Study of Complications of Ear Piercing

Kim, Min Sung; Song, In Guk; Choi, Kyu Chul; Shin, Bong Seok

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Ear piercing is widely and easily practiced by medical personnel as well as nonmedical personnel, but it has been associated with many complications. Epidermal cyst may develop after ear piercing and result in permanent deformity of ear. However, there have been few studies to investigate the complications of ear piercing, and especially epidermal cyst.
OBJECTIVE
We wanted to evaluate the epidemiology of epidermal cyst that developed due to ear piercing.
METHODS
A written questionnaire was distributed to 236 students at Chosun University. It consisted of 17 items concerning the overall evaluation of the complications of ear piercing, the treatments for the complications and the epidemiology of epidermal cyst after ear piercing.
RESULTS
Of 236 students included in the survey, 132 students (56%) already had pierced ears. Among them, 80 students (60.6%) experienced one or more complications such as contact dermatitis (41.5%), infection (39.2%), cyst formation (13.7%) and bleeding (5.9%). In 14 students who experienced epidermal cyst after ear piercing, the ratio of male to female patients was 1:3.7 and the mean age when they first underwent ear piercing was 18.7 years. An asymptomatic cystic mass was the most common clinical symptom. Half of them received medical treatment such as dressing (50%), medication (25%), drainage (12.5%) and a surgical procedure (12.5%).
CONCLUSION
Our data indicates that ear piercing is not easy and simple, but rather, it is a dangerous procedure due to its frequent complications. Therefore, dermatologists should warn patients about the complications of ear piercing and play a major role to prevent them.