Body Jewelry and Medical Procedures

We invest a lot of time and money in collecting piercings. Not only the cost of getting the piercing but the time it takes to heal and care for a piercing. There can also be sentimental attachment to a piercing or a symbolic meaning to a piercing.  Over time a piercing becomes a part of you that can express a lot of meaning and one can feel naked or strange when not wearing the jewelry. However from time to time medical issue come up and often your health depends on a medical procedure that may require that you remove the jewelry. 

in this section I will cover the most common medical procedures that might require removing the jewelry. If you know in advance that you are having a procedure, it is best to ask your doctor if for safety reasons that the jewelry will need to be removed. There are times they may not know because they are not directly involved with the procedure but they can give you information to contact the person who will be. 

One of the pillars of modern medicine is "Do no harm" and that involves the medical professional having as complete of a medical history as they can. However just like with any pre existing condition like allergies, it is part of the patents responsibility to inform them of anything that may not be in their medical history. That often will include Body Piercings. In most cases your doctor may not have a clue that you are pierced and it is your responsibility to inform them before going in for a medical procedure. Not only to risks to your health but also to give you time to replace the jewelry with a material that will not increase risks or problems. Oh and let me tell you nothing sucks as much as losing a piercing because you had to remove the jewelry at the last minute and the piercing has been allowed to close because you didn't have anything to put in to keep the piercing open.

I'm going to try to cover the most common procedures that may require removal of jewelry or changing the jewelry to a different material. Whenever in doubt ask your doctor.

Information on X-Rays

Information on Surgery and Other Medical Procedures

Information on Pregnancy and Body Piercing

Information on MRI and Magnetic Resonance Procedures