Body art in the form of tattoos and piercing are becoming more popular in the general population. Roughly 13% of the U.S. population has a tattoo and 45 to 50% of college students have a piercing.
Tattoo and body piercing on woman.
Tattooing is equally common in both sexes but body piercing is more common among females.
The main reasons for these types of body art are:
- Expressions of beauty or individuality
- Association with a group
- Enhancement of sexual pleasure
Both tattoos and body piercing have been associated with complications, some minor and some more serious. Because of the following complications, it is advisable not having this done during pregnancy.
Body Piercing
Complications include the following:
- Bacterial infections—this can be a small pustule, localized skin infection, or abscess. Common organisms that cause this are Staphylococcus, streptococci, pseudomonas, or tetanus.
- Viruses—Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV have been reported.
- Generalized blood stream infections (sepsis), septic arthritis (infection of the joints), endocarditis (infection on the valves of the heart) and necrotizing fasciitis (destruction of tissue due to infection) which can be life threatening.
- Keloid formation—excessive scarring commonly noted in people of African descent.
- Jewelry allergy, foreign body rejection, contact dermatitis to certain metals.
- Bleeding complications—especially noted in certain vascular areas such as the tongue.
- Tissue tearing—especially noted in earlobe piercing due to trauma.
- Swelling and tooth fracture after tongue piercing.
- Prolonged healing times—especially noted in navel, nipple, upper earlobe, and genital piercings where the blood supply is decreased.
- Accidental swallowing of jewelry with tongue piercing with potential trauma to the bowel requiring surgery for removal.
- Oral piercing complications include gingival recession, local oral infections, tongue swelling, increased salivation, speech problems, loss of taste, difficulty swallowing or eating, permanent nerve damage, blockage of an airway during an emergency procedure.
Tattooing
Complications include the following:
- Local skin infections from bacteria, fungi, and viruses (warts).
- Transmission of infectious diseases into the bloodstream—this includes hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, TB, and leprosy.
- Bleeding
- Itching
- Allergic reactions to the dyes—this can occur years after the tattoo has been placed.
- Problems with removal.
- Keloid formation or excessive scarring.
- Granulomas or nodular inflammation found in skin tissue.
- Toxins entering the bloodstream from dyes used—pigments can contain mercury, lead, and arsenic. FDA does not regulate the use of tattoo inks.
- Swelling and burning if an MRI is used because of metal in the skin pigments.
What advice can you give to pregnant women with body art?
- Nipple piercing can damage milk ducts and prevent breast feeding. It is advisable to pregnant women to remove nipple rings when lactating.
- Genital piercings can lead to trauma during a vaginal delivery.
- Tongue piercings and lip piercings present risks to anesthesiologists who must administer general anesthesia in case of an emergency cesarean section. Removal of oral and nasal jewelry is recommended before anesthesia. If it cannot be removed, take precautions so that jewelry does not get loosened, aspirated into the lungs, or swallowed.
- Wear jewelry made of steel, titanium, and 14K gold. Avoid nickel that can cause allergic reactions.
- Remove jewelry that becomes uncomfortable due to expansion and stretching of the stomach causing friction with clothing.
- Naval rings can migrate closer to the surface and cause scarring as the abdomen expands.
- Generally tattoos do not present a risk for epidurals or spinals in labor. Most needles used have stylets that do not get removed till the needle has passed the superficial tissue so carrying pigmented superficial tissue into the deeper layers of the spinal canal will not occur.
- Tattoos on the abdomen will have a tendency to become discolored, stretched and distorted due to the rapid expansion of the abdomen.
- Parents that wish to pierce the ears of newborns should use earrings with locked or screw backs to avoid the risk of aspiration or ingestion by the infant.
Maybe I’m old school, but I can’t imagine what kind of woman would consider getting a tattoo or a body piercing while they’re pregnant. What is wrong with some people?!!!
Thanks, this is something I have always wondered about, also is the stretch mark cream ok to use on tattoos?
The stretch mark cream will not have any effects on the tattoo.
Getting a tattoo is a major decision. A tattoo is a permanent physique ornament so special care needs to be noticed to look the fitting tattoo store and tattoo artist. I would NEVER tattoo a pregnant woman, and I hope I speak for all tattoo artists out there. The current breed of tattoo artists is skilled, trained and really skilled. Nonetheless, not all skilled tattoo artists are good or even care. Thank you for sharing this information, I hope all pregnant women read it.
This an excellent write-up – thanks for sharing! My wife and I got tattoos when we got married and before she became pregnant. We were curious and worried that the design would be ruined with the increase of her belly size. We are big fans of your stretch mark cream – the baby is fine and so is her tattoo!
This is often a wonderful write-up – thanks so much for sharing!
I wrote a similar write-up about this subject matter but you did an improved job :)
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