In the News - Tongue Piercing Scare; APP Speaks Out

Tongue piercing nearly kills Des Moines woman
The above title was the actual title given to an article in this publication in regards to a woman who suffered a terrible infection which may or may not have been due to her tongue piercing. Doctors believe they ruled out every other possibility, leaving the tongue piercing as a suspect. However, this story has been used to create a scare and "prove" how dangerous tongue piercings are. The APP (Association of Professional Piercers) made this official statement on MySpace:

Bad Press: Tongue Piercing and “Mysterious” Infection

As many of you may have seen, there is a new Associated Press article dealing with tongue piercing (written by Sharon Salyer) being reprinted online and in publications across the country. Commonly titled, “Mysterious Infection Blamed on Tongue Piercing,” it tells the story of a Everett, Washington woman who suffered a from a massive, life threatening infection that was—after finding no other probable cause for it—blamed on her tongue piercing.

While the physician treating the woman was quoted as being hesitant to attribute the infection to the piercing, the tone of the rest article was not so kind.

The Association of Professional Piercers is not attempting to downplay the dangers of tongue piercings—what the woman went through was horrific—but we are obviously concerned when isolated medical cases are used as an example of complications to be typically expected from this procedure.

The APP is sending a letter to the editors of publications that we have been alerted have reprinted the article, but because this is an Associated Press piece, it appears in many places and is difficult to track down.

So the APP once again needs your help. If anyone has come across this article in your local paper or online, please alert me at medical@safepiercing.org, and we can make sure we send the editor a letter stating our position. If you have seen this story, please furnish us with link or an emailed copy of the article, the newspaper where the story was run, and the contact info for the editor.

We intend to get these letters to the editors out in a timely fashion, so the more quickly you can get us this information, the better.

Thank you for your help.

James Weber
Medical Liaison
Association of Professional Piercers

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