I
got my ears pierced on my
twelfth birthday. I was petri-
fied — envisioning a needle
the size of a twirler’s baton being
punched through my tiny earlobe.
Nonetheless, I was determined to
get my ears pierced because all of
my friends had already done it. Of
course, it turned out to be no big
deal. The aftermath was more of
a problem. My left earlobe got in-
fected, and the infection festered
for what seemed like an eternity.
Instead of designer jewelry, I
sported a swollen lobe.
Today, teens are getting many
parts of the body pierced — eye-
brows, noses, tongues, nipples,
navels, and lips. Some parents
don’t want their teens to pierce
anything besides earlobes because
these piercings don’t seem “main-
stream.” Others feel body piercing
is not an issue they care to grouse
about when they have more serious
worries to deal with.
Although parental viewpoints
differ on this issue, body pierc-
ing is certainly not something that
should be taken lightly. Many prob-
lems can arise from getting your body
pierced. In many states (including New
York), a child under the age of eighteen
cannot receive a body piercing without
a parent’s prior written consent, and in
some states a parent’s physical presence
is required, so parents legally have the
right to step in.
No matter what your position is on
this topic, it’s best to be informed.
Self-Expression
Ear piercing has been popular in the
United States for decades, but piercing
other areas of the body started gaining
more popularity in the 1990s.
Teens like to dare to be different.
Piercing, like orange hair highlights
and tattoos, is a path to self-expression.
Parents who disagree with these choices
need to be diplomatic when voicing their
opinions. Teens should be given freedom
to develop their own styles. However,
there are many safety issues that both
parents and teens need to be aware of.
66 WNY Family March 2019
TWEENS & TEENS
— by Myrna Beth Haskell
teens should not get pierced on areas of
the body that have skin irritations, un-
usual lesions, rashes, or moles.
In fact, all teens, and their par-
ents, should learn about potential
complications in order to make an
informed decision. “There is al-
ways a risk of infection and scar-
ring,” Alderman warns.
Body Piercing:
According to the Nemours
Foundation’s Teen Health recom-
mendations, potential risks in-
clude:
• chronic infection
• uncontrollable or prolonged
bleeding
• Keloids (thick scarring at the
piercing site)
• hepatitis B and C
• tetanus
• skin allergies to metals
• abscesses or boils (pus that can
form under the skin)
• inflammation or nerve damage
• dental damage caused by
tongue or lip piercing
What Every Teen and
Parent Should Know
Cause for Concern
According to the National Con-
ference of State Legislatures (NCSL),
“New York prohibits body piercing on
a person under 18 years of age unless a
parent or legal guardian provides written
consent in the presence of the owner of
the body piercing studio or a body pierc-
ing specialist.”
Elizabeth M. Alderman, M.D., a na-
tionally recognized specialist in adoles-
cent medicine and professor of clinical
pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine of Yeshiva University in
Bronx, NY advises, “Anyone who plans
to get a piercing should discuss it with
someone else.”
Teens who have diabetes, hemo-
philia, an auto-immune disorder, or any
condition that might interfere with the
healing process should find another way
to express themselves. Furthermore,
Talk It Out
Since the risks vary depending on
a teen’s health and other factors, there
is no simple answer as to how parents
should approach this subject.
“It is hard to be the parent of a teen-
ager,” Alderman says. “Teens should
understand the risks and benefits, and
parents should explore the reasons why
their teen wants the piercing done.” Is
she considering a navel piercing because
her friends are doing it, or does she really
love the look? Does she understand the
possible complications that might arise?
Parents should provide guidance
and work with their teens to make an
informed decision. Alderman suggests,
“Make it about health, not youth culture.”
SAFETY CHECKLIST
Considerations:
• Immunizations should be current
(especially hepatitis B and tetanus).
• Don’t take aspirin or blood thinners
within a week of getting a piercing.