Body piercing and tattoos with diabetes - LillyPro

If you'rethinking of
getting apiercing or a
tattoo, thereare things
thatyou need to know
about -itmay affect
your diabetes. Hereare
some things youneed
to consider.
Streetwise

"So you think you want your body pierced?"
Piercing &tattoo's arereally fashionable,
but remember tattoos are permanent, and
removing apiercing will often leaveahole
or maybe ascar. Makesurethat youare
100% certain that youwant apiercing or a
tattoo beforeyou get one done!
People have used tattoos & piercing
since ancient times as away of
decorating their bodies, scaring their
enemies, or showing their position in
a society. Today they are regarded by
some to be as fashionable as jewellery
or designer clothes. However, they may
be associated with problems which it is
important to be aware of.
Having diabetes doesn't necessarily
stop you from getting atattoo or
having apiercing, but thereare things
to consider to try &prevent your new
accessory from causing problems with
your diabetes.

Useful Tips
�
If youdecide that youare going to get
something done, then use areputable
place.
� Some local authorities give licences to shops
that offer piercing or tattoos and what that
should mean is that the shop meets
special hygiene standards to reduce the
risk of infections.
�
�
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Ask friends or family iftheyhave used any
particular shops, and what theythought of
it.
Makesure the shop knows youhave
diabetes beforeanything is done, they
should ask youabout medical conditions
but some don't.
Try&make sure that youhave eaten
something morethan 1hour before, this
will reduce the chances of a hypo or simply
fainting through being squeamish!!!

�
�
�
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Ahelpful shop will be happy to answer
any questions youhave, and to letyou
look around their premises beforeyou
choose to haveapiercing or tattoo.
Take someone with youwhen yougo.
Thereare no legal restrictions on the
age at which youcan haveyour earsor
other body parts pierced. However,
some establishments may require
parental consent, or operate under
local authority guidelines.
It is against the law to get atattoo if you
are under 18, whether youhave your
parent's permission or not.

Put your health first
Youshould not get apiercing or tattoo
done if youare already unwell, or if your
diabetes control has not been good
recently.
Poor control or illnessincrease the risk
of problems after the piercing or tattoo
has been done. Wait until youare feeling
better &your blood sugarsare under
control.
Any piercing or atattoo means that the
surfaceofthe skin has been broken (like
having asmall operation) and the broken
skin needs to heal.

Infections, what to look out for
�
�
�
�
Any time the skin is broken there isa
risk of an infection developing, and
with piercing &tattoos thereare 2
types of infections that may occur.
Youmay be at risk of catching
infections transmitted in the blood
(such as hepatitis), if the person
performing the tattoo or piercing
hasn't cleaned &sterilized all of
their equipment properly.
Skin infections (bacterial infections)
that may lead to serious problems if
not treated quickly. These problems
include diabetic ketoacidosis, toxic
shock syndrome or blood
poisoning.
Thereisalso arisk of scarring (keloid
scars) with piercing; these scars may
be large &lumpy around the pierced
area.

Afterwards...
� The person performing the piercing
should give you advice onhow to look
after the area that has been pierced.
Follow this advice. Ask them beforeyou
get apiercing done what advice they
recommend. If they can't give you any,
find somewhere else to go.
�
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Alip or tongue piercing will make eating &drinking
uncomfortable &difficult forafew weeks, and may cause
unsteady blood sugars.
If the area around the piercing becomes red, painful,
swollen, or younotice any sticky yellowish coloured
discharge then the area is likely tobeinfected. Youshould
see adoctor immediately.
If the area does become infected then youmight have to
remove the piercing to help in treating the infection. To leave
it in will make the infection harder to treat and increase the
risk of scarring.
Test your blood sugarsmore frequentlyifyour
piercing becomes infected, and test forketones in
your blood or urine. If your blood sugarsare high or
youfind any ketones contact your diabetes specialist
nurse.
If youfeel ill in the first few weeks after youhave a
piercing, then it may be because of an infection
caused by the piercing -contact your diabetes
specialistnurse, as youmay be at risk of developing
diabetic ketoacidosis.

Other leaflets are available in this series
that may be particularly helpful for you:
Body Piercing & Tattooing
Drinking Safely
Exercise
Feet
High Blood Glucose
Home Blood Glucose Testing
Hypos
Insulin Pumps
Looking After Type 1 Diabetes
Sex and Beyond
Sick Day Rules
Top Tips for School
Travelling
Ask your diabetes team for the ones
you want.
Further information is available from
Eli Lilly and Company Limited
Lilly House
Priestley Road
Basingstoke
Hampshire RG24 9NL
Tel: (01256) 315000
www.lillydiabetes.co.uk/patients
Contact Numbers & Notes
School Nurse: .............................................
Diabetes Specialist Nurse:
......................................................................
Diabetes UK Central Office
Web: www.diabetes.org.uk
Email: info@diabetes.org.uk
Tel: 020 7424 1000
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
(JDRF)
Web: www.jdrf.org.uk
Email: info@jdrf.org.uk
Tel: 020 7713 2030
Samaritans
Confidential help for anyone who is
experiencing feelings of distress or despair,
including those which may lead to suicide.
Web: www.samaritans.org.uk
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Tel: 08457 909090
ChildLine get help and advice about a wide
range of issues.
Web: www.childline.org.uk
Tel: 0800 1111
Ask Brook Free and confidential info for
under 25’s
Web: www.brook.org.uk
Tel: 0808 802 1234 - free from all
telephones including mobile phones
Text: Ask Brook on 07717 989 023
(standard SMS rates apply)
Provided by Lilly as a support to medicine and patients with diabetes.
This leaflet has been written by the RCN Children and Young People Diabetes Community (CYPDC).
Lilly’s involvement is limited to printing cost and a review of the content for medical accuracy only.
UKDBT00269a May 2012