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.

Lip Piercing 101

Lip Piercing 101

Lip piercing is practiced by many ancient tribes. The Dogon tribe of Mali, for example, regards the piercing of the lip as a way of commemorating the way their ancestor spirit, Noomi, gave them the power of speech. In the society of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans, a man who has a lip piercing is a member of the higher caste and he usually wears jewelry made from gold and jade. Today, a lot of people, including some celebrities, wear lip rings because of the way it allows them to express themselves.

Although it may give you the bad girl or bad boy appeal that you would like to portray, do take note that going through lip piercing is no joke. It is a decision that involves facing risks and consequences that might cause you to regret your actions later. Also, you have to remember that a lip piercing isn't something that you can just remove after you have grown tired of it. So, if you're still up to getting a lip piercing, here are some things you need to take note of before going through it.

Who and Where?

Ask around and pick an artist who is well-recommended. Make sure that he has a certificate from the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). This is an organization of piercing artists that make safety rules that prevent you from incurring health risks due to piercing. Also, pick a piercing salon that is clean and has artists who sanitize their hands before doing a piercing. You should also make sure that they use sterilized needles in sealed packages and not a piercing gun. Remember that piercing guns cannot be sterilized and if they use one on you, you're bound to get an infection from your piercing.

The Placement

Since you will be living with it for the rest of your life, you should know where you want to have your lip piercing done. Putting a lip ring on your lower lip is very much recommended because it doesn't have any contact with your gums and wouldn't cause any damages in this area in the future.

You can also have a labret stud on the area below your lower lip. This is also called a labret. Because the flat disk is squeezed between the back of the lip and the gums, the placement of this lip piercing is very important because it can hurt your gums.

If you're feeling adventurous, it is also possible to put a labret stud above the upper lip. Because it is related to the placement of Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark, it is called a Monroe piercing. And, if you are a very daring person, you can also opt for Angelbites, which consists of two upper lip piercings on both sides of the lip. Only labret studs can be used for this type of lip piercing. Snakebites, on the other hand, are just like Angelbites. The difference is that Snakebites are found on the opposite sides of the lower lip and both rings and studs can be used for this type of lip piercing.

Before choosing any of these placements, it would be a good idea to imagine what it would be like to have them on your mouth. After all, you wouldn't want to get a lip piercing that would affect the way you speak, eat or drink.

Tragus Piercing

Tragus Piercing

This is the piercing of the small cartilage that is at the end of the ear tunnel. Though it is not as common as ear piercing, it has gained popularity over the past few years. What is done is that you go to a professional piercer and with a special piercing needle and scissors he gets your tragus pierced while you are either sitting or lying down. A small rubber is place at the other end of the tragus while it gets pierced. This part of the ear usually has some thick flesh and so a little bit of pressure is usually used to get the needle to the other end.

It is normally a painful process since bleeding is also involved but the pain gets away after a few days.The gauge of the needle that is used to get your tragus pierced is also very important as this will determine the size of rings, studs, labrets and barbells that you are going to put on thereafter. After this a special ring is then inserted into the hole and this will only be changed after it has healed.

You have to choose the jewelry carefully because you will have it on for quite some time about 8 weeks to even 3 months. You also have to take good care of your pierced tragus daily to ensure that it heals properly and failure to do this can make you get infections. You will have to clean it daily using saline solution or any other kind of a disinfectant solution as advised by your piercer. Put some solution on a small piece of cotton wool and clean it gently from the outside going to the inside and twist the jewelry ring a bit to ensure that solution gets into the hole. Do this with a clean hand to avoid any contact with bacteria.

You will also have to sleep on one side during this period to avoid getting hurt and also to ensure it heals within the appropriate time frame. You can get both of your traguses pierced or only one depending on your choice since different people have different tastes.

Tongue Piercing

Tongue Piercing

A tongue piercing is a type of body piercing that is normally done directly through the center of the tongue, and is one of most popular body piercing sites in the western world following the ear.

A tongue piercing is accomplished by first determining the placement of the piercing which is marked and a clamp is then applied. The first jewelry is usually longer than is ultimately required, which allows for swelling, which is normal after a piercing. Within 2 days following the piercing of the tongue it can swell to twice the size it originally was. This can be painful when eating and speaking, but it is not permanent. Piercers frequently recommend chewing on ice and drinking cold beverages in order to help reduce this swelling.

As a result of the tongue's exceptional healing ability, a tongue piercing will usually close rapidly. Some piercings will close up in a few hours while other holes that have been stretched larger may take a few days to close. The amount of time it takes for a piercing to heal differs greatly from one person to another. There are some people who have piercings that have larger stretched holes that are able to fit jewelry in their piercing sometimes after years. It is usually recommended that people who are not able to take care of their recent piercing avoid piercing procedures.

A traditional tongue piercing placement is in the center of the mouth along the midline of the tongue. It is frequently about 3/4 "back from the tip of the tongue. It is usually placed with the top a little further back than the bottom, which permits the top of the jewelry to lean back slightly and away from the teeth which puts it more towards the upper part of the palate since there is more room in the person's mouth there.

Long term or permanent tongue piercing has become extremely popular in modern western society. With high quality surgical steel readily available, barbell style jewelry is usually associated with the emergence of this piercing in the 1980s. It is also noteworthy that the this piercing is not specific to a particular gender and was not developed specifically for just a woman or a man. One of the most common names for tongue piercing jewelry is a tongue ring, which is a misnomer since tongue rings are rarely used in tongue piercings.

Beauty Piercing

Beauty Piercing

Piercing has been a trend since the ancient days when they were done in tribal cultures and from the time of mummies all the way to India and then since World War II, has made its way to the Western world, continuing to be one of the major trends of today.

Whether you want to pierce for beauty, for self expression, for conformity, or tradition, or even rebellion, piercing is an age old practice that continues to enchant people today. The most popular and common form of piercing is ear piercing. Women and men alike have been doing it since ancient times and continue to do it today. Many babies have their ears pierced early because it is a sign of feminine grace and elegance, just as it was during the Elizabethan era of England where women wore an earring in one ear as a sign of their ladylike elegance. Today, women still pierce their ears to wear earrings and to be feminine and fashionable while they stick with tradition. Many men pierce their ears, too, whether to make a fashionable statement or to express their wild side. Often men and women use plugs in their ears and stretch out the holes to make some kind of statement.

Another popular form of piercing is nose piercing. Done in many tribal cultures and in India and in the Middle East, nose piercing was a popular trend among many civilizations of people. Even tribal male leaders pierced their noses to display their wealth and power. Nowadays, it still remains popular in the Eastern world and remains a traditional sign of ladylike grace. Piercing of the lip and tongue are also ancient practices that have been around since olden times. Back then it was often done to stretch out the lips, whereas other tribes did them as cultural symbols and respectful gestures to the gods.

Many people prefer nipple, navel, or genital piercing, too, though there is no official record for its origins, it is still practiced. Piercing of all kinds grew popular in the West after WWII, and then gained mass appeal when it appeared in music videos and the media. People began to get and seek piercing afterwards.

If you are interested in any kind of piercing, then be sure to choose a place that is licensed and safe. Having needles stuck into your body is no joke, and can result in serious problems for you if the place is dirty and has unsanitary needles. You could contract diseases. Also, after you get a piercing, follow the instructions very specifically to avoid infection. That means do not stick in fake silver or gold, but use the real thing to keep the piercing area unaffected by dirt or debris or rust which would give you tetanus.

Piercing is a timeless tradition that people have been doing since ancient times and many people do it for a variety of reasons. You might want to do it so that you can wear earrings if you are a woman or a man. Piercing has become a popular form of individual expression as it allows for a person to choose the part of their body to mark with a symbol of sorts. Some people do it to reflect cultural practices done since the ancient times of their culture and even sometimes for religious purposes.

Ear Piercing Causes Eczema

Ear Piercing Causes Eczema

Ear piercing is very popular these days, this has been influenced a lot thanks to changing fashion statements. Ear piercing is expected to get much more popular. Atopic eczema has also become very common but very few studies have dealt with the idea that ear piercing itself could be responsible for causing eczema.

Ear piercing involves putting a hole in your ear and then putting a piece of metal through it. This leads to contact with heavy metals like nickel and cobalt. It is strictly advisable to do the piercing under perfectly hygienic conditions. Even after the piercing is finished, there are some precautions that you should follow.

Atopic eczema is triggered by certain allergens in affected people. An exposure to a certain material could trigger eczema, could a metal such as nickel trigger eczema?

Scientists have researched whether nickel can cause a trigger for atopic eczema. In an experiment on 960 young girls it is found that around 13% of those who got their ears pierced, went on to develop allergic skin reactions. Of the same sample, only 1% of those who did not get their ears pierced had eczema. Similarly, in an study on 520 young Swedish men doing compulsory military service, it is found that hypersensitivity to nickel and cobalt is higher (in 8% men) among those who got piercing. In contrast only 2.7% of those who did not get their ear pierced developed eczema. In another study on 424 Norwegian schoolchildren aged between 7-12 years, 89 children had their ears pierced and 79 developed skin allergies to metallic jewellery, which is a whopping 88% of those who had their ears pierced! These studies statistically relate ear piercing consisting of nickel and cobalt to atopic eczema, and establish the metals as allergens to a significant percentage of the population.

It is possible to protect yourself from allergic reactions, first you should start by visiting your doctor for an allergen test. If you discover that you are not allergic to nickel then it should be ok to go ahead and have your ears pierced.

Another less obvious reason for skin allergies after getting ear pierced might not actually be the metal, it could be the latex gloves that are worn by the person that pierces your ear. If you believe you are allergic to latex or rubber, then you should request that the person uses a pair of gloves made out of a different material. Since children have showed very high susceptibility towards possible nickel sensitization (88% as compared to 13% among adult men) it can be seen that children are much more sensitive, and so extreme care should be taken when considering piercing your child's ears. For people suffering from diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension, heart disease or hemophilia, it is important to seek your doctor's approval before even considering piercing your ears.

Good skin health is far more important than just making a fashion statement. After all a face full of rash doesn't make a good fashion statement anyway! With a little precaution and restraint it is possible to prevent developing atopic eczema.

An Introduction To Bottom Lip Piercing

An Introduction To Bottom Lip Piercing

Bottom lip piercing is a tradition practiced by several ancient groups of people. There was a tribe in Mali, for instance, who had once looked at piercing as one way to celebrate how their ancestral god had granted upon them the ability to speak for themselves. In the ancient civilizations of the Aztecs and the Mayans, a man who has his lips pierced is considered to be a part of the highest level of their society. These days however, men and women, especially artists, wear lip rings to express themselves.

However much bottom lip piercing may help you achieve, do put it in your mind that bottom lip and lip piercing in general is a very serious thing to do to yourself. When making your decision to go ahead with it, you have to consider the consequences and outcome that might make you think twice about getting pierced in the first place. Add the fact that the piercing is something that you can not easily take off once the novelty of the idea wears off. But even after these warnings you still would want to go ahead and have your lip - bottom or otherwise, pierced, do take note of the following before going ahead with your decision.

First, make sure that you ask around and eventually choose a piercing specialist who is well recommended, officially trained, experienced and trustworthy. It would not hurt to find out if he is a certified member of the APP or the Association of Professional Piercers. This means that he is aware and strictly follows safety and health guidance rules that prevents a customer from any infections or health risks. Also, make sure that you go to a piercing salon or clinic that is clean, properly sanitized and strictly follow sanitation guidelines with regards to equipment as well as needles among other things.

Considering the fact that you are going to be living with that bottom lip piercing for the rest of your days here on earth, you would have to be certain as to where you would want to have the piercing done. Having a bottom lip ring is ideal for those who wants to have their bottom lip pierced as this would have the least contact with your gums and would unlikely to cause any gum damage in the days to come. Or you can try having a labret stud put on your lower lip. Although this is something that you might want to consider rather carefully as this is the kind of jewelry that has flat disc at the back and may do damage to your gums.

While bottom lip piercing is certainly fashionable and unique, you have to be sure that you have thought about getting one very thoroughly and that you have imagined what it would be like to have one. Make sure though, that you get one properly and that you have indeed gone to an expert who knows what he is doing. You would not want to end up with a mouth infection or have trouble talking or even eating and drinking.