Don't say you understand fashion: 41 fashion topics and health tips from the forefront of trends

Author: Taipei Medical University Hospital
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The trend of young people often involves some degree of physical harm, from tattoos and body piercing to osteopathy and plastic surgery. The price of indulging in youth not only leads to a waste of mental and material resources but also sacrifices lifelong health. "Don't Say You Understand Trends" tells you that when chasing trends, you shouldn't just be "cool," but also adhere to the health philosophy of "staying healthy longer." Want to be a healthy trendsetter? This book is an indispensable guide to healthy trends! Youth is a phase that everyone goes through. During these spirited days, chasing trends aligns with the innate desire of young people to stand out. Modern youth has a completely different trend culture compared to previous generations. They have a strong sense of autonomy and control over their bodies, and their expressions are extremely bold and shocking. From tattoos and body piercing to osteopathy and plastic surgery, it seems that only by torturing themselves can they showcase the essence of youth's "coolness." However, the price of such reckless indulgence in youth is often a waste of mental and material resources, and it also sacrifices lifelong health. Many trends among young people involve some degree of physical harm to achieve complete individuality, but this often results in health damage and lingering aftereffects. Therefore, when chasing trends, you shouldn't just be "cool," but also adhere to a healthy philosophy. Want to be a healthy trendsetter? This book is an indispensable guide to healthy trends!
In fact, as early as 6,000 years ago, humans began piercing their bodies, and earrings as accessories have existed since the Neolithic Age. Modern people have taken the art of piercing to the extreme to make themselves more beautiful, sexy, or elegant. From ears, nostrils, corners of the eyes, lips, navels to nipples, they adorn themselves with gold and silver to showcase their cool and youthful style. However, these piercing procedures are often done in corner jewelry stores or beauty salons. Due to insufficient cleaning and disinfection of the tools or the lack of medical knowledge and uneven skills of the practitioners, infections in ear piercings are common. In severe cases, it can lead to syphilis, HIV infections, or even ear ulcers and ear cartilage shrinkage and deformation.
Precautions Before Getting Ear or Navel Piercings
When choosing a piercing site from a medical perspective, among all parts of the head, the ears have the least blood flow. The upper part of the ear has even more blood flow than the earlobe. Therefore, piercing the ear cartilage is more prone to infection, and once inflammation occurs, it often leads to ear deformation. Thus, if you want to get an ear piercing, the earlobe is the best choice to reduce the risk of infection.
As for navel piercings, they are considered one of the most painful types of piercings. The navel is a folded and recessed area on the skin's surface, making it prone to accumulating dirt and debris due to negligence in cleaning. After piercing, the wound takes longer to heal, making inflammation and infection inevitable. Additionally, the navel is often prone to ulcers due to excessive friction from clothing. Therefore, it's essential to carefully select the piercing site and consider the potential risks that may arise after piercing.
Choosing Piercing Jewelry Material
If you have a tendency to be allergic, you must pay special attention when getting ear piercings. In addition to the issue of tool sterilization, you should also pay close attention to the choice of earring material. Most earring studs contain nickel, which can easily irritate the skin and cause reactions such as itching, redness, swelling, and pain from contact dermatitis. Therefore, people allergic to metal materials should preferably choose jewelry made of pure platinum, pure gold, or pure silver.
Preventing Infections
A survey conducted on piercing shops regarding the cleanliness of their tools, working conditions, disinfection levels, and personnel quality found that only a few shops pay attention to hygiene. Surprisingly, most piercing shops reuse piercing tools on different customers without proper sterilization. Due to inadequate disinfection, it's easy to transmit diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis, and HIV, and the wounds can become infected with viruses and bacteria, leading to pus formation. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure that the tools and the piercing site are thoroughly sterilized before piercing.
With the current trend of body piercing, many hospitals' "cosmetic medicine centers" and "plastic surgery departments" have started offering paid ear piercing services to consumers under conditions of cleanliness and professionalism. With proper hygiene and expertise, the risk of infection can be reduced, ensuring both beauty and health.
Caution Against Common Infection Syndromes
Common infections, whether from ear piercings or navel rings, are