Dangers of Body Piercings!

A new study published in the British Medical Journal found one in 10 people - and nearly half of all younger women - had a body piercing other than on the earlobe.

* Almost half of women aged 16-24 have had such a piercing.

* In those aged 16-24, health problems occurred with about a third of piercings and further help was sought in about one in seven, leading to hospital admission in about one in 100.

The article Body Piercings in England states that the complication rates are higher when body piercings are performed by non- specialist groups. Also many tend to get their body pierced by friends, relatives or some belong to the DIY (do it yourself)group!

The joint study between the Health Protection Agency and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine asked a sample of more than 10,000 people aged 16 and over in England whether they had been pierced somewhere other than the earlobe, and if they had suffered any complications as a result.

They found approximately 10% had some sort of body piercing, with women and younger people most likely to have one.

In women, the most common piercings were, in order:

1) navel
2) nose
3) ear
4) tongue
5) eyebrow
6) nipple
7) lip

In men:

1) nipple
2) eyebrow
3) ear
4) tongue
5) nose
6) lip
7) genitals.

To summarize, nipple piercing was the most popular in men, but one of the least popular in women, while navel piercing was by far the most popular in women (accounting for more than a third of all piercings in women) and much rarer in men.

The most common problems reported with piercings in those aged 16-24 were

1) swelling,
2) infection,
3) bleeding.

Not surprisingly, problems were most likely to be reported with

1) tongue piercings (50%),
2) piercings of the genitals (45%) and
3) nipple (38%).

Transmission of Blood borne diseases like Hepatitis B and C and HIV remain the most feared complication of these procedures if proper precautions are not taken.

According to BBC, the spokesman for the British Liver Trust, which offers advice on avoiding hepatitis infection, said: "It is important to remember the long-term problems that can occur, particularly if you get a piercing from a non-specialist.

"You put yourself at a high risk of contracting hepatitis B or C, both of which are serious, life-threatening conditions which can be fatal.

"You may not know you have contracted the virus until later on in life when the damage has already begun."