Comparison between cartilage and soft tissue ear piercing complications.
OBJECTIVE
Despite growing interest in cosmetic piercing, a detailed evaluation of associated medical complications is lacking.


METHODS
A questionnaire addressing ear, nose, and other body parts piercing was anonymously presented to 1,000 nurses at a major Midwestern teaching hospital, and responses were obtained from 552.


RESULTS
One hundred sixty (35%) of the 452 nurses who had an ear pierced reported a complication. Three hundred fifty-five (30%) of the 1,200 total pierced sites developed complications that included minor infection (77%), allergic reaction (43%), keloid (2.5%), and traumatic tear (2.5%). The complication rate from piercing through cartilage (32%) was not significantly different from that found when piercing through soft tissue (29%). The type of complications experienced differed in frequency between cartilage and soft tissue, with minor infection being more prevalent in cartilage piercing (30% v 21%; P < .10) and allergic reaction found more frequently in soft tissue piercings (13% v 4%; P < .025).


CONCLUSIONS
This study identifies a low prevalence of major complications (<1%) and a relatively high prevalence of minor complications (30%) associated with ear piercing. The expected increase in complications and morbidity of piercing through cartilage was not found in this study.
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
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D000328:Adult; D002356:Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004423:Ear / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires