Section C·Page 14
the University Daily Kansan
Monday. August 17, 1998
Unprofessional piercings may cause infections
Doctors blame method, not site
By Angle Simpson
Special to the Kansan
One Friday evening, Erica Karr,
Naperville, Ill., sophomore, noticed
her newly pierced eyebrow was
beginning to swell. She did not
think too much about it. But by
Sunday night, it had swollen to
roughly the size of a dime.
"I thought it would go away, but it just got bigger and bigger," Karr said.
Worried, she went to the bathroom to remove the jewelry, hoping to squeeze the infection out.
"Blood was coming out. It hurt really bad, and I was kind of freaked out." Karr said.
The resident assistant on her floor advised her to go to the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. Physicians there gave her an IV and some antibiotic pills and sent her home half an hour later without the eyebrow ring.
Unfortunately, bad reactions to piercings like Karr's are not
unusual at area hospitals.
"see one problem about every six weeks," said Paul Loney, an emergency department physician at the hospital. "There's probably more with problems that we don't see."
Karr is one of the many students at the University of Kansas with body piercings.
Because of this, Watkins Memorial Health Center also sees its share of piercing problems.
"Too often we see sites infected," said Randall Rock, Watkins chief of staff.
"It has more to do with technique than site," Loney said. "I can't prove whether they are using dull or dirty needles, but a lot of it comes down to technique."
Rock speculated that Watkins saw several patients each week for infected wounds and other piercing traumas.
Loney said he had seen infections in many pierced parts of the body and said he didn't believe that certain places were more prone to infection than others.
How can one determine whether the proper technique for body piercing is being used on them?
Extremus Body Arts Ltd., Kansas
Lizz Weber, Lawrence junior, shows her navel piercing. She was pierced almost 4 years ago and has had minor infections and was told not to take the piercing out while it was infected. As the result of the infection her skin is scared above the ring. Contributed photo.
Kim Burke, Lawrence resident, demonstrates what a tongue piercing looks like. She has had her piercing for about three months and has not experienced any problems so far. Photo by Lizz Weyer / KANSAN
City, Mo., has been voted "Best Body Piercing" in two regional newspaper polls for 1996 and 1997. Mick Nolland, president of Extremus, offered his suggestions on how to select a professional.
"There are two areas of concern: the studio and the individual piercer," Noland said. "If a professional body piercing exists in the area, that's preferred. If not, the best tattoo studio with a professional piercer is the second choice."
Noland advised avoiding going to places such as tobacco product stores, beauticians and clothing stores, since it would be unlikely that these stores have professional piercers or adequate facilities for piercing.
"A professional studio will be very clean, well-lit and staffed by knowledgeable people," Noland said. "It should look much like a doctor's office."
Professional studies also will be able to deal with any allergies a person may have. This includes vinyl surgical gloves for those allergic to latex and jewelry made out of several materials for people with metal allergies.
The person performing the piercing is another thing to consider.
"The piercer must be personally clean, sober, treat all clients with professionalism and have verifiable professional training with at least two to three years of experience." Noland said.
Piercers also should have a portfolio of their work, with pictures of various piercings. Piercers should be calm and make their clients feel comfortable and be open to questions, especially those about safety practices and procedures.
Despite her infection, Karr didn't have any qualms about the studio where she had her eyebrow pierced.
Karr was pierced at Fine Line,
1826 Massachusetts St.
Jennifer, an artist and piercer at Fine Line's Topeka store, said that all Fine Line piercers were state licensed and trained at Gauntlet,
"It didn't seem shady," she said.
"I just think my body rejected it."
the only piercing school in the United States, located in California.
Poking a hole in one's body is a trauma and bodies do have a way of rebelling. Proper care is necessary to ensure the success of a piercing.
A person with a piercing should protect the pierced site from being infected. Instruction sheets should be available from the piercing studio about the type and frequency of cleaning necessary.
"I usually recommend heat packs or over-the-counter medicine for pain depending on the site." Loney said.
Pain usually is not a problem for piercings done properly, but many become tender or sore afterward.
Do-it-yourself piercing can have a lot more risk than professional piercing.
"Wiping with an alcohol swab won't get it." Loney said.
He said disinfecting the site is difficult.
Noland also is against pierce-it yourself approaches.
He also described the difference between home piercings and professional ones:
"Professional piercers use double-beveled needles specifically for body piercing. These often are much sharper than safety pins, sewing needles or other home methods. It can take as long as 45 minutes to force a sewing needle through a nostril or upper ear piercing, compared to one second with a professionally-done piercing."
some methods do not adequately sterilize needles and other equipment." Noland said. "Most amateur piercings are placed too shallow, resulting in rejection or tearing of the piercing. They usually are crooked too."
"Flame, alcohol, iodine and other
If infection occurs, treat it immediately. Noland recommends calling the studio where the piercing was done
"More difficult problems, such as allergic reactions may require a visit to the studio, since the piercer often has to see the problem to determine
the cause and appropriate treatment," Noland said. Many times the piercer can suggest a "piercing friendly doctor" to patients.
Jewelry also should be left in place in the event of an infection. It keeps the pierced hole open, allowing drainage and helping medications to work underneath the skin for faster healing.
However, jewelry can many times be the cause of infection. Noland said that unprofessional piercers may use cheap jewelry, such as an ear stud, which could color the skin, change color itself or be too thin for proper care. These should be taken out immediately.
Unlike tattooing, jewelry can be removed with few, if any, scars, assuming that the piercing is done well and is well cared for.
Not all piercing experiences have to be bad ones.
After her eyebrow experience, Karr went on to successfully pierce her navel and her labret, the area between her lip and chin.