Piercings You Should Completely Avoid Getting
Body piercings are all the rage right now, the more intricate the better, but for every dermal anchor and cartilage piercing you see on the internet, there's a horror story about having to get something surgically removed that looked pretty otherwise.
As popular as body piercings are nowadays, they're still a form of body modification similar, if not quite as permanent, to tattoos. Trends come and go, but scars are forever, so before you get lost in all the pretty Pinterest designs, consider what the experts have to say about these ultimate no-go zones.
These piercings might look cool but they're dangerous
Bustle spoke to body piercer T.J. Cantwell about the one he flat out refuses to do — it's called snake eyes, and it sits on the edge of the tongue. "It is a curved barbell put through the tip of the tongue," he explained. "It is incredibly unsafe." The piercing in question looks like two separate piercings on the tip of the tongue but it's actually one connected piece of jewelry fed through two punctures with only the ends of the barbell visible, creating the so-called snake eyes illusion.
As Cantwell explains, "It binds together the 2 muscles that make up the tongue so they cannot move independently. The jewelry itself sits on the back of the teeth. It is almost guaranteed that the client will see gum erosion, cracking/chipping of the teeth, and migration/rejection of the piercing leaving a nasty looking scar."
Cantwell also pointed to the very on-trend dermal anchors (also known as microdermals) that are placed in the hands or lower forearms are other piercings he refuses to do. "They are becoming more popular but have an incredibly high rate of getting caught on clothing and being ripped out of the skin," he revealed. Ouch.
Piercings can have lasting effects, even after they're removed
Again, it's worth noting that piercings are serious business. As dermatologist Amy J. Derick told the Huffington Post, visible evidence of a piercing can remain even after the jewelry is removed, and regardless of where the piercing was initially located. In fact, piercer Brian Keith Thompson admitted to Refinery29 that piercings are so popular nowadays he has to warn younger patrons about the possible long-term side effects. "If a young girl comes in [for a nose piercing]... I really counsel them and say, 'Hey this is going to leave a mark on your face for the rest of your life,'" he said.
As for those supposedly super-cute cheek piercings, Thompson warns patrons looking to get them, "Once you go down this road with a cheek piercing, there's no coming back. This is an actual body modification and you're changing your body pretty much forever." If you're still eager to get pierced, remember the most painful piercing you can get might not be the one you think.