City Life

Piercings And Tattoos Are Cool, But Are They Healthy?
By Gunes Atalay


Do You Tatoo?

Piercings and tattoos have become a youthful fashion statement and a way to rebel. But are they just another way of obeying the rules of being “cool.”

More than 40 million Americans have tattoos according to AssociatedContent.com and many people have piercings.

Piercings sometimes take up to a year to heal, and some never do. While nipple piercings may heal in eight months, “hand web” piercings never actually heal. Some become badly infected and cause a lot of pain, while others are just painful.

Many people suffer from the toxic metal elements in tattoo ink without even knowing it. Getting tattoos in an unclean place may also may cause bacterial infections, or spread a disease. It is the same with piercings. The HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report says never get piercing with guns, which is a big no-no in the industry because they can never be sterilized and you can even get HIV from them.

The list of potential ailments from piercings include, excessive bleeding, allergic reactions, nerve damage, thick scarring at the pierced area, dental damage, bacterial infection, Hepatitis B, HIV transmission, tetanus, blood poisoning, paralysis, and toxic shock, according to youngwomenshealth.com.

Then why do we do it? Why do we torture ourselves? Is it because it proves that we are tough? Or is it because it proves we are rebellious?


Say Ahhh....

I am guilty of this kind of body torture – I have two tongue piercings. Even though I got them more than seven years ago, they still hurt from time to time. I now believe that tattoo ink and piercings do not belong on our bodies and I think we should stop forcing these unnatural into our skin. We have to be nice to our bodies, because it’s the only one we’re ever going to have.