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Summary
Piercings and tattoos are body decorations that go back to ancient times. Body piercing involves making a hole in the skin so that you can insert jewelry. This is often in the earlobe, but can be in other parts of the body. Tattoos are designs on the skin made with needles and colored ink. A permanent tattoo is meant to last forever. Permanent makeup is a type of tattoo.
The health risks of piercings and tattoos include
- Allergic reactions
- Keloids, a type of scar that forms during healing
- Infections, such as hepatitis
To reduce the risks, make sure that the facility is clean, safe and has a good reputation. Proper sterilization of the equipment is important. Be sure to follow the instructions on caring for your skin.
Holes from piercing usually close up if you no longer wear the jewelry. It is possible to remove tattoos, but it's painful and can cause scarring.
- Body Piercing (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
-
Tattoos and Permanent Make-Up
(Food and Drug Administration)
- Think Before You Ink: Are Tattoos Safe? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
- A Tattoo for You? Seven Key Questions to Consider (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- Caring for Pierced Ears (American Academy of Dermatology)
- Caring for Tattooed Skin (American Academy of Dermatology)
Related Issues
- Tattoo Removal: Options and Results (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- Unwanted Tattoos (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
- Workplace Safety and Health: Body Art (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
Specifics
- A Fatal Fad? Tongue Studs Cause More Problems Than Chipped Teeth (Academy of General Dentistry)
- Temporary Tattoos and Henna/Mehndi (Food and Drug Administration)
- What Is an Oral Piercing? (Academy of General Dentistry)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Tattooing
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Complications associated with intimate body piercings.
- Article: An observational study of patients' attitudes to tattoos and piercings...
- Article: Prevalence of Drug Injection, Sexual Activity, Tattooing, and Piercing Among...
- Piercing and Tattoos -- see more articles
- Tattoos -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- American Academy of Dermatology
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
- Find a Dermatologic Surgeon (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
Children
- Avoiding Infection After Ear Piercing (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- How Piercings and Tattooing Work (American Academy of Dermatology)
- Pierced Ears (Nemours Foundation)
- Tattoos and Piercing (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
Teenagers
- Body Piercing (Children's Hospital Boston)
- Tattoos (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Women
- Lower Back Tattoo: OK to Have an Epidural? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish