Young women are putting themselves at risk with do-it-yourself body piercings, or by asking friends or relatives to carry them out.

Doctors said yesterday that piercing should not be carried out by amateurs, as a survey showed that almost a third of piercings in people aged 16-24 resulted in complications, half of which needed medical attention.

The survey, published in British Medical Journal online, found that one in ten of all adults in England has a body piercing other than in the earlobes.

Almost half of women aged 16-24 (46.2 per cent) have piercings, with the navel the most popular (33 per cent), followed by the nose (19 per cent), ear (13 per cent), tongue (9 per cent), nipple (9 per cent), eyebrow (8 per cent), lip (4 per cent) and genitals (2 per cent).

Men are much less likely to have piercings, and favour other parts of the body. Nipples are popular in men, while the navel is among the least popular. Genital piercing, though uncommon in both sexes, was twice as popular among men.

The survey was carried out by a team from the Health Protection Agency and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which questioned more than 10,000 people aged 16 and above.

It found that 1,049 had piercings other than those used through the earlobes for earrings.

Among 16 to 24-year-olds, 31 per cent of piercings resulted in complications, 15 per cent needed medical help, and 1 per cent ended up in hospital.

Those who carried out the procedure themselves, or were helped by a friend or relative, were more likely to need medical help.

Fortune Ncube, of the Health Protection Agency, one of the authors of the study, 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.”

Many of those who like piercings have more than one. The average number in those with piercings was 1.71. Women from lower social classes were also more likely to have piercings, the study found.

The most common problems reported in the 16-24 age group were swelling, infection and bleeding. These complications were most likely with the tongue, genitals and nipples.

The authors wrote: “Although most problems associated with piercing are usually minor and self-limiting, some complications are serious and can be fatal. Most piercings were performed in specialist piercing or tattooing shops, although about 20 per cent were performed outside of these settings.

“Self-piercings were reported at every anatomical site we asked about, even the tongue.

“Piercings in settings other than specialist piercing/tattooing shops were more likely to result in a complication for which help was sought and were significantly more likely to result in a complication requiring a hospital admission.”

The authors said that this could place a considerable burden on health services because, if piercing remained fashionable, almost half the female population might have a body piercing other than in the earlobe.

Ouch

45% of people aged 16-24 questioned in the survey who got their genitals pierced needed medical help afterwards, as did . . .

25% of those who had their nipples pierced and . . .

24% of those who opted for a tongue piercing

Source: British Medical Journal

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