With the rise of antibiotic-resistant diseases such as hepatitis C, unsafe tools used for body piercing and tattooing are being blamed. Most of those who work in the industry are either unregulated and health checks are not performed or if they are, they are so random that they can easily go unnoticed. In Australia, the guidelines are that the client must ensure that the place of business looks clean, as well as the artists.

wow! How does that work when it comes to hidden germs and microbes? People get body piercings on all parts of their bodies, including the genitals, nipples, and tongues. Properly autoclaved and germ-free tools would surely be needed to carry out any procedure that invades the skin. Yes, body piercing is an operation and it is mostly done without surgical guidelines.

In New South Wales, laws require persons under the age of 16 to have written parental consent before carrying out such work on their bodies. How smart is a teenager to decide if a place is clean and if the instruments used are sterile?

The security lines are so vague that young people would not be interested in them unless they have superior intelligence. In the latter case, they probably wouldn’t be seen dead near such a location. The judgment for most would be their friends who have had procedures there and survived.

The hidden side effects of body piercings and tattoos often go unnoticed for some time. They can cause more than infections, as many suffer terrible psychological problems when the art they thought they were receiving turns out not to be the same. Things can go wrong and some suffer from infections that can take a long time to heal.

While body piercing of the genitals and nipples apparently increases sensation during stimulation, the normal body is capable of functioning in this manner without it. If something is a friend in that area, then a doctor might be the best person to consult and not someone in a store willing to take your money.

The bottom line is that no body piercing procedure is safe and anyone with a working brain should give it some serious thought before undergoing it. Why risk the alternative. Hepatitis C and other diseases, such as AIDS, are deadly. Would you point a loaded gun at your head and pull the trigger? That’s what it’s all about if you’re unlucky enough to pick the wrong carrier.