92:1013–1014CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. 35.
    Hayes MO, Harkness GA (2001) Body piercing as a risk factor for viral hepatitis: an integrative research review. Am J Infect Control 29(4):271–274CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. 36.
    de Man RA, Bosman A, Stevens-Schretzmeijer M et al (1999) Two patients with acute hepatitis B from the same piercing salon. Ned Tijdschr Geeneskd 1143:2129–2130Google Scholar
  37. 37.
    Pugatch D, Mileno M, Rich JD (1998) Possible transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from body piercing. Clin Infect Dis 26:767–768CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  38. 38.
    Neiburger E (2006) A large hypertrophic-keloid lesion associated with tongue piercing: case report. Gen Dent 54:46–47PubMedGoogle Scholar
  39. 39.
    Casper C, Groth W, Hunzelmann N (2004) Sarcoidal-type allergic contact granuloma: a rare complication of ear piercing. Am J Dermatopathol 26:59–62CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  40. 40.
    Dhir S, Dhir AK (2007) Intraoperative loss of nasal jewellery: anesthetic concerns and airway management. J Clin Anesth 19:378–380CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  41. 41.
    Kapferer I, Hienz S, Ulm C (2008) Labial piercing and localized periodontal destruction-partial periodontal regeneration following periodontal debridement and free gingival graft. Dental Traumatol 24:112–114CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. 42.
    Levin L, Zadik Y (2007) Oral piercing: complications and side effect. (Review article). Am J Dentistry 20: 340–344Google Scholar
  43. 43.
    Lopez-Jornet P, Gomez Garcia F (2008) Retained lips stud: complication of labial piercing. J Eur Acad Dermatol 22:770–771CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. 44.
    Lopez-Jornet P, Navarro-Guardiola C, Camacho-Alonso F (2006) Oral and facial piercings: a case series and review of the literature. Int J Dermatol 45:805–809CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  45. 45.
    Perkins CS, Meisner J, Harrison JM (1997) A complication of tongue piercing. Br Dent J 182:147–148PubMedGoogle Scholar
  46. 46.
    Modest GA, Fangman JJW (2002) Nipple piercing and hyperprolactinemia. N Engl J Med 347:1626–1627CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  47. 47.
    Centers for disease control and prevention. www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/index.html. Accessed on 12 May 2009

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009

Authors and Affiliations

  • Christa De Cuyper
    • 1
  • María Luisa Pérez-Cotapos S.
    • 2
  • Laura Cossio
    • 3
  1. 1.Department of DermatologyAZ Sint-JanRuddershove 10Belgium
  2. 2.Department of Dermatology Clinica Las CondesPontificia Universidad Católica de ChileLo FontecillaChile
  3. 3.Cossio Department of DermatologyPontificia Universidad Católica de ChileChile

Personalised recommendations