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Volume CXXXIII, Number 12 |
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Hey, Mom, what do you think?
JEFF BENSON, M.D.
STAFF WRITER
Dear Dr. Jeff: I've been thinking about getting my nose
pierced. Are there any health concerns I need to be worried about? M.O.
Dear M.O.: People have pierced and worn charms in their
ears for over 4,000 years. 100,000 years ago, our Neanderthal forbears
used ochre and manganese "crayons" to decorate their bodies.
Body piercing has now become so mainstream that a 1997 Miss America contestant
wore a bellybutton ring in the pageant!
The current popularity of body art has also caused public
health alarm over the danger of contracting Hepatitis B or C or HIV from
infected piercing and tattooing needles. People with tattoos, for instance,
are nine times more likely to be infected with Hepatitis C, a virus which
can survive outside the body for months-on an improperly cleaned countertop,
chair, or piece of equipment.
Very few of the many thousands of piercing and tattooing studios nation-wide
are licensed and regulated by health departments.
We are indeed fortunate here in Maine, that all piercing
and tattoo artists are licensed, and their studios inspected by the Health
Engineering Division of the State Bureau of Health.
Even licensed studios and artists, however, carry potential
risks and need to be chosen carefully. Make sure they are in fact licensed
and that they appear clean and well maintained. Take a look at their autoclave
("sterilizer"). It should be FDA-approved and spore-tested monthly.
Ask to see their logbooks. Make sure the artists wear latex gloves during
procedures and use single service materials and equipment, especially
sterile, disposable needles. They should be comfortable answering all
of your questions and considerate of your concerns.
Body piercing should only be done with needles, not with
a gun. Piercing guns cannot be properly sterilized and cause more tissue
trauma than needles. Choose jewelry of the proper metal, design and size
and thickness. It should be made of 316L or LVM surgical stainless steel,
14- or 18-karat solid gold, titanium, or niobium. Jewelry that's too thin
can tear out and if too thick, can cause an abscess or excessive scarring.
For a piercing to heal well, it must be cleaned and cared
for properly and consistently. Professional piercers will supply detailed
instructions. At the Health Center, we also have informational handouts
on caring for body piercings and tattoos. During the normal healing period,
piercings will be irritated and may bleed at times. Redness or swelling
that extends out more than a quarter-inch, red streaks, yellow or green
discharge, excessive pain or heat at the piercing site, are all signs
of a more significant infection that should be promptly evaluated by a
health care provider. Bellybuttons and upper ears are the piercing sites
that most frequently become infected.
Both piercing and tattoos ought to be considered permanent,
in the sense that both can cause scarring upon removal. Tattoos are removed
using lasers, which vaporize pigment colors. Although effective and low
risk, laser treatment is painful, expensive, and drawn out. Side effects
of treatment are unlikely, but include possible permanent loss or excess
of skin color, infection, and a 5 percent chance of permanent scarring.
For what it's worth, in a survey of tattooed military men,
half saw their body art as a handicap and wished they could erase their
tattoos. Henna tattoos may be an appealing alternative. They usually last
about six weeks, don't involve piercing the skin with needles and , therefore,
carry no significant health risks.
For more information (and some great photos), contact the
Association of Professional Piercers (www.safepiercing.org),
the Alliance of Professional Tattooists (www.safetattoos.com),
Ambient, Inc (www.ambient.on.ca/bodmod/),
or the Henna Page (www.hennapage.com).
Good luck on exams, and Happy Holidays to all!
Jeff Benson, M.D.