Professional piercers told HuffPost about a range of extreme and sometimes hazardous situations they have encountered in studios, from jewelry embedded in tongues to severe facial infections and clients behaving inappropriately during procedures. The accounts underscore risks tied to DIY piercings, poor aftercare and certain social-media-driven trends, and offer concrete guidance for anyone considering a new piercing.
The incidents described by piercers include deeply infected dermal anchors, earlobe and genital procedures gone wrong, and clients arriving intoxicated or having used unsafe home methods. "I’ve seen feces on the exam table paper after performing a genital piercing," said John Johnson, owner of New Flower Studio in Long Beach, California. "I had someone fart directly in my face once during a genital piercing, and I’ve even had people orgasm during the piercing procedure." Johnson also recalled being threatened when he refused a request to pierce a client’s hands "like Jesus."
Several of the piercers warned about the dangers of at-home kits and piercing guns. Logan Wright of Studio 28 in New York recounted a case in which a customer who had used a gun to pierce a tongue ended up with the earring fully embedded: "They decided to have a piercing party with friends... the entire earring was fully embedded in their tongue" by the time they came to the studio. Piercing guns are generally design-inappropriate for soft oral tissue and can cause serious trauma even when used as intended, the piercers said.
Adrian Castillo, a piercer at 108 Studio in Brooklyn, described removing a heavily infected dermal anchor from a client’s cheek. "As soon as I touched the piercing on her cheek, one side of the anchor popped out together with a nodule of pus. It smelled rancid, and I had to stop myself from gagging," he said. Castillo, who trained under a surgical technician-turned-piercer, drained the area and sent the client to urgent care. Other anecdotes included a client sneezing blood and mucus onto a piercer during a septum procedure and a missing septum retainer that later emerged from a nasal passage after days of being "missing." Joshua Harris of 108 Studio in Los Angeles recalled laughing when a female client who thought her retainer had fallen out suddenly expelled it while coughing.
Piercers also described behavior that made procedures difficult or unsafe. Some clients tried to demonstrate sexual positions during genital piercing consultations so the piercer could judge placement, while others admitted to retrieving lost jewelry from a partner’s body without their knowledge. Johnson said he has refused to work on clients who are intoxicated. "I’ve had to flat-out say no to completely drunk people," Castillo added.
The professionals emphasized common aftercare errors that can lead to infections or complications. Shasta Demirel of Inked in New York said the "biggest aftercare mistake" is using alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or homemade remedies rather than sterile saline. "These might sound like cleaning solutions, but they do more harm than good, as they irritate the piercing, increasing the chances of swelling, redness and bumps. A sterile saline solution is always the safest choice!" George Louis of Studio 28 added that tea tree oil used without guidance had caused a chemical burn for one client who had relied on internet searches after not receiving proper aftercare instructions.
Even correct products can be misused, the piercers said. Over-saturating a fresh piercing with saline is unnecessary; gentle spritzing to remove debris is usually sufficient. Durable habits such as repeatedly twisting jewelry, a longstanding myth once promoted in some care guides, are now discouraged because they can delay healing and introduce bacteria.
Certain piercings prompted unanimous caution. Tongue tip piercings known as "snake eyes" and variants like the "stingray" frequently draw ire from professionals because they can interfere with tongue movement, damage muscle structure, erode teeth and gums, and complicate speech and eating. "Snake eyes are a huge no for me," said Louis. Surface piercings and single-sided "anchor" piercings also draw concern because of higher rejection rates and chronic irritation.
Anatomy frequently determines whether a request is safe to perform. Wright said many clients expect that any piercing seen online will work for them personally, but "not every piercing is for everyone. Many piercings are very anatomy-specific. If you do not have the anatomy for the piercing, then I will not perform it." Harris said he commonly turns down navel, industrial and tragus requests because there may not be enough tissue to secure jewelry safely, which raises the risk of rejection.
The piercers urged prospective clients to choose reputable studios with trained professionals, confirm the use of sterile, single-use needles, and follow aftercare guidelines provided by the shop. They reiterated that environmental exposures matter: fresh piercings should be protected from bacteria in pools, lakes and oceans, which can delay healing or cause serious infections. They also advised against showing up to an appointment drunk and against experimenting with home remedies or unapproved products.
The accounts collected by HuffPost offer a window into the complications that can arise when piercings are performed or cared for improperly, and into the judgment calls piercers make to protect long-term health. Getting pierced in a licensed, hygienic setting and following evidence-based aftercare — sterile saline irrigations, minimal manipulation and avoidance of contaminated water — reduce the likelihood of the kinds of emergencies professionals described.
Piercers said they prefer to decline requests when safety or anatomy is a concern, and they urged clients to accept professional recommendations. "A piercer who truly loves their craft and genuinely cares about their clients will always prioritize your safety and long-term results, even if that means recommending against a certain piercing," Demirel said.