Overview
Body piercing, a popular and ancient form of body modification, involves creating an opening in the body to insert jewelry or cultural adornments. This practice has deep cultural, aesthetic, and personal significance and has evolved with various techniques to suit different preferences and cultural norms.
What is Body Piercing?
Body piercing is the practice of creating an opening in a part of the human body to insert jewelry or adornments. It can be temporary or permanent and serves various purposes, from personal adornment to cultural expression. The techniques related to body piercing include:
Gauging or Stretching
Gauging involves inserting increasingly larger diameter jewelry into a piercing site every 4–6 weeks to expand the hole. This method is common in various cultures, such as lip stretching to accommodate large discs. Over time, heavy adornments can also significantly stretch the skin.
Pocketing
This technique involves embedding the ends of a semicircular adornment into the skin, leaving the middle part exposed. It creates a unique look where part of the jewelry remains visible while the rest is embedded under the skin.
Microdermal or Transdermal Piercing
Microdermal piercing involves embedding an anchor under the skin, which has small holes through which tissue grows during healing. Jewelry is then screwed into the anchor, making it a semi-permanent adornment. This method is sometimes referred to as anchoring.
Who Undergoes Body Piercing?
Body piercing is practiced across diverse cultures and has been for thousands of years. Its prevalence in Western societies varies, influenced by individual motivations such as the desire to feel unique, aesthetic appeal, eroticism, conformity, rebellion, or self-control.
Incidence and Demographics
The incidence of body piercing is highest among young adults and women. It is often associated with increased risk-taking behavior and identity exploration but not necessarily linked to psychopathology or low self-esteem.
Traditional and Cultural Uses
Traditional forms and uses of body piercing continue globally, often integrated into religious customs and cultural ceremonies, where they hold spiritual significance.
Therapeutic Uses
Traditional therapeutic uses of piercing include scarification and acupuncture-like piercing. For example, in Ayurvedic medicine, left nasal piercing is thought to reduce the pain of menstruation and childbirth. However, piercings placed in specific points have also been blamed for ill health and infertility.
Cultural Variations
In certain cultures, such as Maori and Pacific Islander communities, piercing techniques and adornments vary significantly. Bone and other traditional materials are commonly used. Infection control measures are crucial in all cases, and culturally competent medical management is essential when dealing with complications from traditional piercings.
Functional Piercings
Additionally, body piercing is sometimes performed surgically for functional purposes. For example, magnetic tongue barbells can be inserted in individuals with tetraplegia to assist with tongue-operated assistive technology.
Contraindications to Body Piercing
While body piercing is generally safe, it is contraindicated in certain individuals due to the risk of allergic reactions and other health complications.
Strong Contraindications
- Local infection or inflammatory disease: Including dental caries or gum disease for oral piercings, eczema, psoriasis, and sexually transmitted infections.
- Previous hypersensitivity reaction: To any materials used in the piercing process.
- Allergy to materials: Such as nickel-plated items and latex surgical gloves, which can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
Moderate Contraindications
- History of keloid scarring: Especially if over 11 years old.
- Valvular heart disease: Particularly relevant for oral piercings.
- Immunocompromise: Increased risk of infection and complications.
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus: Poor wound healing and increased risk of infection.
- Uncontrolled bleeding disorders: Higher risk of excessive bleeding.
- Pregnancy: Abdominal and genital piercings may lead to implant rejection, tearing, and scarring.
- Breastfeeding: Nipple piercings can cause problems during breastfeeding.
- Lack of hepatitis B immunization: Increased risk of bloodborne infections.
- Need for orthodontic treatment: Increased risk of nickel hypersensitivity reactions.
- Poor overall health: Factors such as anemia, smoking, and poor nutrition can slow wound healing.
Body Piercing Regulations
Body piercing is often viewed as a simple procedure, but it carries potential complications that can be under-recognized by both providers and clients. Commercial body piercing (excluding regular ear piercing) is typically performed at tattoo studios, and non-commercial “backyard” piercings are not uncommon. The regulation of body piercing varies widely across different regions.
Regulatory Standards
The regulation of industry standards for body piercing falls under public health domains, overseen by relevant territorial authorities. For instance, the New Zealand Ministry of Health provides guidelines for the safe piercing of skin, which may serve as the basis for local standards or as a resource for providers and clients where no local standards exist.
Age Restrictions
In New Zealand, regulatory standards are minimal. Most councils impose age restrictions, requiring individuals to be either 16 or 18 years old for body piercing, with younger individuals needing written parental consent. Exceptions include ear piercings for infants and children, typically with parental consent.
The Role of Education and Awareness
Individuals considering body piercing should educate themselves on the procedure, risks, and aftercare. Visiting multiple providers to review sanitation practices, ask questions, and check reviews is strongly recommended. This proactive approach helps ensure a safe and satisfactory piercing experience.
The Body Piercing Procedure
Before the procedure, the client’s medical history should be reviewed to identify any necessary adjustments. For example, ensuring a latex-free environment if the client has a latex allergy, administering hepatitis B immunization, or providing antimicrobial prophylaxis.
Pre-Procedure
- Informed Consent: Explain the procedure to the client and obtain written, informed consent.
- Preparation: Prepare the environment and necessary equipment, ensuring all supplies are sterile and disposed of properly after use. Quality disposable, single-use equipment is recommended.
- Avoiding Contamination: Special care should be taken with cleansing solutions and fluids to avoid contamination, as reused solutions may transmit infection.
Procedure
- Skin Preparation: The client’s skin should be clean and free of infection or inflammation. Shaving the skin to remove body hair may be necessary.
- Disinfection: Disinfect the skin using appropriate solutions. For example, the New Zealand Ministry of Health recommends using povidone-iodine around the eyes and alcohol-based solutions or aqueous detergent plus povidone-iodine elsewhere.
- Piercing Technique: Piercers may use a 12–16 gauge hollow-bore needle to pierce the skin and guide jewelry through the needle with string or wire. Spring-loaded guns, often used by non-specialized providers, are not recommended due to sterility concerns.
- Wound Dressing: Apply a clean, waterproof wound dressing over the piercing site.
Aftercare
After the procedure, individuals should avoid public swimming pools and spas to minimize infection risk. Contact with the piercing site should be limited to cleaning, which should be performed once or twice daily with antimicrobial soap and water. Oral piercings require antiseptic, alcohol-free mouthwash. Healing times vary based on the location of the piercing, individual factors, and aftercare.
Side Effects and Risks of Body Piercing
Due to the lack of regulation and incident reporting, estimates of adverse effects from body piercing are inconsistent. However, understanding the potential complications is crucial.
Complications
- Immediate Complications: Bleeding, pain, and nausea.
- Cutaneous Adverse Effects: Contact dermatitis, keloid and hypertrophic scars, granuloma.
- Infectious Complications: Infections at the piercing site can be serious and require prompt medical intervention.
Special Considerations for Belly Button and Ear Piercings
- Belly Button Piercings: Can take up to 18 months to heal due to constant movement.
- Ear Piercings: Earlobe piercings heal quicker due to better blood flow, while cartilage piercings are more prone to serious infections.
Preventing Infections in New Piercings
- Choose a Qualified Piercer: Ensure the piercer is experienced and licensed.
- Clean the Piercing Twice a Day: Use saline solutions to soften crusting.
- Avoid Touching or Twisting Jewelry: Minimize handling to prevent introducing bacteria.
- Stay Out of Pools and Bodies of Water: Avoid swimming during the healing period.
References
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Ear piercing: How to care for newly pierced ears. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ear-piercing/about/pac-20385041
DermNet NZ. (n.d.). Body piercing. Retrieved from https://dermnetnz.org/topics/body-piercing/
NHS. (n.d.). Body piercing and tattoos. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/body-piercing-and-tattoos/
