Body art, piercings and tattoos are very common these days but there has been much debate about body piercing and the risks involved in it. Body piercing means to make a hole in the body to insert a piece of jewelry in ears, nostrils or even belly button.

It is essential to choose a safe, clean and professional help to get a body part pierced. Here are some tips for body piercing:

• Clean the area to be pierced with a germicidal soap.
  
  
• Use sterilized and sharp needle for puncturing and sterilize the jewelry too.
  
  
• Make informed choices and observe the professional instructions for healing the pierced area carefully.
  
  
• Research well and take your parents' advice if you are a teen.
  
  
• Mouth, nose, tongue, cheek and lip piercing can cause most allergies and gum and dental problems later.
  
  
• Certain heart diseases can aggravate due to piercing and you should take doctor's advice before the piercing if you suffer from allergies, infections diabetes and skin disorders.
  
  
• Body piecing has been there for centuries in Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures but it is still a serious decision and has its risks.
  
  
• Teens should take advice from experienced people and do research about costs and healing time.
  
  
• Never let them use the 'piercing gun' on you as they cannot be sterilized and you can catch infections and even AIDS.
  
  
• Jewelry should be of correct size or it may cause swelling and pain.
  
  
• The most common risks in body piercing are bacterial infection, lot of bleeding, allergic reactions, neural damages and thick scarring.