Friday, May 14, 2010

Body Piercing Problems




Body Piercing Problems

Body piercing is very popular among men and women. A lot of areas in the body are used for piercing like ear lobes, ear cartilage, nostrils, nose bridge, eyebrows, lips, cheeks, nipples, navels, and genitals. These are the most common areas used for piercing.

Most people who have body piercings do not develop any problems, but some do. When piercings get infected, it is a horrible sight, and sometimes, they smell awful, too.

The ears are the most common piercing site, especially among women. Earlobes heal relatively easy without any problems. Ear cartilage, on the other hand, takes longer to heal, harder to clean, and has the highest risk of getting infected. Because they take a longer time to heal, your chances of acquiring infectious diseases greatly increase.

Each of the body part that is used for piercings have their own healing time. Some heal longer than others. Aside from having their own healing time, they can also present a different set of potential problems. Home treatment of the wound may speed up the healing process and may prevent infections, but there is no guarantee. A dirty hand or poor hygiene may still cause problems to the wound.

The common problems that may develop from body piercing are as follows:

oInfection of the wound - the risk of infection increases if you have other health issues such as diabetes. Infection of the tongue or lips may cause speech, chewing, and/or swallowing problems or swelling that can impede the throat. Infection of a nipple may scar the breast tissue and limit the capability to breast feed.

oSplitting or tearing of the skin - this can trigger the formation of scar tissue and may cause permanent skin damage.

oAllergic reactions - some people develop allergies to a certain metal used in the jewelry. Make sure that you
use jewelry specifically designed for your piercing site. Use only non-allergenic jewelry. Other types of jewelry you should use include surgical stainless steel, platinum, gold, titanium, and niobium.

oProblems caused by the jewelry - jewelry in the mouth may cause cracking or chipping of the teeth, gum problems, and difficulty chewing or swallowing. Jewelry in the navel can get caught in clothing and rip the skin. Jewelry in the genital area can cause injury to you or your partner when having sex.

Those are just a few of the problems you might be facing when you have a body piercing. If the piercer is inexperienced, he can damage underlying blood vessels and nerves. Now, that is a high price to pay, just to look cool. Is it not? Whatever your reasons are for getting a body piercing, just make sure that you handle the wound with care. Bacteria thrive on open wounds, so be careful.

The best thing to do is to look for a certified professional body piercer; one who knows how to handle you and the situation with extra care.