Piercings in medical students and their effects on the skin
An. bras. dermatol
;
89(6): 905-910, Nov-Dec/2014. tab, graf
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-727643
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Piercings are body embellishments commonly seen in young people, however their inherent risk of infection and scarring disorders are less divulged.OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the prevalence of body piercings among medical students and their possible dermatologic consequences.METHODS:
Cross-sectional study with 58 medical students, by means of a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, technical issues related to the piercing and characteristics of the dermatologic complications.RESULTS:
The sample was predominantly female (86.2%), with mean age 24 ± 3 years. The placement of the first piercing occurred during adolescence (median age 15), without medical supervision (91.4%) or knowledge of parents/guardians (74%). Most piercings were made of metal alloy/stainless steel, in a dumbbell model (51.7%), inserted in the umbilical area (53.5%) or ear (41.4%), with frequent cutaneous reactions in the first six months post-piercing. Hypertrophic scarring, pain, swelling and infection (p<0.05) had significantly higher frequencies among those with navel piercings.CONCLUSION:
Piercing insertion occurred during adolescence. Local inflammatory and infectious reactions were common. Scarring disorders and dermatitis appeared in the long term. There is need for preventive and educational activities, starting with those in the academic environment. .
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Skin
/
Students, Medical
/
Body Piercing
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Observational study
/
Prevalence study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
An. bras. dermatol
Journal subject:
Dermatology
Year:
2014
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Universidade Positivo/BR
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS