LHM Youth Lifestyle Information – Tattoos & Piercings

All tattoos and piercing carry some risk.

Most cardiologists and health professionals recommend that you avoid tattoos and piercings altogether, they might mention the word endocarditis.

When you are the legal age to make these decisions yourself, it is your choice, but it is always a good idea to understand everything about the risks so you can make healthy informed choices, so let us look at it together.

What is endocarditis and why would that stop me?

Sub-acute infective endocarditis is an infection of the heart that often involves the heart valves. It is a very rare but serious condition. People with damaged hearts and those who have had repeated surgery tend to be more at risk of having endocarditis, that is why your cardiologists and health specialists mention it when you ask about getting a piercing or tattoo.

It is caused by bacteria, that sits on your skin or in your mouth getting into your blood stream and travelling to the heart.

To put it a little more simply, tattoos and piercings break the skin introducing something foreign to your body such as ink or a piercing bar. This carries a risk of introducing bugs into the blood stream. These bugs can settle on the heart causing endocarditis.

I am legal age, and I still want a piercing/tattoo

If you choose to go ahead with getting a tattoo or piercing after learning all the risks, follow the advice below to make sure you are as safe as possible.

  1. Visit a professional place where the tattooist/piercer is qualified and follow hygiene protocols to the T. Inform the professional of your heart condition.
  2. Good hygiene is vital. When getting a piercing ensure that you keep the area clean with a skin disinfectant containing alcohol or chlorhexidine. Do this before the piercing and continuously after until it is healed.
  3. If your piercing becomes infected, you should remove the piercing and seek immediate medical attention. DO NOT REPLACE THE STUD/RING.
  4. When getting a tattoo ensure that your skin is clean in the same way you would with a piercing. Speak to your tattooist about the best way to protect your tattoo from infection as this is an open wound you will be walking around with until it is healed.
  5. If your tattoo becomes infected seek immediate attention.

Want to understand more?

We know that reading information about this kind of thing is not the best way for all young people to understand, below is a film that explains it a bit more.

Fake it.

There are some amazing ways to fake it if you would really like the look of a piercing or tattoo but are worried about the risks.

Clip on earrings have come a long way and now look as good as the real thing with so many options to choose from. Not just for the ear you can use magnet piercings to give the appearance of nose piercings, belly button piercings and more……

Stick on tattoos or semi-permanent tattoos are easy to find and a lot cheaper than the real thing. You can buy tattoos that last a day or several days. They are realistic looking, and you can change your mind as much as you would like to!

Have you used these before?

If so let us know and we can spread the word to other youth members.