Berkeley Parents Network: Piercing (Not Ears)

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Piercing (Not Ears)

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Belly button piercing and pregnancy
16-year-old wants to get her belly button pierced
13-year-old wants to get her nose pierced
13-year-old wants to get her tongue pierced
Advice about getting ears pierced

Belly button piercing and pregnancy

August 2005

I am thinking about getting my belly button pierced and have some questions. If you have a piercing and then got pregnant, what was that like? Did the piercing recover or did you have to let it close during or after pregnancy? Where did you go for your piercing? I am looking for somewhere clean, safe, and comfortable. Thanks!
ears pierced only I got mine pierced about 7 years ago and had a baby 1.5 years ago. When I started to show, I went to some place on Telegraph in Oakland (sorry, don't remember where) and someone there put in a piece of fishing line and melted the ends for me (so I had a fishing line barbell). It was not very attractive, but I had no problems other than maybe a little irritation from my belly stretching and rubbing on my clothes. After the birth, I took out the fishing line and reinserted my ring. I got my piercing at a fabulous place in New Orleans, but can't recommend anywhere in this area.
Michelle

Don't do it! I got my navel pierced when I was 19 years old, and I sure wish I had thought ahead about what a pregnancy might do to it. During my first pregnancy, I read in ''The Hip-Mama's Survival Guide'' that I should remove the ring during pregnancy. (Since then I have seen that there are special flexible rings you can keep in during the pregnancy. But I don't think that would have made a difference in what happened to me.) The hole itself totally stretched out and after the pregnancy was the most ugly, large, 2 inch mass of wrinkles on my otherwise flat, smooth stomach. I absolutely hate it, and it's made me self-conscious about showing my belly, which is no fun in swimming season. I don't think there's any way to determine whether this would happen to you, because I think it's just chance, but I do want to point out that I was not left with stretch marks or wrinkled skin on any other part of my belly - just where the pierce was. I can't imagine that it would have been any different had I left the ring in or gotten one of those flexible things, but who knows? Needless to say, I completely regret having gotten the piercing and really wish I hadn't.
older now

Hi, I already had my belly button pierced when I became pregnant so I don't know who to recommend but I can speak to the experience of pregnancy with a belly button ring. The ob said it would have to eventually come out because it would be uncomfortable. So, I left it in, waiting for it to become uncomfortable. It never did so I left it in the whole time. The only time I had to take it out was when I went into the hospital to deliver (in case of emergency c-section). After delivery, I put it back in and it was fine. I don't know if it makes a difference that I didn't gain a huge amount of weight (30 lbs) or what but it was fine the whole time.
pierced mama

I had my belly button pierced for more than 5 years before getting pregnant with my first child, so the piercing was pretty stable. About 8 weeks into my pregnancy, my body started pushing the piercing out. Every day it was a little closer to the surface of my skin. After a couple of weeks, it was so close to the skin that it was super sensitive and I had to take it out. It probably made my scarring a little worse, but nothing too bad. I haven't bothered to have it re-done, I've kind of moved past that stage. Mine was done at Zebra on Telegraph, years ago.
Former rocker

I had my belly button pierced a year or so before my first pregnancy (7 years ago) with the kind of ring you can't remove easily. At 7 months pregnant with my first -- the ring was standing out straight and it was the widest part of me! so I went to a piercing place (don't remember which) on Telegraph and they removed it for me. I never put the ring back in and the hole is now completely closed. some extra scarring occured around the hole(I think because the whole area stretches so much during those last few months--and maybe it makes a weak point in your skin?)but after my belly shrank back to more or less its original state you can't really see anything other than an extra dimple. if you plan to get pregnant within the next year or even 2 years I would wait on the piercing...
anon

I took out my navel piercing (I wore a ring) at 27 weeks of pregnancy, since it was starting to feel slightly stretched. I'm now at 38 weeks and haven't yet delivered, so that's the extent of my experience. I considered replacing the metal jewelry with jewelry made of flexible sterile plastic tubing (they sell it especially for use during pregnancy!) to ensure that the piercing stayed open, but decided to wait and see what my poor belly will look like after I deliver. I may not wish to highlight that part of my anatomy for a while! I've had my piercing since 1992, so I figured it was unlikely to close up in three months anyway.

On a related topic: my cousin used to have her navel pierced, and even though she took it out long before she got pregnant, when she was pregnant the only place where she got stretch marks was radiating out from the hole. She figures the piercing weakened her skin. This hasn't happened to me, but I wanted to pass that along.

As far as places to get piercings done, there are plenty. I've been to Gauntlet in the Castro and a now-closed place in Santa Cruz, and many people go to Zebra on Telegraph. Just make sure it's a legitmate place with an autoclave, etc. Navel piercings are uncomfortable to have done and take a long time to heal properly, so make sure you're ready for the trouble!
Pierced Mama-to-Be

I got my belly button pierced when I was a teenager. I loved it - it really made me feel sexy. When I got pregnant 10 years later, I kept it in as long as I could, but I did end up having to take it out as my belly just got too tight. The piercing closed up right away. By the end of the pregnancy, the only place I had stretch marks was right at the site of the piercing. 3 years later it still looks scarred and not quite right... so I would recommend waiting until after you are done with being pregnant, and then do it.
belly button blues

I would think that if you decide to do this, you would want the piercing for a while before you got pregnant. Just so it is good and healed before your belly gets stretched out. I got my belly button pierced in 1996, had my first child in 2003 and am 9 months now with my 2nd. I still have my piercing in and did so throughout my pregnancy with #1. I've heard sometimes doctors will protest leaving the piercing in. I, personally, did not have a problem. Doc said as long as I was comfortable with it in, then it was not a problem for him. It is comfortable for me. It might not be the same for you. The only thing that might be a consideration is that when your belly gets bigger, the ring sticks out a bit more, so sometimes I noticed that I could see the bump of the ring through my shirt. As for where to go... I went to a place in the Castro section of SF. I can't recall the name, but it's around the intersection of Market & Noe. If you're going ''up market'' ie: away from downtown and facing toward going up the hill, it's on the left hand side. It's a fairly well marked place, has a great reputation and I believe is still there. The people were great, very professional and quick. BTW, it really does hurt A LOT! Plus takes a good 2 weeks to heal. Had to wear all my pants unzipped for a while. Hope this helps! Good luck.
green_onion

I didn't see the original question, but I had my belly pierced for about 5 years before i got pregnant. I kept it in until I was about 7 months, and then had to get it removed because it got too painful and tight, and so I had had a piece of wide fishing line put it, which was even more irritating, so I had to take it all out. My hole closed up and I haven't gotten it redone yet, though it's been a few years. I do have more stretch marks radiating from that area than any other on my belly -- really very few stretch marks except for those, but they're pretty light. Another thing worth knowing -- it takes a REALLY long time for a belly to heal. Mine got infected 6 months after being pierced, and I was taking really good care of it. I got mine done at The Gauntlet, Market near Castro.
Tara

16-year-old wants to get her belly button pierced

I could use some advice. My soon to be 16 year old wants her belly button pierced for 16th birthday. I am opposed to body piercing (and have said that if I had it to do over I wouldn't have pierced my ears or hers). When the question of piercing arose over a year ago, I suggested she speak with her pediatrican during her check-up visit. (I thought that if the doctor didn't advise against piercing (this time it was her nose)then I would step back and reconsider -- no promises) As it turns out her physician (Dr. Landman) was against the idea of piercing. The matter died down for quite a while, but now I'm being lobbied heavily for the piercing.

Has anyone dealth with this issue? What decision did you make and why? I don't want her to just go off and do this anyway, but I really don't feel comfortable with approving it. Usually this discomfort is enough, but I'd like to hear other opinions and check out whether I'm just stuck in the stone age.

I've been in this exact situation with my daughter but I consented. Since I would never consent to nose piercing or tongue or lip piercings and she already had her ears pierced in a several places, I said yes to what I perceived to be the lesser of the evils--and told her as long as she could keep the area sterile it would be fine. And it has been. My daughter's now in college and her belly button ring came out in soccer practice; she had it replaced for $25 by the end of the day and she told me the hole had almost closed and it had to be re-pierced. She's using her own money now, and you can see where her priorities are: she chose the belly button replacement for $25 over a reading lamp for her room (she must be reading by flashlight or something). Anyway, my point is it could be much worse, choose your battles carefully, and from 16 year old girls, there are way too many sometimes to choose from. --anon (been there, done that)

My daughter pleaded to 'pierce' for about a year. We all finally agreed that there is a certain amount of 'fashion' pressure which in turn is directly related to 'Peer-pressure'. This still didn't deter her as she was enormously attracted to the whole idea. Finally (after much battling of wills) we agreed to piercing any part of her body that was 'private'. We felt strongly that her choice was personal and should have no obvious ramifications to those observing her. In other words we did not want her to be judged, either now or later (eg at a job interview). We also didn't want to have to be forced to see it every day from now on!! Anybody considering being pierced has to realize that others may have extremely strong negative reactions to a piercing which affect how they are perceived in general. We felt it was self limiting, taking on the trappings of an identity group, etc. etc. ( we discussed how it would feel to HAVE to be pierced or tattoed against your will). She had her navel pierced just after turning 13 and it looks adorable on her flat tummy. It healed beautifully and we all learned alot about compromise and sensible decision making. We felt that if it were so important to be pierced it was worth waiting for, just like so many other important things. Who knows how she will feel at 18 Years old? Good Luck with your situation. Deb

I'm a freshmen at BHS and i had my bellybutton pierced in 7th grade. i have had no problems with it and my parents didn't mind it even though they usually object to "body mutilaton" because they can't see it at all. if your daughter does decide to get it done i recomend you go to Zebra on telegraph. it costs about 60 dollars for the jewelry and the actually piercing and the cleaning solutions which are really important. it heals pretty easily as long as you take care of it and it doesn't hurt too much either.

This is in response to a recent post about a soon to be 16 year old wanting to get her belly-button pierced. I guess my question to the parent would be, what specifically are your objections? Do you not like the look, does it mean something morally, ethically or ? to you? My daughter had her belly-button pierced for her 16th birthday. My son got a tattoo on his arm for his 18th. I myself have my nose pierced, so perhaps my view might be considered less conservative. The underlying reasoning, though, is after several discussions with both of my children about their desires for tattoos and piercing is: For them it seems to be a statement about individuality and I think, independence. While I was really skeptical at first, I let them both make the choice, pointing out the downsides when they're adults. Will they regret their choice? I think a tattoo is a more obvious regret because unlike a piercing, it won't go away. Both of my kids are levelheaded and smart and I felt it was better to let them experiment. I know it might be hard to understand their desire, but it's a statement of their youth culture. Do you remember yours? How did your parents feel about it? I think it's difficult as a parent to remember what it was like to be their age. Whether it's due to my attitude about it (the piercings, tattoos), I have a really good relationship with my kids and they seem to be less rebellious than I was at their age (I was brought up in a really strict Catholic environment). Taking care of the piercing is really not that difficult. She'll need to be vigilant about cleaning it, etc. I also recommend a reputable place, like Zebra in Berkeley where both my daughter and I had our piercings. They're safe, clean and gentle. Karen

13-year-old wants to get her nose pierced

My daughter is 13 and wants to get her nose pierced. I'd be curious as to other parents' take on piercing in general. As parents, we have asked that she wait until she is a little older to make this decision. She has not liked this response and keeps bringing up the issue. Yes, this isn't piercing of genitals or piercing of nipples or belly button. Yet, I think 13 is a little early to make this decision. I'd like other parents' opinions.

When my daughter was 12, I let her pierce the top of her ear, which hurt quite a bit according to her. As middle school progressed she wanted more piercings. Her friends have gotten eyebrows, nose and and navel piercings. I decide I wanted her to wait until she was older to do any more piercing, 18 to be exact. She bugged me about this every so often thru middle school and I calmly stuck to my guns even though I was feeling a little prudish. Anyway my point is she is now in high school, knows my rule and hasn't brought it up in a long while. In other words they get past it and it wasn't ever a big fight. That's my opinion. -Lynn

Regarding the piercing dilemma.... earlobe and belly button and genital and many other kinds of piercing are traumatic for parents, but they are all for the most part temporary if the ring, etc. is taken out and care is taken to heal the "wound." Nose piercing (and upper/top of the ear piercing) is something different: it's PERMANENT absent reconstructive surgery. You are well within your rights to prevent this at the age of 13, although there are different approaches. When our twelve year old announced that she wanted her nose pierced, we got in touch with her dance teacher who had been nose pierced. She emphasized to our daughter that nose piercings are forever, and how she now regretted it. This was far more powerful than anything we could do or say. We then left it up to our daughter..... she decided against it. K.

To the parent of 13 year old wanting to get a nose-piercing: I have no opinion about piercings in general but wanted to share an amusing (to me) story about my son who asked to pierce his ear back when that first came into fashion among boys (he was about 12 or 13 then). I told him that when he was 18 he could do anything he wanted with his body but until then I was pulling rank and protecting him from any decisions he might regret. This was actually not typical of how I usually handle things with my kids and I forgot all about this talk until the summer after his freshman year in college. He and his girlfriend were talking about someone's piercings and I asked my son why he had never pierced anything. He said, "Because you wouldn't let me." I just about fell over because we had so long ago passed the point where he asks my permission or even advice on anything to do with his appearance. He also said that he is glad he never did it because he doesn't like them now. Again, I don't have a clue whether your daughter would be grateful in the long run if you disallowed her nose piercing but it continues to amaze me that my kids actually listen to me occasionally and that "wisdom" can be imparted. G.

Thank you, Digest and parents for the input about piercing. Just after I recieved it my 13 year old daughter surprised me with an earlobe piercing request. Thanks to all of you I din't have to do independent research, just printed all your responses and left them on her desk. Thank you all and best wishes for the future parenting dilemas. K

This is concerning the nose piercing situation. My daughter was talking about piercing and tattooing for the longest time. She finally went out and got her nose pierced. I was bothered by it, but it was certainly the lesser of evils. It seemed to satisfy her urge to be "groovy". Anyway, she had it for a couple of years, it wasn't very noticeable and it finally fell out and she just let it grow back. It has left no scars. It was enough of a hassle that I think she learned quickly that she didn't want to go further down that road.

13-year-old wants to get her tongue pierced

My 13 yo daughter wants to get her tongue pierced. Any advice (for me or her!) (The idea grosses me out.) Thank you, it's lovely having this group available to ask these questions of.
Barbara

Dear Parent of Wannabepierced 13 year old: Our daughter wanted to have her tongue piereced recently. We did not say no. We made a contract wherein she would do research on the subject of tongue piercing. This research had to include information obtained from conversations with her pediatrician and her dentist. Our contract also stated that my husband and I would each do our own research on the topic, including conversations with our personal physicians and dentists. We agreed to meet when we had all our information together, make reports on what we found and make a decision. This was a fabulous process. My husband and I were predisposed to be against it just because both of us felt it was totally repulsive. It was a good experience to avoid acting out of a gut feeling (believe me, many times that's all we have to go on and we do - we thought we could do this one a different way and thank goodness it worked). My husband and I even had to stop ourselves from discussing it between ourselves in order to be in compliance with our contract with our daughter. The upshot of all this is that we all found out a great deal - a great deal of negative information about tongue piercing. Because of the time involved in doing the research and the nature of the contract our daughter had a lot of time to feel that she could have her tongue pierced, there being no definite NO. We got an opportunity to develop our argument against it - or not! Our daughter decided against doing this on her own. Try it! The risk you are taking is that you'll end up deciding to let her have her nose pierced. Edith

I would strongly advise against letting your daughter get her tongue pierced. Most dentists will tell you that in addition to trauma to the tongue, that metal implements in the mouth cause cracks in the back of the teeth that can lead to teeth and bone infections, some severe enough to require that sections of the jaw need replacing (which is painful and costly surgery). My father was a physician in SF and had several patients with tongue piercings who experienced this very problem. Replacing the jaw is about $15,000+ worth of surgery along, not to mention recovery time and medications. Both Dear Abby and Ann Landers columns report similar problem incidents with tongue piercings every couple of months. I'm sure you can get a lot of material from the American Dental Association on the problems associated with tongue piercing. Tell your daughter no.
Jennifer

Re: tongue piercing: the American Dental Association has come out strongly against tongue piercing and indeed oral piercing of all kinds. Dentists are seeing an epidemic of injuries, including cracked teeth, from tongue studs. Your thirteen-year old's teeth are permanent and the only ones she will ever have. A cracked tooth is a serious injury - it might well have to be crowned (with porcelain if in front, which is likely) and not just once - probably the crown will have to be replaced a few times in the course of her life. In effect the person will have a prosthetic tooth (or teeth) for the rest of his or her life. I won't even go into the dangers of infection from the piercing or acquiring an allergy to metal through this insult to tissue.

Here's a statement from the ADA on oral piercing: http://www.ada.org/prac/position/piercing.html

My children have not indicated an interest in piercing, but if my minor child did, I would tell him or her that the piercing and some of its possible consequences are permanent, and people under the age of 18 are too young to take this irrevocable step - if she still wants to do it when she is an adult, she can do it with her own money and pay for any correction of injuries with her own money also.

If your child is such a one that letting her do it is the lesser of two evils (and I know it can be like that) then at least I would have her pay for everything with her own money - including treatment for injuries or infection. (Have you priced a porcelain dental crown recently?)

Catherine

My wife works at the UOP School of Dentistry in S.F. and when are neighbor asked about tongue piercing my wife told her that the problem that had come up was chipped teeth! Teeth chipped by inadvertent biting on the stud. I don't remember any comments on infections - although the mouth is rife with bacteria. Also tongue pierces close extremely fast so its not a sometime thing. Pierce it and leave it in ---
Mark

To the parent who asked about tongue piercing: I am not an expert on piercing, but as a nurse practitioner in a teen clinic, I see lots of pierced body parts, including tongues, and rarely have to care for complications. Ears and navels are sometimes prone to infection. But the tongue has the best circulation of any of the usually-pierced body parts, so infections are extremely rare, and I've never seen one. People tend to ooze a little blood for the first two weeks or so, and I have heard of (but not seen) people who had to get the piercing removed because the bleeding would not stop (my sense is that this is pretty rare). I have seen pierced tongues in every gender, ethnic group, and "type" of student, and teens rarely complain of any problems.

What might be more of a problem is that people tend to play a lot with their piercing at first, which might cause dental problems (there are now plastic balls available, instead of just metal, which might irritate teeth less). If you are going to consult any health care practitioner before deciding whether to give your approval to this venture, I would recommend your child's dentist.

It goes without saying that your child should go to a reputable piercing shop, not only because they use new equipment with each customer, but also because they give good self-care advice and are used to dealing with minor piercing complications.

Good luck on this decision-making process. (I have an 11-year-old who is already counting the days until she can get her nose or navel pierced, and there are a lot of days left to count!)

Naomi

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