Body piercing study provides reminder of potential health risks

13 June 2008

A study published today on bmj.com highlights the need for people to be aware of the possible health risks associated with body piercing.

The study, carried out by experts at the Health Protection Agency and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, looked at the prevalence of cosmetic body piercing, excluding pierced earlobes.

It found that more than a quarter (28 per cent) of all people experience complications as a result of their piercing. Although most problems associated with piercing are usually minor and self limiting, such as swelling, infection and bleeding after the procedure, some complications are more serious. Around half of those who experience complications consider them serious enough to seek professional help, most often from pharmacists, piercers or GPs.

Serious complications that result in a hospital admission are more likely to occur with piercings performed by a ‘non-specialist’ than with those performed by someone at a specialist piercing or tattooing shop. Despite this, 10 per cent of people are having their piercings done by ‘non-specialists’ including the person themselves or by a friend or relative. This includes tongue and genital piercings.

Dr Fortune Ncube, study author from the Health Protection Agency, said:

“This is the first study to look at the prevalence of and complications arising from what has become a popular piece of body art.

“It is vital that anyone considering a piercing ensures that they go to a reputable piercer to reduce the possibility of having problems. Much of the advice is common sense – don’t try to do it yourself, make sure that you know enough about the procedure as well as the skills and experience of the piercer and make sure the environment is clean and hygienic.

“Your piercer should tell you how to look after the piercing afterwards and this is important to reduce the likelihood of infections. Serious problems are rare but if you experience anything unusual you should seek medical advice immediately.

“If piercing remains fashionable, almost half the female population might eventually have a piercing somewhere other than their earlobes. If this trend continues, to avoid complications and the burden on health services that these could bring, it is vital to continue raising awareness among piercers, their clients and health professionals about the importance of good hygiene and public health safety.”

Although there have been no reported cases of contracting a blood borne virus such as Hepatitis B and C or HIV, through body piercing in the UK, this has been seen in other parts of the world and the study authors report that this remains a cause for concern.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

The study found that:

Out of 10,503 people interviewed in England, 10 per cent (1,049) had a body piercing.
Across all age groups, piercings were more popular in women than men, with women making up 75 per cent of all the adults questioned who reported one or more piercing.
Piercings were most popular in the 16-24 age group. 40 per cent of adults who reported a piercing fell within this age group.
Nearly half the women questioned aged 16-24 reported a piercing (46 per cent). This compares to 13 per cent of men in that age group.
Overall, complications were reported in 28 per cent of all piercings, with problems thought serious enough to seek further help in 13 per cent of all piercings.
In the 16-24 age group, complications were reported in 31 per cent of piercings, professional help was sought with 15 per cent and hospital admission was needed with one per cent.
Some individuals had multiple piercings - the total number of piercings was 1,943 among the 1,049 people who reported having a piercing.
Seven individuals reported having had at least 10 piercings.
Help sought due to a complication was mostly from piercers, pharmacists and GPs.

Body piercers should be registered with the Local Authority and inspected by Environmental Health.

For further information on this press release please contact the Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Infections press office on 020 8327 7080/ 6647/ 6690/ 6055/ 7097 or 7098

Further information on body piercing is available from the health encyclopaedia at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Last reviewed: 11 August 2008