Nipple Piercing Facts

Nipple piercing is available to both men and women at nearly any body piercing shop in the country. While all 50 states have body piercing and tattoo laws, the restrictions vary with each state. In most states, the customer must be 18 years old or accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who will allow the piercing to be preformed on the child.

  1. Where to Get Pierced

    • While there are any number of shops offering body piercing across the country, it is important to evaluate the shop and their piercing staff before having the procedure done. The person preforming the piercing should have their state-issued license visible for all customers to see.

    Jewelry

    • While most piercings are preformed with jewelry made of surgical steel, there is a wide variety of types of jewelry available. Some other materials found in body jewelry are titanium, solid 14-karat gold, solid nickel-free platinum alloy and some plastics. All jewelry used should be new and completely sterilized before the piercing is done. All tools used to assist with and preform the piercing must also be sterilized.

    Healing

    • Nipple piercings can take three to four months to heal. Like most body piercings, the piercing may appear and feel healed on the outside, however the piercing may still be healing and standard care procedures should be followed until the piercing is fully healed.

    Cleaning and Care

    • While the solutions used to clean a piercing can vary by preference, the general rules for nipple piercing care are the same. The Association of Professional Piercers recommends washing your hands before caring for your piercing, using a saline soak for five to ten minutes a day, using a mild non-abrasive soap once a day, preferably in the shower, and drying the piercing with clean disposable paper products such as paper towels to avoid jewelry snags and infection.

    Complications

    • Nipple piercings are subject to various complications if not cared for properly. In a Today Show interview, Dr. Judith Reichman noted that "potential risks include infections (or even breast abscess formation), nerve damage, bleeding, hematoma (a blood-filled cyst), allergic reactions, nipple cysts, and keloid scarring (raised, red scarring). Unfortunately, nipple piercing is also associated with hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection, and even HIV. The latter, thankfully, are rare."

      Should you have complications with your piercing at any time, contact your piercer and doctor immediately. The sooner the problem is treated, the less risk of long-term infection.

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