18 Year Old Had Breast Removed due to Piercing

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Nov 1, 2006

Ouch!

BSNtobe2009 · Nov 1, 2006

Oh yeah! I remember when I wanted my belly button pierced, my mom said, "If you want it done, I'll do it for you, but don't come crying to me when it gets infected and you might find yourself without one."

That pretty much cured me of that curiosity.

ItsyBitsySpider, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2006

I don't know if anyone reads the Drudge Report or not. I pull it up several times a day and its fed through the Associated Press all over the world and updates every 5 minutes. (www.drudgereport.com).
Anyway, they had a story on there where a girl in August got her nipple pierced for her 18th birthday, and this month, she had to have her entire breast removed with some tissue as far up as her collar bone.
The doctors said that it was due to something called gas gangrene (sp), and was one of the more rare types. They said the actual piercing didn't cause the infection, but it just opened the door up.
I cannot even imagine what that family is going through. I went through that stage when I was younger, but I'm glad I limited it to a small eyebrow, and that was it, I was too afraid to get anything else done.
They also ran a news story here where a 7 year old got a hemp, temporary "tatoo" at a festival, and either the ink or the brush was contaminated, or he was allergic, because it SCARRED in the shape of the tatoo. So much for temporary.

So sad...my daughter had a dolphin rash/scarring for months after getting a henna tattoo in Florida. You can still see pieces of it if you look up close. Never ever again.

muffie, RN · Nov 1, 2006

had a young man with a tongue piercing, very sick , lost 50 lbs, needed 2 back to back valve surgeries

the only thing docs thought precipitated this was the piercing

:uhoh3:

allnurses Guide · Nov 1, 2006

Keep posting stories folks - my dd wants lip rings . . . . of course I told her over my dead body. I'd love gross photos to show her. :uhoh3:

I can understand extra ear piercings (except the cartilege - one of our CNA's had piercings all up her ear and it finally collapsed and she had to have surgery). I can understand belly button piercings. But to deface your face with lip rings . . . one on each side . . .it just looks ugly.

Such fun to be a parent nowadays.

steph

RGN1 · Nov 1, 2006

Oh I'm sure if you look it up on the Internet you'll find some great gruesome pics to put her off - good luck - I'm sure my turn will come. DD's only 6 yrs old at the moment but time will fly!

BSNtobe2009 · Nov 1, 2006

I only had the eyebrow ring when I was working clothing retail, and I think I kept it for a year after I started doing something else, but I took it out and that was it. I never, ever had a hoop or anything nutty. I had a teeny tiny bar going through with very small crystals, so it looked more like two clear crystals glued to my skin and most people didn't even know it was a bar.

It was the only one that I ever had. It was pretty when I had it, but then it was time to grow up!

kranken_schwester · Nov 1, 2006

I have had my nipples pierced for about six years, as well as several other piercings, tattoos, and body mods. With a little common sense and hygiene, infections like this are not only preventable, but extremely rare. Please don't demonize an entire cultural practice that you don't like or understand because of one hysterical article.

ChocoholicRN · Nov 1, 2006

I had my belly button pierced when I was in highschool, it has never ever gotten infected or caused me any sort of problems. My sister got hers done a few years later and hers got infected, not terribly, but it was very uncomfortable. Everyone's bodies react differently to a foreign object such as a piercing or tattoo. Sometimes it is the actual equiptment used (i.e. if it's not sterile or wasn't cleaned properly) and sometimes it's just a freak accident. These things happen all the time, and like kranken said, no need to demonize an entire cultural practice just because of one bad story. How many of you out there have heard/seen all the terrible stories and pics about breats implants but still opt to get them? Exactly.

porcelina22 · Nov 1, 2006

I understand the concern here, but like an above poster said, don't demonize an entire culture because of a horrible story. There are horible stories everywhere, about everything. If I actually paid attention to them I would be a hermit, living in my sanitzed bedroom, with the shades drawn.

I personally believe that if the tattoo and piercing cultrue took more proactive steps, like being regulated as outpatient surgical centers are, we would find less of these stories. Body art would then become more expensive, but for those of us that take an immense pride in the work we have done, it wouldn't matter. Like I tell everyone that asks about the price of my work- Whats a few hundred dollars for something permanent? You only pay for it once, but you have to live with it forever. Pay for quality.

chrissy

bird2birdnurse · Nov 1, 2006

So sad...my daughter had a dolphin rash/scarring for months after getting a henna tattoo in Florida. You can still see pieces of it if you look up close. Never ever again.

I never heard of a Henna tattoo. I am always shocked when I see these young people with multiple tattoos and piercings. This is the first time I have hear of any major problems with the procedure. However I have heard of people who get the tongue peircing wearing the enamel off their teeth. I just can't understand why people can't see themselves. Most people who have that tongue piercing keep thrusting their tongue forward.

This is my first post ever.