11 Things You Should Know About Piercings was a Huffpost Healthy Living article
It contains some helpful ideas, but overstates some of the figures as fact.
Elayne Angel responds:
This article presented some sound information, but there’s still much more to know. When piercings are performed by a trained professional using sterile equipment and high quality jewelry, and appropriate aftercare is followed, the risks are drastically minimized.
Note that ear piercing guns are not acceptable for body piercings, and they do not meet the standards of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) even for ear piercings.
Check out the APP website for more information on safe piercings and to locate a qualified professional. For an in-depth reference, read The Piercing Bible–The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing.
You greatly minimize the hazards of piercing by becoming an educated consumer. Serious complications are extremely unlikely if:
- You are in good health
- You get pierced by a qualified practitioner who follows all hygiene precautions
- You wear quality jewelry of an appropriate material, size, and style
- You consistently follow sensible cleaning and care procedures
And a LOT more people have gotten pierced since that 2006 study!
Elayne Angel, President, Association of Professional Piercers
Author of The Piercing Bible
19 APR 6:17 AM
Paul King responds:
However, it is filled with misinterpreted information. Throughout the article the author has taken percentages from a particular study and then overstated these as percentages for the general population (this is a COMMON media blunder)…PLEASE do not disseminate these numbers as fact. They are not.