It’s the picture of freedom in its most rebellious state: Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed pose on the cover of the movie “Thirteen” displaying suggestive tongue rings. OK, let’s get real. You’re at U.Va now, so that probably means that you were far too busy with the science fair at age 13 for a life of not above-the-influence sin.
But now that you’re here, why not go out and get pierced and play the fun game of “how do I hide this from Mom and Dad” every time you go home? There are a couple of reasons not to, depending on the inconspicuous location you choose. While piercings can provide your body with extra flare, there are certain risks associated with them.
Location one: The tongue. You know what they say about girls with tongue rings? Nothing. Everyone is too busy looking at their chipped teeth. Or, in the case of one young woman as reported by the Academy of General Dentistry, a second tongue — the woman found a massive lump growing adjacent to her piercing. While it was not harming her in any way, it was strange and it was growing. Ellis Neiburger, who conducted the study, recommended, according to Medical News Today, that if you must have your tongue pierced, you should wear a shorter bar so this type of scar tissue doesn’t form. He also recommended plastic balls capping off the tongue ring, rather than metal ones.
Location two: The lip. Sure, it looks cute on Tom DeLonge. But you aren’t his dentist. Ask anyone in the dental profession, and they’ll have you know that lip rings create gum recession by irritating your gums. Your gums creep down, exposing more of your teeth and getting closer to the root — making your teeth more sensitive and susceptible to cavities. A study conducted by Dr. Dimitris Tatakis found that 40 percent of people with piercings experienced gum recession, while only 7 percent of people without piercings experienced it. One thing you can do if your lip is pierced is switch to a shorter bar so less of your bling protrudes onto your gum.
Location three: The nipple. I am still unsure of the reasoning behind this one, but they are as prevalent on the Jersey shore as family-owned pizza joints. Risks include nerve damage, hematoma, nipple cysts, keloid scarring and more. Women with nipple piercings sometimes fear that they have cancerous lumps in their breasts, but that is probably just hardening around the piercing in reaction to the metal.
Location four: The navel. Although I vowed never to have one of these after a girl in my class told the story of how her belly-button ring got caught in the ring of her binder, it is a very popular piercing in the United States. It takes about six months to heal, and if you’re not going to clean it, don’t do it. It is also a piercing — similar to an eyebrow ring — that is associated with rejection caused by the pressure created by an improper piercing. Rejection is rare if a piercing is done professionally.
Location five: The genitalia. For men, the most popular one is the Prince Albert. They say boys shouldn’t cry, but I suppose this piercing is the one exception we’ll allow. During the first couple days of the healing process, it is actually normal to urinate and dribble blood from the penis. If a PA wearer decides to downsize or remove his piercing, he could experience two streams of urine (a fun party trick). Most men with this piercing report that it enhances sexual pleasure for both partners.
For women, the clitoral hood piercing is one of the more common genital piercings. Despite what you may have heard in urban legends, these do not cause spontaneous orgasms throughout your day. One risk associated with this and all genital piercings is that the fresh wound makes you more susceptible to STIs during intercourse.
While piercings are a decorative tradition that has been around for centuries, they carry a variety of risks that are often overlooked in the heat of rebellion. So before you decide to go out and anger your parents, make sure you’re prepared for the potential consequences.
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