Posted on 02/24/2005 8:11:44 PM PST by traumer
Many people who experience health problems after having an intimate body piercing do not seek medical help, research suggests.
Pittsburgh's Carlow University focused on 146 men and women with nipple and genital piercings.
They found a majority of people developed problems such as infections and changes to urine flow, but only 3% sought medical advice.
The research is published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
When people experience problems with intimate body piercing they are reluctant to consult healthcare professionals - Professor Carol Caliendo
Of those who took part in the study, 43% had nipple piercings, 25% had genital piercings and 32% had both.
The team found that 66% of people with nipple piercings and 52% of those with genital piercings had developed health problems.
The most common problems with nipple piercings were sensitivity (37%), skin irritation (21%) and infections (21%).
For male genital piercings the top problems were urinary flow changes (39%) and sensitivity (31%).
While more than half of people (54%) discussed their problems with their piercer, only a tiny fraction sought professional medical advice.
Despite the problems, most people liked their piercings - ranging from 73% to 90%, depending on piercing type - while 87% said their partner was positive about it.
Reluctance
Professor Carol Caliendo, of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, said: "It's clear from our study that when people experience problems with intimate body piercing they are reluctant to consult healthcare professionals and we need to encourage people to come forward.
"We are particularly concerned about the urinary flow changes reported by men after genital piercings.
"It's clearly an issue that needs to be highlighted with men who have had, or are considering, piercings and the people who carry them out."
Kathy French, a sexual health advisor for the Royal College of Nursing, said people should only go to an accredited practitioner to get a body piercing done.
"There is probably a fair level of embarrassment about problems that may arise, and probably a fair amount of ignorance among health professionals as well," she said.
"We need to raise awareness of this issue. It is not just about things that might go wrong.
"For instance there are issues such as whether it is safe to use condoms with pierced genitals."
The key is to properly care for them after they are done.
There are far more pierced and tattooed conservatives than many people would imagine.
Piercing has been around for many thousands of years. How many years has antibiotics been around?
Damn all those women and their earrings! Its just not right!
TMI! TMI! No they don't!
;-)
Why do some men like blondes? Red heads? Legs, butt, breasts, etc...
Not like this.
I read that those piercings are, however, far safer than things such as breast implants.
While her appearance is quite shocking and the piercings seem extreme, the piercings themselves are individually pretty minor. Its the abundent number.
Here, I found a picture. OH my, they say he lives here in San Diego!
'Tiger man' wants fur graft
A San Diego computer programmer who has spent £100,000 on tattoos and plastic surgery to turn himself into a 'tiger' wants a fur graft.
Dennis Smith is tattooed from head to toe with orange and black stripes and his teeth have been filed to needle point.
He has also had latex whiskers implanted and surgery to his lips so he has a permanent snarl. He now wants a surgeon to graft tiger fur on to his skin, like a perma-wig.
Mr Smith, who has changed his name by deed poll to Cat Man, said: "I have a collection of old tiger pelts from the days of hunting. I want these grafted on to me. It will cost another $100,000 but will be worth it.
"When I have the coat of a tiger, I feel I will have reached my goal in life."
His fingernails have been crafted into sharp talons while his hands have tattooed markings like a tiger's paws. He says he feels like a tiger.
The short back-and-sides he sported at the University Of California has been replaced with a long orange mane. He has also swapped his glasses for green contact lenses.
He holds down a £80,000-a-year computer programming job which enables him to fund the surgery, the Daily Record reports.
He admitted: "Of course people stare at me when I walk down the street but that's the effect I desire. For so long I have equated myself with the tiger that I decided to change myself into one.
"It's the real me. So many men cross-dress without their partners knowing, or dress up and play cowboys or Civil War soldiers at weekends. Me, I'm a tiger all the time and I love it. I had my first tattoos done 20 years ago around my eyes and now my whole body is one pastiche of stripes and shading. I am really proud of it all."
I love my belly button piercing!
How would you like your daughter to bring one of those home from a date??????
On that show, did they give an reasons as to "Why?" Are most of them done by underground plastic surgeons in someone's basement?
I'd shott them at the door, then call animal control to come and take away the body. I would tell them I didn't recognize them as human.
I'm with you. What motivates a person to stick a needle through their hoo-ha and dangle something from it? Belly-buttons--fine, they aren't serving much of a purpose...neither are ear lobes. But the "intimate" parts actually do have specific reasons for existing. Piercing this is about as stupid as piercing, say, my eyeball. Could it mess up my eyeball? Uh, yeah! Should I do it? Hmmmmmmm. I'll have to think about it...that's a tough one.
Seems to me that it is just common sense to never, never use the words "pierced" and "genitals" in the same sentence.
Not for the condom.
Sounds good to me!!!
I think I'd shoot it and mount it up on the wall as my space alien trophy.
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