Body art has been around for centuries. The practice of tattooing, painting, branding, modifying and piercing various parts of the body was used by different cultures worldwide as indicators of a person's social, marital, or membership status, as rites of passage, or as aesthetic art forms. Evidence of body art has shown up on a 2,000-year-old Russian mummy with tattoos on her biceps.
Even Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, of the extremely conservative Victorian fame, supposedly sported tattoos (Victoria) and piercings (Albert, the famed penile piercing that is now named after him).
In today's society, body art, the most popular form being piercings and tattoos, is so commonplace that it is no longer stigmatized in societies that did not use body art as a routine practice, such as American culture.
However, to avoid potentially serious health risks that body art can present if done incorrectly, there are many health precautions that need to be taken seriously.
The prevalence of adolescent body piercings and tattoos are shown in research to be correlated with risky behaviors.
A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2002 attempted to show that adolescents aged 12 to 22 with tattoos or body piercings showed a higher rate of using hard or gateway drugs, more risky sexual and eating behaviors, tendencies towards violence and higher suicide rates.
One huge setback to this research is that the sample taken was only from one location, San Diego, Calif., which is not a substantial representation of the demographics of the entire nation.
The study suggests that females with tattoos or piercings might be at greater risk for suicide. It showed that the adolescents in the study did tend to engage in riskier behaviors if they had a body piercing or a tattoo. However, those adolescents without body art were not at zero risk, either.
When one decides to get a tattoo or piercing, it is most important to look out for sterilized, clean instruments to use.
According to the Association of Professional Piercers, there are a set of standard guidelines that are used for credible and safe venues to give body piercings and tattoos. Needles must be the disposable and the single-use type, which should be discarded properly upon completion.
A reused needle or unclean needle can lead to serious diseases such as Tetanus, Hepatitis C (which potentially leads to liver failure or cirrhosis), or HIV.
For tattooing, not only should the needle be disposable and sterile, but the equipment should be autoclaved, and the ink cartridges disposable and new for each person. The piercer or tattooer must wear latex gloves when performing the procedure.
Different sites of piercing are prone to different types of infection.
Poorly treated cartilaginous piercings are potential breeding grounds for the organisms from the Pseudomonas family, which can create serious infections.
Unlike staphylococcus or streptococcus bacteria, these organisms do not respond well to antibiotics, says Dr. James J. Fitzgibbon, director of adolescent medicine at the Children's Hospital in Akron, Ohio.
The reason that pseudomonas is so resistant to traditional antibiotics is that it does not always affect organic tissue and has an extremely versatile metabolic rate.
Untreated infected cartilage can lead to disfiguration of the area and mutilation, since a colony of pseudomonas can break down cartilage so badly that it literally is liquefied.
Pierced areas that are not always exposed to air, such as the navel, genitals or nipples, can take longer to heal and are more likely to be susceptible to infections.
Navel and nipple piercings are subjected to friction and restriction from clothing (bras in women and waistbands on pants) and moisture trapped from sweat. A navel piercing can take as long as seven to nine months to fully heal. A woman's nipple piercing must be consistently kept clean, or infections could spread to the milk ducts and lymph nodes in the breast area.
Genital piercings are extremely susceptible to infections, especially in women. A female genital area piercing is in a warm, dark and moist area which can be a potential breeding ground for bacteria. For both male and female genital piercings, sexual activity is advised against until the piercing has healed.
When one does engage in sexual activity, non-spermicidally lubricated male condoms that have adequate room to fit a penile piercing without risk of tearing the condom are necessary. Dental dams are advised for oral sex.
Oral piercings show a very fast recovery rate. Tongue tissue especially can heal very fast, although the initial post-piercing swelling is not very pleasant. The tissue of the tongue is very primitive, but if a nerve in the tongue is pierced it will result in paralysis of the nerve. Many oral care practitioners have seen problems with oral piercings from chipped teeth to speech impediments.
Another risk is a trauma--induced injury to a piercing, where it is torn out. This causes permanent disfigurement of the area.
If guidelines are followed carefully, the recipient of the piercing or tattoo can easily avoid serious Streptococcus or Staphylococcus infections.
Many people will hesitate to get piercings or tattoos because of a social stigma that some body art has. Many forms of tattoos or branding can indicate the membership in a gang or a rebellious streak frowned upon by straitlaced people.
A lot of types of body art are permanent configurations and are irreversible when done. As a result, in-depth research and planning must take place when deciding to obtain some sort of piercing, tattoo, branding or body modification.
The Health and Wellness Center on campus is also readily available for consultations and careful planning of procedures.
