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Body Piercings and Teens

Body Piercing In Teens
Did your son just announce that he wants a nose ring?  Or did your daughter come home with a pierced tongue?  Has your child gone from clean-cut to pierced, and are you constantly fighting with him about it?  If so, you’re definitely not alone.  Body piercing has become a huge trend among teens, and while they think it’s just a form of “artistic expression,” parents are a little more concerned about it!  And for good reason:  the consequences of body piercing can be very serious, ranging from health complications for the child, to social stigmas that can affect the whole family.  Meet a family that’s living through it, and an expert who really does have the answers – and find out what you can do about it on Keeping Kids Healthy!

Guests:

Tori Swanson, Teen with Piercings
Lori Swanson, Tori’s Mother
"Wild Bill” Krebs, Professional Body Piercer
Ruth Peters, PhD - Child Psychologist; 30 years of private practice specializing in teens, adolescents, and family issues, Clearwater, Florida
Monthly Contributor to NBC's "The Today Show"

Tips:

HEALTH PROBLEMS CAN OCCUR!
COMMON MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS OF PIERCINGS INCLUDE:

  • Most common occurence:  infection at the site of the piercing (pain, swelling, redness, pus)
  • Oral piercings have a particularly high rate of complications, including chipped teeth, gum damage, high risk of infection
  • Other complications include blood-borne diseases like Hepatitis B & C, HIV, and tetanus
  • Bacterial Endocarditis is another serious concern:
    • kids with certain heart conditions are at risk
    • disease is treatable, but can be deadly
    • The problem is some kids have the heart conditions that increase the risk of this condition, but don’t discover it until they get Bacterial Endocarditis
       

TIPS TO HELP YOU COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUR TEEN ABOUT PIERCING:

  • Remember that the goal is to really Communicate  --  Not Fight!
  • Listen to what the child has to say about why they want the piercing; your willingness to consider his point of view will make him more willing to hear what you have to say
  • If your child asks for permission to get a piercing, make him wait for a period of time to consider it and make sure that he hasn’t changed his mind; a long enough delay may make him more willing to reconsider the request.
  • Be willing to make some compromises – for example, offer to let her get a second ear piercing rather than a navel piercing
  • Set rules early: for example, she can pierce her nose but not other body parts.
  • Check school dress code to see if it will give you additional support
  • Let your child know that if she violates your rules, there will be negative consequences -- and then follow through!  Stop paying for the cell phone, take away driving privileges or other privileges.  You DO have some leverage, and your child does not want serious negative repercussions any more than you do!

Resources:

The American Academy of Family Physicians
http://www.aafp.org/
Search “body piercing”

If your child is definitely going to get a piercing, you can get information on how to do that as safely as possible from the piercers’ perspective at:

The Association of Professional Piercers
http://www.safepiercing.org/
888-888-1APP