Tongue Piercing Infection

Body piercing, which had a lot of cultural significance in the earlier days, has become a fad among youngsters today. Though among the different types of body piercing, ear piercing and nose piercing are the most popular ones, tongue piecing is slowly gaining lot of popularity. Most youngsters go for this piercing because it signifies breaking the rules and asserting something that is different from normal. There are also people who choose piercing to rebel against their parents. Apart from this, there are some people who opt for this piercing for increasing sexual pleasure. However, there are many cases where these piercing have gone wrong, leading to infections and complications.

Infections from Piercing
This piercing is made on the tip of the tongue by a barbell. As mouths tend to be full of bacteria, any mistake while piercing can cause the bacteria to enter into the blood, giving rise to various infections.

The presence of a metal object on the tongue can cause problems with its normal activities like talking and eating. Moreover, the metal constantly comes in contact with the teeth, leading to the damage of the teeth as well as the teeth enamel. These piercing can also cause problems to the gums and sometimes even lead to mouth ulcers.

Apart from these infections, some other serious piercing infections include endocarditis and Ludwig's angina. Endocarditis occurs when the blood is infected by the bacteria which leads to the weakening of the heart valves. On the other hand, Ludwig's angina is when swelling appears on the floor of the mouth and jaw, so much so that it becomes difficult for the person to breathe.

Sometimes, people visit piercing parlors which offer to do the job at a low price. However, low prices do not guarantee that piercing is done with due precautions. One can get infected with HIV or hepatitis virus, if unsterilized instruments are used for making piercings.

Symptoms of Infection
Many times, people ignore these infections considering it to be quite normal during the healing period. However, it is important for every person who is thinking of doing this piercing to know about its symptoms. Let us look at some of the signs of piercing infection.

• It is said that the first sign of piercing infection is a swollen tongue. It is usual for the person who gets his tongue pierced to experience some kind of swelling around the tongue area. However, this does not stay for a long time and the swelling subsides within a week's time. Nevertheless, if the swelling does not go away or reappears after the piercing is healed, this is surely the case of infection and should be given immediate attention and treatment.
• Apart from the swollen tongue, another sign is redness around the pierced area. It is also likely for the person to experience immense pain as well as swelling in the same area. However, if the infection is very bad, there are chances for bleeding to occur. Though it is common to experience bleeding for a few days after the piercing is done, if it continues for more than this period of time, it should be taken very seriously.
• One of the symptom is discharge of yellow or green color pus from the area of the tongue which is pierced. The reason for this occurrence can be said to be improper aftercare, and if such things occur, it is likely that the infection is in an advanced stage and needs to be treated as soon as possible.

To avoid any infection, it is necessary to gather relevant information about piercings. It is absolutely essential to do the piercing from a reputed piercer who would take the appropriate precautions before doing the piercing. So research well about the piercer, about the techniques and material he uses. Also, the metal used for piercing the tongue should be surgical grade stainless steel. After the piercing is done, it is extremely crucial to follow the guidelines of the piercer about piercing aftercare. People who opt for these piercings should understand that piercing may make them unique and stand out in crowd, but nothing is more important than one's life and good health.