The risk lives in the parts of the body most attacked by bacteria. They love dark, warm and humid places.
Areas such as the nose, tongue and, even more so, the vagina are a presidential suite for them, as they are environments in which a balance between different types of bacteria is essential. They are numerous but, in balance, they do not cause harm. Unless something changes that environment. Then it’s not at all difficult for a harmful type of bacteria to start reproducing frantically.
In more external, drier and more airy parts of the body, such as the ear, the danger is less.
Another factor that needs to be taken into account is the time that each region takes to heal. The longer the interval until the wounds caused by the application of the adornment completely close, the more vulnerable the body is to infections.
The glans of the penis, for example, can take up to a year to fully heal. Language is faster – it’s a few weeks.
If the piercing and the tools used to insert it are not sterilized, it is a sure sign of an infection. But even if your piecer do everything right, hygiene care, of course, needs to be redoubled until the “door” closes for good.
Another form of prevention is to choose the right material from which the piercing is made. “Nickel, the most used metal, has a high chance of causing dermatitis: red balls and blisters appear on the patient’s skin, in addition to itching. White gold piercings, for example, are less likely to cause this,” says dermatologist Ida Gomes Duarte, from the Faculty of Medicine of Santa Casa de São Paulo.
Don’t go into a hole
Ear and eyebrow are the least risky places
Ear
In the lobe (softest part of the ear) the risks are the same as putting an earring. In the hardest region, care must be greater: an infection can cause necrosis – tissue death. Healing takes up to six months.
Eyebrow
The site is airy and easy to clean, which reduces the risk of infection. But the area is rich in veins and arteries, which requires a more accurate technique from the applicator when placing the piercing. Healing time is two to four months.
Nipple
For men, the nipple is one of the safest areas. It’s different with women: piercing can cause infection in the ducts of the mammary glands – where milk comes out during breastfeeding. Healing takes two months.
Nose
The inner part of the nose, humid, is conducive to the development of bacteria – after all, with or without piercing, your nose also works as a sieve that helps filter microorganisms from the air. As the nostril is exposed to dirt from these suspended particles, it increases the risks of infection. Healing time varies between two and four months.
Language
Area full of blood vessels, the tongue can have serious bleeding when placing the piece. Saliva, however, helps protect the area against harmful microorganisms. Healing takes two to four weeks.
Vagina
This part of the body retains a lot of bacteria, so care must be taken when implanting a piercing. A poorly placed piece can interfere with sensitivity, reducing pleasure. On the inner lip, healing takes up to six weeks.
Read too:
– Is sex with piercings dangerous?
– How did the tattoo come about?
– How do you remove a tattoo?