As we know, high ear piercings are now common, as are nose piercings and other body piercings. The perichondritis question was included in my review materials in part to remind pediatricians that our adolescent patients may well be considering decorating or modifying their bodies; a Pew Research Center report cited in the new A.A.P. report said that in 2010, among 18-to-29-year-olds, 38% had at least one tattoo and 23% had a piercing somewhere other than the earlobe.
Overview Of Adolescent’s Love for Tattoos and Piercings
Tattoos, which were once viewed in pediatrics as evidence of a somewhat marginal and high-risk lifestyle, have become sufficiently mainstream that it is now possible to hear college students talk of marking their individuality by getting tattooed. So many young people have tattoos that in 2015 the military relaxed the rules against them, which were discouraging too many potential recruits – though there are still restrictions against offensive tattoos or most that would be visible in uniform.
Opening this conversation could be an opportunity to emphasize the permanent nature of a tattoo and also to bring up the question of how a visible tattoo or piercing could affect employment opportunities later on.
It is worthy of note that Doctors should urge teenagers considering tattoos or piercings to have these conversations with their parents, and make sure that anything that gets done is done in a licensed and sanitary place, and that tetanus immunizations are up-to-date. And for adolescents who have had issues in the past with scarring, or who may have compromised immune systems-those who have lupus, for example, or those who have had cancer and may want a tattoo at the site of a scar- it’s an opportunity to review why this may be higher risk.
Reputable professionals should provide ample follow-up instructions, which should be carefully read and followed watch for the signs of infection, redness, swelling and evidence of pus or drainage, and of course, fever, and red streaking lines on the skin. If a recent piercing continues to bleed, it may be that a blood vessel was hit and it isn’t clotting properly. All of these problems should be seen by a doctor and ideally the doctor will be up n my test question and others like it.
It is vital to keep up the vigilance; body piercings can take much longer to heal than many teenagers realize – the eyebrow, for example, takes six to eight weeks, but the navel can take up to nine months. Many body piercings have other implications for health, from the tooth chipping associated with tongue piercings to the problems with later breast-feeding that can follow nipple piercings.
