Tattoo and Body Piercing

You've passed by them on the streets or at the mall and you have looked in curiosity and possibly turned away in disgust. You know what I mean--they are the teens of today--what used to be the fringe, the counterculture, who have now become more mainstream, the ones with the nose rings and pierced tongues. You silently wonder "how can they eat like that or blow their noses?" And then your 16-year-old daughter returns from school one day talking about her friend Mallory's new navel ring. She thinks it's cool and wants one. You are dead-set against the idea, but how do you handle this situation?

Some teens respond positively to "Not as long as your under my roof" and they wait until they move out or go to college. Other teens may say "Well then I'll just leave," and will move out. According to Woodinville, Washington, therapist, Elaine Pool, "You know your teen best." You should know what kind of limits work and what kind of limits don't. If your teen is one with whom you can reason, ask her to help you research the topic, and if after the research it still seems like a good idea, then you can negotiate.

Research the topic together and get all the facts, including sitting in on one someone else's procedure so you and your teen get a realistic picture of what happens. What exactly is body piercing? Body piercing is the creating of a hole, with a needle, in a part of the skin in order to wear a ring or stud through that part. This part of the skin may be the navel, eyebrow, nostril, septum, ear, nipple, tongue, etc. The holes created for body piercing are permanent, even if after the first year, the person never wears the body jewelry again.

In addition to the permanency, piercings are associated with dangerous health risks. Body piercings can become painfully infected. And, according to Dr. Absar H. Haaris, of St. Agnes Hospital in Philadelphia, getting a body piercing "increases one's risk for Hepatitis B and/or C" and HIV/AIDS. The increased risk is so great that the American Red Cross and regional blood banks have started to refuse blood donations from people with body piercings.

3 Tips to Consider Before You Do Anything

If you are contemplating getting a new piercing or if this is your first time, there are a few things that you should consider. What follows is not meant to scare you. They are merely steps that you should take to make sure you do not have a bad experience. And yes, even someone who has had piercings before can have a bad experience. The recent revival of piercing has everyone and their brother either getting one or experimenting with giving them. That is why you should be aware of a few points before you make your final decision. Do not be the guinea pig for your brother who has aspirations of opening his own piercing and tattoo shop. If he wants to practice, tell him to practice on himself.

1. You Get What You Pay For

The art of piercing is not merely jabbing an earring or a tongue ring through and presto, you are done. If the person who is doing the piercing does not know what they are doing, you may end up with a hole somewhere you do not want it. Or worse yet, matching holes that do not match. The spot has to be marked and checked to make sure that it is centered, especially on the ears. You do not want to look lop-sided. Oh, sure it is not the earrings, it is your ears. We have all heard that one before. Find a reputable piercing business. Word of mouth is always a good way to find out who has had problems and who has not.

2. Sterilized--It's Good to Be Clean

Another step involved that can determine whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is the sterilization process. You DO NOT want to be pierced with anything that has not been properly sterilized. The risk of infection is definitely not worth taking a chance on. Not only is it painful, but you could end up in the hospital if the infection gets too bad. That is why you have to choose carefully when you make the final decision to get pierced. You definitely are not ready to lose an ear or an eye or heaven forbid; your tongue. We have all heard the horror stories of someone losing the bottom half of their ear due to infection. Well, if you would like to keep all the parts you were born with, make absolutely sure that the person who pierces you has sterilized and re-sterilized that needle.

3. Which Spot to Pierce First?

Ok. You have made sure the piercing person is qualified. You have determined that this is a legitimate set-up, and that you are not going to get gangrene in a week, so you have to decide what part of your body you are having pierced. This is easy for some people. They already have an idea of what they want pierced. However, others may be wavering between a couple of spots or several. Since the hole will close up if it is not kept open by an earring or whatever type of body jewelry you choose, it is not going to be something that can never be reversed. If this is your first piercing you may want to start small and work your way up to something more radical. If however, you already have plenty of piercings, you may be in a dilemma when it comes to finding a new spot. This is basically a personal preference, so wherever you choose is all right with me.