The Dangers of Home Body Modification

So, you have decide to pierce your tongue, your eyebrow, or even go the permanent route with a tattoo. How cool are you? Body modification has been around as long as people have. It does not matter if your reason is to fit in, or to stand out from a crowd. What matters is safety. Many people are opting for home body modification, but this can have serious, or even deadly consequences.

Piercings are the least permanent body modification, and this art has been taken from the ears to every imaginable body part. I have had piercings done both at home, and in a professional setting. You may save a lot of money by deciding to Peirce at home, but it is just not worth the risk. Professional body piercers and tattoo artists have spent years learning the trade under the guidance of professional body modification experts. In most states, they also have to pass a health department examination and inspection before opening their doors to the body modification-hungry public.

Piercing at home can lead to serious infections, especially in or around the mouth and nose. Any type of body modification requires sterile supplies and proper after-care. The infections caused by contaminated piercing equipment or improper after-care can lead to scarring and septicemia (blood poisoning). The have even been reported cases of brain abscess that followed a tongue piercing.

Even professional piercing includes the loss of some blood, usually a minuscule amount. Piercing at home by an untrained person can lead to a great deal of blood loss. There are two main veins in the tongue, and countless minor blood vessels. If one of these is punctured or perforated during the piercing process, the vessel might have to be closed surgically, and the is also the potential for bleeding to death.

HIV and Hepatitis are two diseases that can be spread during piercing. Using unsterilized equipment, re-using equipment, or coming into contact with blood or saliva from an infected person can cause you to become infected as well. Professional piercers and tattoo artists use specialized equipment to sterilize their tools, they use a fresh needle for each client, and they also wear gloves to prevent infection.

Home tattoos are another dangerous form of home body modification. A tattoo can also be a site for a potential infection, and HIV and Hepatitis can also be spread in this manner. Tattoo work requires skill, and years of practice. Only a professional tattoo artist can ensure sterilization, infection control, tattoo depth, and guide you as to the proper after-care procedures.

All professional piercers and tattoo artists are not equal. Before getting a piercing or tattoo, investigate the body modification artists in your area. Talk to previous clients that have had work done by the artist. Visit the shop and look around. Make sure that the piercer or tattoo artist wears gloves, sterilizes equipment, and discards the needle after each client. If you see something that looks questionable or dirty, then it probably is.

www.webmd.com
www.drhendry.com
www.piercings-body.com