Lupis and Piercings

We’ve talked a lot about different medical conditions that can affect piercings and healing on the blog before, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, psoriasis, POTs, and PCOS. The response has been amazing, and I am so grateful that so many of you feel seen and represented through these blogs. It was one of you, my wonderful readers, who reached out and asked if I would consider discussing Lupus as it can relate to piercings. A not small task, given that Lupis can be among the most complex autoimmune diseases to live with. It is a condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue all over the body. Cases can range, with the mildest causing rashes, swollen joints, and chest pain, and the most severe causing intense joint issues, fever, hair loss, mouth ulcers, muscle pain, chronic fatigue, and many other symptoms. Lupis is considered “the great imitator” because it is so often mistaken for other illnesses. After all, who can forget the House MD meme- it’s never lupus. There is a heavy stigma and reputation around this disease especially given social concepts about it. However, like any auto-immune condition, it can affect healing. And this means it can affect piercings. I’m not a doctor, nor a trained medical professional, but I have worked with a handful of clients over the years with lupus, and known peers with it as well. The following is my perspective as a professional piercer, and my thoughts on how to approach it.

Understanding the Condition

The first part of working with any medical condition or disorder is understanding it. With Lupus, this is easier said than done. This is a complex condition that many medical professionals don’t understand. However, as piercers, there are a few key parts for us to consider. The first is the skin. Up to 70% of people with lupus present with skin symptoms. These can be rashes, lesions, and often large scaly red patches on the skin. Lupus often presents in flares, with issues arising for periods of time and then dying down. Skin may appear intact at one visit, and then during a flare present with rashes and issues. Lupus can also affect blood, including causing a low white blood cell count. Chronic inflammation is also common, including inflammation of the heart and lungs. Fatigue is also common for lupus, which can lead to issues with sleep, depression, and daily tasks. Lupus affects people's entire bodies and their entire lives. It would be foolish to think it wouldn’t affect piercings too! If you find yourself working with a client who has lupus, I suggest reading some of the amiable guides and articles online about it, with the lupus research alliance being a great place to start. Couple that with talking to your clients about their unique experiences and presentations of lupus, and how it shows up for them.

Applying Your Understanding

Once you have developed a strong understanding of the basic effects that lupus may have on your client, you can begin to apply that understanding. Again- lupus will look differently from client to client, so your approach to working will likely change as well. Some of the things I consider are as follows-  I won’t pierce through any active lesions, and I suggest not getting pierced during a flare if possible. This is not always realistic as some client's flares can last extremely long lengths of time. However, talk with your client and see how their flares present, and discuss a timeframe and planning for the ideal time to pierce. Because of the widespread effects of lupus on the body, I favor starting with basic jewelry that will be the easiest to heal and keep clean. This means plain titanium barbells, beads, and discs. Nothing decorative. While I am a big fan of implant-grade steel, given the extremely sensitive nature of the skin for someone with lupus, I stick to verified implant-grade titanium for the best material possible to allow them to heal.

Given the impact of lupus on mobility and skin health, I prefer to start with slightly larger jewelry for stability during healing. This might look like doing a nostril at 16g rather than 18g, or a conch at 14 or even 12 instead of 16. Knowing lupus can also cause issues with sleep, I stress clients be prepared with a travel pillow, and update me regularly so we can watch for downsize as soon as they are ready. I prepare clients that the immune strain of healing piercings can be a potential trigger for a flare- and for this reason, I do piercings one at a time and monitor the body's response. If a client responds and heals well, we may consider doing 2 next time. If there are issues or if it triggers a flare, we may have to assess our plan for getting their work done.

As piercers, we should be flexible and willing to work with our client's needs. Nowhere is that skillset more tested than when working with a client who has lupus. I’ve had some clients heal perfectly in what I would consider to be a very “average” healing experience. I’ve had other clients present with the most difficult heals and the most unique issues with their piercings. Head scratching, I-didn’t-know-a-piercing-could-do-that issues. I think the best thing we can do is be willing to get educated to the best of our ability about the condition, listen to our clients when they tell us how it presents and what they need, trust that they understand their bodies, and prioritize a slow, intentional approach to piercing and healing. Having different medical conditions doesn’t mean we can’t get pierced, it just means how we get pierced may look a little different.

Happy Healing!

<3 Lynn