Which piercings get infected the most

Caring for pierced ears. American Academy of Dermatology. McBride DL. Clinical guidance to tattooing and piercing among youth. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. In press. Picking your piercer. Association of Professional Piercers. Accessed Aug. Gibson LE expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Safe piercing.

See also Acne mistakes Acne treatments: Medical procedures may help clear skin Aging skin Applying sunscreen? Don't be stingy Understand sunscreen options Birth control pills for acne? Botox party Does sunscreen expire? The navel or periumbilical area is a popular self-piercing site. Friction from clothing with tight-fitting waist-bands and subsequent skin maceration may account for the delayed healing and increased infection rates of navel piercings Table 2 8 , 9.

Careful placement of jewelry and avoidance of rigidly fixed jewelry may minimize these problems. Information from references 8 and 9. Superficial navel piercings often tend to migrate to the skin surface. The problem of jewelry migration and rejection is compounded by wearing heavily weighted, thin-gauge jewelry. Migration of navel rings and subsequent scarring are more problematic in overweight patients and in the latter stages of pregnancy as abdominal girth expands Figure 4.

Wearing a curved barbell instead of a ring until the navel piercing has healed may reduce irritation and scarring. Before nipple and areolae piercings, men and women should be counseled about the lengthy time required for complete healing and the risk of delayed infection. Abscess formation has been reported following nipple piercing. Genital piercings reportedly enhance sexual sensitivity. Piercing sites in men include the penile glans and urethra, foreskin, and scrotum; sites in women include the clitoral prepuce or body, labia minora, labia majora, and perineum.

Jewelry inserted through the glans penis often interrupts urinary flow. Paraphimosis i. If this maneuver is unsuccessful, the prepuce can be injected with hyaluronidase Vitrase to allow the edematous fluid to dissipate.

Women with genital piercings can develop bleeding, infections, allergic reactions, keloids, and scarring. Condoms may be more prone to break and diaphragms may be more easily dislodged during sexual activity when one or both partners have genital piercings. Avoiding jewelry with sharp edges and using looser-fitting condoms or double condoms may help avoid some of these problems.

The American Heart Association guidelines on endocarditis prophylaxis 37 do not specifically address the need for antibiotics in persons contemplating ear or body piercings. One small study 38 of children and adults with congenital heart disease found no cases of endocarditis after ear piercing, even though only 6 percent of patients received prophylactic antibiotic treatment.

Recent reports 13 , 14 of bacterial endocarditis after nipple and navel piercings in patients with surgically corrected congenital heart disease should prompt physicians to consider antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with moderate- or high-risk cardiac conditions.

With any piercing, there is the danger of infection, including hepatitis B or C virus and tetanus. Ear piercing systems using disposable sterile cassettes are available. Family physicians should help patients make informed decisions about body piercings and counsel them about the importance of universal precautions.

Physicians should remain nonjudgmental so that patients are not reluctant to report a problem. Because body piercing salons are unregulated in many states, some physicians may choose to perform body piercing procedures in the office setting.

Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. Meltzer received her medical degree from Albany N. Address correspondence to Donna I. Meltzer, M. Reprints are not available from the author. Body piercing involving oral sites.

J Am Dent Assoc. Boardman R, Smith RA. Dental implications of oral piercing. J Calif Dent Assoc. Tongue piercing resulting in hypotensive collapse. Br Dent J. Serious complication of tongue piercing. J Laryngol Otol. A complication of tongue piercing. Comparison between cartilage and soft tissue ear piercing complications.

Am J Otolaryngol. Auricular infections caused by high ear piercing in adolescents. Infectious complications of body piercing. Clin Infect Dis. BJU Int. Mastitis due to Mycobacterium abscessus after body piercing. Piercing of the glans penis. Scand J Urol Nephrol. Miller L, Edenholm M. Genital piercing to enhance sexual satisfaction.

Obstet Gynecol. Endocarditis after nipple piercing in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve. Ann Thorac Surg. Case report of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis after navel piercing. Pediatr Infect Dis J. If it looks like your jewelry is moving away from the original piercing site, it could be migrating and your body may be rejecting it. Rejection can also be caused by infections or metal allergies. The best thing to do when a piercing starts to migrate or get rejected is make an appointment with a medical professional or board-certified dermatologist.

They will remove it immediately. Leaving it in will only further irritate the piercing site. Nichols advises. Then make sure to follow all post-piercing care instructions and avoid touching or sleeping on the new piercing. Hopefully, with a different metal and proper care, the piercing will fully heal the second time around. Weight Loss.

United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Taraji P. Accessible Beauty Products For All. Rawpixel Getty Images. But infection symptoms won't pop up the moment your piercing is exposed to bacteria.

Mankarious says. There are so many options for spots on your ear you can pierce and, TBH, you can get an infection anywhere. That said, some spots are riskier than others. Mankarious agrees. Read reviews on the shop and on your piercer beforehand if you can find any. The spot on your ear that you choose to pierce matters, too. Of course, that's never stopped anyone. That's why following your after-care instructions if so crucial, even after it seems like your piercing is all healed up. Kaplan says a minor ear piercing infection displays the following symptoms around the piercing site:.