One of the most common complications of ear piercing is infection. According to a college sample of students conducted at Pace University, 17 percent of individuals with piercings experienced medical complications, including bacterial infections,...
Piercing the higher portion of the ear, known as the cartilage, is a fashion statement that can be dangerous. Before deciding to pierce the upper portion of your ear, familiarize yourself with the health risks associated with cartilage ear...
After piercing your earlobes and the outer rim, or helix, of your cartilage, you may be interested in piercing other parts of your ear. Professional body piercers offer piercings of other parts of your ear cartilage. During a consultation at the...
Ear piercings are easily the most common and mainstream body piercing today. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that people have been piercing their ears for at least 6,000 years. These days, both men and women get their ears pierced, although...
Children and adults with pierced ears must take special precautions while playing sports. Especially in the first months after piercing, the ears are susceptible to damage and infection. Pediatrician William Sears, MD advises that parents should...
Getting an ear piercing, whether in the earlobe or in the ear cartilage, does hurt--but the immediate pain usually subsides pretty quickly, especially if you're getting an earlobe piercing. If your piercing keeps hurting, however, it can be a sign...
Getting your ears pierced is a rite of passage for many girls, and even some boys too. The words "ear piercing" may well conjure memories of a trip to the mall, where you sat in a chair in the jewelry shop trying to look brave, watching anxiously...
If you're getting your ears pierced for the first time, you may be feeling nervous about the pain. Most people find that because a piercing is over very quickly, the anticipation of the pain was worse than the pain itself. There is no reason to be...
Getting your ears pierced can be a fun and exciting endeavor. Piercings are popular and easy to obtain. However, the Mayo Clinic recommends doing some research before the event as piercings can carry complications. It is important to research...
After the stress and pain of getting your ears pierced, the healing process begins. Before changing your earrings, ask your piercer if you have completed the healing period to avoid irritation. Once your ear piercing is healed, you can change your...
How much a piercing hurts will partly depend on where it is located. Common earlobe piercings usually don't hurt much because the area is fleshy. Piercings at the top of the ear or the inner portion of ear cartilage might hurt more, however. If...
You may want to pierce your baby's ears because of a cultural practice or personal preference. Fortunately, you can pierce your baby's ears at any age for cosmetic reasons if you chose to. Be aware of the risks, safety precautions and piercing...
Many parents want to have their infant’s ears pierced as soon as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents wait until the child is old enough to care for the piercing. It is possible, however, to have your...
When considering an ear piercing, you want to pick an establishment that has your safety as its top priority. Asking questions about sterile instruments and cleaning procedures for equipment will help you make a safe decision on the establishment...
In previous generations, girls often used ice to numb the ear lobes and a sewing needle to pierce their ears at home. Unfortunately, unless you have an extraordinarily steady hand and a good eye, this method will likely result in uneven piercings....
Ear piercing is the most common type of body piercing. You can have your earlobes or ear cartilage pierced, and many people choose to have both. The procedure can sting a bit, but should not cause undue pain. Minimize your chances for pain by...
Some body piercings, especially in earlobes, can be gradually stretched to accommodate large jewelry. The thickness of a piece of jewelry is referred to as its gauge, with smaller numbers indicating larger diameters. Earlobes are commonly pierced...
Your pierced ears might ooze or seep light-colored fluids during the healing process. Fluids draining from your ear piercings is normal during the healing period, but if the seeping and oozing are constant or continue after the healing period of...
Ear piercings are probably the most common body piercing on the planet. Ear piercings even appear in ancient sculpture. Master piercer Elayne Angel in her book "The Piercing Bible" mentions an Iranian female bust from approximately 3,500 B.C. with...
Ear piercings are so popular that it is easy to forget that any cosmetic piercing carries inherent dangers and health risks. Earlobe piercings have been common for women, men and children for decades. More recently, piercings of the ear cartilage...
Soreness, irritation and discomfort are possible symptoms for newly pierced ears or ear piercings that are healing. Regardless of the reason for your ear piercings being sore, a professional piercer can help diagnose the cause or reasons for the...
Although you may fancy a number of ear piercings, from the stretched lobe to the rook at the highest fold or your cartilage, your employer or your conservative grandmother may not. In certain situations, you will have to hide or remove your metal...
Newly pierced ears require special care for about six to eight weeks after the piercing. During this time, situations may arise that make it necessary to remove the piercing studs. Such situations may involve a particular dress code at school or...
The two main parts of ears to get pierced are the lobe and the cartilage. Earlobe piercing is much less painful than cartilage piercing, with shorter healing times and no chance of rejection or migration. One of the most important aspects of any...
Ear piercing is a very common type of body adornment and many people have it done at a very young age -- some parents even have their infants' ears pierced. Done on men and women, old and young, ear piercing is often used as a means to express...
You can stretch an existing ear piercing into a large-diameter ear piercing. If you do not have pierced ears, you can pierce your ears at a large gauge. Typical ear piercings, from a piercing gun, are a small gauge, such as 20. Professional...
Ear cartilage piercings take six months to one year to heal. Migration or hypertrophic scarring is possible from pressure--from a telephone or sleeping--on the ear piercing. Migration is the process of the body expelling the jewelry from the...
The areas of your ear that you can pierce range from the top helix to the lobe, with several spots in between. The types of pierced earrings used in the ears vary based on the location of the piercing. The materials used to make the fitted...
As a piercing heals, scar tissue forms. In the process of forming scar tissue, your body sheds dead skin cells. Your piercings may also secrete blood and plasma. While a foul odor coming from a piercing can be a sign of infection, it may simply be...
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease carried in the blood and caused by the hepatitis C virus infecting the liver after blood-to-blood contact. Learn more about hepatitis C, including symptoms and treatments, in this video.
Hepatitis B is liver inflammation that results from a DNA virus. Learn more about hepatitis B, including symptoms and treatments, in this video.
Ear surgery is a broad category that includes common surgeries such as otoplasty and myringotomy. In this video learn about different types of ear surgeries and their uses.
