Hi HN I have a question about Piercings.

[keiratouch]

Hello Health Nurse, I have a question about piercings. Im not sure if this has been asked before but I was wondering about the risk increase involved with nipple piercings and genital piercings.

Once a piercing is fully healed should it still be viewed as a way for possibly harmful fluids to enter the body like semen and pre-cum?

Do nipple when receiving a purl necklaces ( when a man ejaculates on a woman's neck and breasts) increase the risk of catching STI's?

Also should genital piercings be avoided at all cost when trying to lower the risk of catching STI's?

 

[Health Nurse]

Hello Health Nurse, I have a question about piercings. Im not sure if this has been asked before but I was wondering about the risk increase involved with nipple piercings and genital piercings.

Once a piercing is fully healed should it still be viewed as a way for possibly harmful fluids to enter the body like semen and pre-cum?

Do nipple when receiving a purl necklaces ( when a man ejaculates on a woman's neck and breasts) increase the risk of catching STI's?

Also should genital piercings be avoided at all cost when trying to lower the risk of catching STI's?

Hi Keiratouch

I don’t think this question has been asked before.

It is a grey area that has not been researched very much. I have only been able to find a few studies that have looked at this. One study found an association between male genital piercing and genital warts in men. As it is just one study I am not sure how valid it would be.

There are a few issues that I think concern people.

Piercings could damage condoms: Condoms offer great protection against sexually transmitted infections (STI). The concern here is that certain piercings could damage condoms.

Allow bacteria and viruses in: The outer layer of skin is an excellent covering that protects us from viruses and bacteria. Any break in this skin gets rid of this barrier and could allow these viruses and bacteria into the body.

For condoms it would be a good idea to avoid piercings that could damage condoms. I guess men with penis piercings may need a bigger condom depending on where the piercing is and for woman having the piercing in a place that is less likely to cause a problem. You would also think the type of piercing may make a difference. I don’t have any information about this and wonder if people on PERB have had any personal experience related to the type of piercing making a difference with condom usage.

As the skin is damaged when you first get a piercing I think there would be an increased risk for STI but once it is fully healed with scar tissue it should be ok. So in the question you described with a pearly necklace with a fully healed nipple piercing you should not be at an increased risk, but with any potentially infectious bodily fluid (semen(cum), blood) it is a good idea to wash it off the body sooner than later. I believe it takes awhile for a piercing to fully heal all the way through.

I found one article by the people at sexualityandu.ca titled “Your body genital piercing”
http://www.sexualityandu.ca/adults/your-body-5.aspx

They give some information about sex and genital piercing. They also say that there is not much research around piercings and sexually transmitted infections.

I have been in contact with someone who does education sessions around piercings. I will post any additional information I get from them.

HN
www.healthnurse.wordpress.com
www.stiresource.com

 

[Health Nurse]

HN what do you think about these discussions on the topic:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/G...ings-and-the-Risk-of-Transmission/show/248353
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV-Prevention/Nipple-Piercing-Question/show/1007365

Hi Missy Mariposa


I have read a few things from Dr Hunter Handsfield and have found him to be a good resource.

In the first thread were they discuss STI risk and Piercings

I would completely agree with the main points he has brought up.
- If the piercing is completely healed with new skin it should be ok.
- Clinicians in STI clinics have not been seeing issues with piercings.
- Limited number of studies looking at this question so it’s hard to know for sure.



In the second thread were they discussed HIV risk and nipple play.

If someone with HIV was sucking on a nipple I would not see this as a risk for HIV transmission. I have never heard of HIV passing this way. HIV does not live well in the mouth.

Sucking on someone else’s nipple would not be a risk unless you were doing some really hard nipple play and you had visible blood. Even in this case HIV does not live well in the mouth and it would probably be a low risk.

HN

 

[Health Nurse]

Hi all

I have found someone in the piercing world to ask the above question. His name is Elwood and he has had a great deal of experience and training. Here is his websites.

http://www.allaboutelwood.com/
http://www.elwoodsbodymod.com/index.html

Here are the main points brought up by Elwood.

(1) Type of piercing is important. For men using condoms if a piercing can twist or if you have multiple genital piercings there is a chance this twistingof the piercing can break a condom. The size of piercing and placement are important for men when using condoms.

(2) Healing is a big factor. A piercing that is not fully healed provides a direct route into your blood stream. There is risk if this unhealed piercing comes in contact with fluid that may be infectious e.g. semen, vagina fluid, blood. Elwood said that genital piercings can heal in 6 weeks if left alone, but healing time can vary as everyone is different.

Even with a fully healed piercing you need to be careful as any type of rough play can irritate it and increase the chances of bacteria and viruses getting into the body.

(3) Condoms. Elwood recommended that you get a good quality condom e.g. Trojan. He has heard of men with Prince Albert piercings having condoms break if they are using cheaper condoms.


You can also contact Elwood directly for any questions/advice you may have.


HN
www.healthnurse.wordpress.com
www.stiresource.com

 

[mistressfreyja]

Ear/belly-button piercings

So far, only genital piercings have been discussed.

But, any piercing, including a classic ear or a belly-button would also be in question.

I'm pretty sure most people 'baby' their new piercings, if only based on pain/healing.

1)HN, there is no difference between un-penetrated skin and healed piercing skin, is there?
2)Wouldn't scar tissue even further DETER the ability for any sti to be transmitted?

 

[Health Nurse]

So far, only genital piercings have been discussed.

But, any piercing, including a classic ear or a belly-button would also be in question.

I'm pretty sure most people 'baby' their new piercings, if only based on pain/healing.

1)HN, there is no difference between un-penetrated skin and healed piercing skin, is there?
2)Wouldn't scar tissue even further DETER the ability for any sti to be transmitted?

Hi mistressfreyja

Un-penetrated skin, healed skin and scar tissue all provide a great barrier against viruses that can be in the sexual fluid and blood.

I am glad you brought up the point about ear and belly button piercing’s. The information mentioned above can be applied to any piercing on the body. Until fully healed any piercing can be a weak point in your bodies protective covering.

HN
www.healthnurse.wordpress.com
www.stiresource.com