Body Piercing Danger

Body piercing is not a new phenomenon. In several parts of the world, like Rome, Africa and India, history stands testimony to this ancient form of body embellishment. Body piercing was re-popularized by the rock culture in the 1970's as a fashion statement. Even after many decades, this body art continues to be a rage as a unique trend. Although, the basic process is the same, body piercing as a concept has undergone drastic changes. In the past, it stood as a symbol of spiritualism, conformism, eroticism and cultural identity while the modern times see it as a cool and stylish trend. Nevertheless, body piercing has several dangers, barring a few of its benefits, which cannot be overlooked. Despite taking safety measures, there are some risks that involve life threatening outcomes and it is only wise that you know about them well in advance. The section below sheds light on the dangers of body piercing that you should be aware of if you plan on getting one soon.

Body Piercing Risk

Infection
A professional body piercer is well aware of the pros and cons of body piercing and has sufficient experience in taking the right precautions. But sometimes, it so happens that these artists do not warn you about the risk of infection. Although, contaminations on your skin are a normal occurrence, they cannot be taken lightly or else they might lead to swelling, excessive bleeding, formation of pus and blood poisoning, if left unattended.

Nerve Damages
Nerve damages are also associated with body piercing and many of us are not even aware of this danger. Even though most body piercers have sufficient knowledge on the human anatomy, there are times when things could go terribly wrong. This could be primarily due to negligence on the part of the piercer or it could also be because of jittery first time customers who cannot sit still during the procedure. Other severities include cases when a hole is pierced on a nerve or too close to a nerve. Such cases can have repercussion such as loss of sensation and/or unbearable pain.

Cross Contamination
Before you decide to get yourself pierced, always ensure that you are getting it done from an authorized and experienced body piercer. Do not let your impulsive side to get the better of you and cloud your decision! Sometimes, it is best to inquire about the methods practiced than regretting later. Not many are aware of the fact that even experts can ignore basic measures such as sterilization of equipment. Owing to such circumstances, many customers may fall prey to serious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis, which are known to spread through the use of contaminated needles and other such instruments. This is another reason why many doctors observe a standard one year period for donating blood after being pierced.

Dental Hazards
Tongue and lip piercings are believed to be the most popular amongst the different kinds of the body piercing. However, they expose you to dental hazards such as bleeding of gums, gum recession, tooth decay, sensitive teeth and tooth loss. For example, when a harsh piece of metal, from the jewelry, comes into contact with your gums, it could cause gum ruptures, removal of enamel and chipping of teeth. Constant rubbing of metal on these parts only aggravates the pain and inflammation, if any.

Bleeding
Bleeding is a normal occurrence during body piercings. But, if a blood vessel gets damaged in the process then it could be disastrous and may sometimes result in a state of unconsciousness.

The key here is not to follow a fashion trend blindly, but take into account the several plausible dangers and hazards. Sometimes, even beautiful things come in lethal packages!