By now, many—if not all—of you have heard about the Birmingham, UK woman who reportedly lost four pints of blood and almost passed away after a botched pair of cheek piercings. (If you haven’t, the full details of this story can be read here.) The Association of Professional Piercers has released the following statement on the incident:
The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is aware of a piercing incident reported on February 24, 2014 in the lifestyle/health section of the Birminghammail.co.uk website. A Birmingham, UK resident visited a local tattoo and piercing studio for a pair of cheek piercings and reportedly lost four pints of blood in about five days. The article states an artery was ruptured and required surgeons to cauterize the wound. It is important to know bleeding and swelling are among the most common symptoms of a fresh piercing, and some piercings may take several months to appear healed.
A small amount of bleeding is normal with any piercing and not usually considered life-threatening or a cause for alarm. Some health conditions and medications may influence the amount of bleeding a piercee may have. This particular client’s situation required medical attention and we hope she recovers quickly. Cheek piercings have special anatomical considerations and elevated risk which is evident in this client’s experience. Further, the use of a light is not always effective for mapping blood vessels in such thick tissue.
The APP encourages piercees to educate themselves with what to look for when choosing a studio to ensure the piercer is properly trained and experienced for the piercing they desire, offers jewelry made of an appropriate material and finish, and performs piercings in a safe and aseptic manner. To learn more about picking a piercer and appropriate jewelry standards for initial piercings please visit the APP’s website.
The Association of Professional Piercers is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of vital health and safety information about body piercing to piercers, health care professionals, legislators, and the general public.
