piercing risks

I was asked to provide some information about risks of piercings specifically as regards teenagers (14 and up). Below are the questions and answers:

Q: What are some associated health risks that teens may be more exposed to when their piercing is healing?

A: Some teens pierce themselves or have a friend do it, or go to a piercer who is unethical (piercing minors without parental consent). In all of these situations, the risk of infection is MUCH higher than if they go to a professional studio and get pierced by a qualified practitioner. Sterilization equipment is expensive, and it is required for safe piercing. The piercing "kits" that are advertised as sterile do NOT provide everything needed for a safe piercing. These situations are all recipes for disaster. One of the likely problems is that the piercing won't end up in the right spot. When this takes place, it doesn't look good, and it won't heal well. Piercings that are not placed properly to the individual anatomy have a tendency to become irritated or infected; the can migrate and reject, and cause tissue discoloration and/or excessive scarring. Poor quality jewelry can cause the same problems. And teens are frequently on a tight budget, which means they often buy jewelry that is poor in quality

I received yet another message from a woman who got a botched VCH piercing:

Dear Elayne,

I'm a huge fan of your work and book! The Piercing Bible has helped me decide to get a VCH because of all the benefits it described. Sadly, I made a poor judgement call when I got it done yesterday. I did not go to my usual piercer, as it was quite expensive at his shop and I didn't want to wait to get it done. Instead, I opted for a shop where a friend of mine got his PA done and he assured me that they did a good job. He has had no problems with his PA.

After the procedure, I went to my boyfriend's house and went to the bathroom with a mirror to admire my new piercing. I was slightly horrified to find out that the bottom bead on the barbell does not rest under my hood, but slightly above it and the bead does not touch my clitoris at all. What should I do? I would really appreciate a reply, as I have no idea if I will recieve any stimulation with this piercing because of where the barbell is.

Thank you so much for your time,

Amy

Hi Amy,

I received this message from someone who clearly is in need of serious advice:

Subject: Piercing Question

"Elayne.....I'm an ameutar piercer and have excepted a client who wants her dimples pierced. she has chubby cheeks, but otherwise no reason not to go ahead with the piercing. I am not sure how to go about the procedure and were I should properly pierce. Can you share some advice?"

I sent him the page from my book The Piercing Bible called "The Worst Piercing Story" and it is all about cheek piercing:

An article recently appeared in the Huffington Post with the headline: Tongue Piercings Could Lead to Severe Brain Infections. Clearly this was most unfortunate for the individuals who were described in the article (and their families), but these types of extreme complications are very rare. I penned a response and posted it to their site.

I received this message from a Health Education Specialist at a university:

Ms Angel,
I am a Health Educator at the University of Louisville and I'm trying to find some medically accurate information on genital piercings, including risks, long-term side-affects, and questions that potential pierce-ees should research before determining whether to obtain one.

Can you help guide me to this info? I see that you have some info on your website for men, but the link to info for women takes me to a promo for some events that you have coming up.
I really appreciate your help!
 
Kathleen Conte, M.A.
Health Education Specialist
University of Louisville
Campus Health Services
Office of Health Promotion and Education