Piercing of the body and flaunting jewellery or a metal accessory may look cool but this may get you in a whole lot of pain if proper care is not taken, say experts.
Once a piercing is done, care must be taken to ensure an infection-free recovery period. “Depending on the site of piercing , one is usually advised local cleansing measures and topical or oral antibiotics may be prescribed for a defined period of time,” says Dr Mukta Sachdev,consultant dermatologist, Manipal Hospital.
She adds, “It is always advisable not to change the stud or nose ring for at least four to six weeks until the piercing site has healed up completely. It is also preferable as far as possible to avoid cheaper quality and artificial metals as these can cause irritations and allergic reactions.”
Dr HV Satish, consultant plastic and reconstruction surgery says,“People should be very careful about where they are going for a piercing as they could end up in a place where alcohol is used to sterilise the equipment but this is not the proper way and people may get infected with a deadly infection like AIDS.”
He added that many traditional ‘experts’ suggest that adding kerosene after a piercing may help in healing the wound fast but these claims do not have any medical backing and hence it is a risk. “Apply creams as suggested by doctors and visit them till the wound has healed completely,” he adds.
Complications that piercing can cause:
Tongue (oral) piercings can cause speech impediments and chipped teeth if the jewellery wears away tooth enamel. There’s also a slightly higher risk of bleeding and it is important to have this kind of perching done by an expert .
Ear cartilage piercings (at the top of the ear) are riskier than earlobe piercings. They can lead to infection and an abscess developing.
Nose piercings are riskier than earlobe piercings, as the inner surface of the nose (which can’t be disinfected) holds bacteria that can cause infection. Navel piercing and eyebrow piercing are also prone to infections, say experts.
Side-effects also include bleeding from areas of the body with a lot of blood vessels, such as the tongue. There may be swelling of the skin around the piercing and subsequent bacterial infection. There can be scarring and the formation of keloid, a specific kind of scar formation.
If you know that your skin has a tendency to form keloid scars then you need to inform the expert prior to getting the piercing.
How to get body piercing that is safe:
It is always better to have a body piercing done by a trained experienced medical professional in a sterile medical setting preferably a hospital setting with all precautions.