BODY PIERCINGS

Overview and Facts

Body piercings are prevalent, particularly among teenagers and young adults. A piercing creates a hole in a bodily part for the attachment of jewelry. However, body piercings might lead to complications. In addition, it’s almost never done with a numbing substance. One in every three persons who undergo a piercing elsewhere than the earlobe develops a problem. These are some examples:

  • Allergic Reactions. Several types of piercing jewelry, especially nickel-based ones, may induce allergic responses.
  • Oral Complications. Jewelry in tongue piercings may chip, break, and harm your gums and teeth. Tongue swelling following a new piercing may make eating, swallowing, and breathing difficult.
  • Skin Infections. This may result in pus-like discharge, inflammation, discomfort, or redness after a piercing.
  • Skin Issues. Piercing may result in scars and elevated regions produced by scar tissue expansion.
  • Bloodborne illnesses. When the piercing equipment has been polluted with blood that is infected, you may get a variety of bloodborne infections, such as HIV, tetanus, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B.
  • Tearing or Trauma– Jewelry may get entangled and ripped out by mistake, necessitating stitches or other repairs.

Types and Symptoms

TYPES

Types of body piercings include the following:

  • Ear piercings
  • Lip Piercings
  • Genital Piercings
  • Tongue Piercings
  • Navel Piercings
  • Nipple Piercings
  • Eyebrows Piercings
  • Nose Piercings

SYMPTOMS

If you feel the symptoms below, visit a doctor because these can indicate body piercing complications.

  • Altered mentation 
  • Hypotension
  • Tachycardia
  • You feel shivery, feverish, or otherwise uncomfortable.
  • Pus or blood is pouring out of it; the pus might be yellow, green, or white.
  • The surrounding region is highly black or red, hot, painful, and inflamed.

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

Mild body piercing problems are frequently diagnosed solely on clinical signs and might not require significant testing. Though laboratory tests and imaging might not be indicated for every patient, specific individuals might require additional assessment if they have systemic symptoms. The following are examples of common laboratory imaging and testing:

  • Ultrasound
  • Plain film x-ray
  • Lactic acid
  • Renal function
  • Electrolytes
  • Complete blood count

TREATMENT

Complications from body piercings are treated through the following:

  • Warm compresses and over-the-counter or prescribed topically applied antibiotics like mupirocin or bacitracin treat mild body piercing problems. 
  • Staphylococcus and streptococcus are covered by oral antibiotics like clindamycin or cephalexin. 
  • Oral sulfamethoxazole or trimethoprim provides appropriate coverage when methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a problem. 
  • The piercing must be removed, and a loose loop suture placed through the piercing may be utilized to keep the piercing open for the length of the infection treatment.

Related Articles

ACUTE GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Overview and FactsTypes and SymptomsDiagnosis & MedicationsOverview and Facts Acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of [...]

BLUE BABY SYNDROME (CYANOTIC HEART DISEASE)

Overview and FactsTypes and SymptomsDiagnosis & MedicationsOverview and Facts Blue baby syndrome (cyanotic heart disease) is a group of congenital [...]

BASILAR ARTERY MIGRAINE

Overview and FactsTypes and SymptomsDiagnosis & MedicationsOverview and Facts Basilar artery migraine, also known as basilar migraine, is a subtype [...]