Are we aware of all complications following body piercing procedures?

[BACKGROUND] The popularity of body piercing procedures is increasing around the world. Body piercing, depending on the age and social group, is believed to involve up to 51% of the general population. Complications following piercing procedures are variable.

[OBJECTIVE] To present an unusual complication after lower lip piercing - embedding of a stud into the lip - and to determine why it occurred from the side of the mucous membrane and not from the side of the skin.

[METHODS] A 21-year-old man presented to the plastic surgery outpatient clinic with embedding of piercing into the lower lip. Results In lateral X-ray film, a metallic shadow was observed in the area of the oral soft tissues. The length of the stick was only 8 mm. In this patient, a stick that was too short in relation to the thickness of the lip was used. In this situation, the ends of the stud pressed too strongly on the surrounding tissues. Consequently, this may have caused necrosis of the mucous membrane and embedding of the stud into the lip.

[CONCLUSION] The observations described confirm a higher susceptibility to mechanical pressure of the mucous membrane than of the skin. An increasing rate of complications after body piercing reflects a lack of medical knowledge in individuals performing such procedures.