« on: June 13, 2008, 11:52:08 AM »
Health warning over body piercings
Medical experts warned Friday that botched body piercings can take up to ten months to heal and in the worst cases can lead to hepatitis infection.
The warning follows a joint study between the Health Protection Agency and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine which shows that one in 10 adults have a body piercings other than in their earlobe.
The researchers surveyed 10,000 people aged over 16. A total of 1,049 people had a piercing, with 1,943 piercings in total across the group.
More than a quarter of those questioned (28 percent) suffered complications like swelling, infection and bleeding, while a minority also admitted to piercings of the tongue, lips and genitals without proper assistance. The research was published in the online version of the British Medical Journal.
Dr Angie Bone -- one of the authors of the report -- voiced concern over the rising number of young girls resorting to body piercings and the resultant pressure it might put on the NHS in years to come.
"There is a message here for the health service that body piercing is really very common and, if it remains fashionable, in the near future one in two women will have a body piercing and there will be more complications," she said.
The report said that many were oblivious of the potential health risk body piercings might have, specially when done by non-specialist clinics.
"I was surprised to find, for example, that a navel piercing can take up to 10 months to heal," Bone added.
LINKI never have understood why people think all those hunks of metal stuck in someone's face is somehow attractive. I know one young man who looks like he fell face first into a tackle box.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2008, 11:53:43 AM by lug-nut »
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