The Risks continued...

While certain types of genital piercings are prone to bleeding, their advantage is that the increased blood flow makes the tissue heal faster. While a VCH or a Prince Albert can heal in four to six weeks, a pierced navel can take up to 12 months. Stirn asserts that the risks of complications are "certainly higher" with navel piercings than genital.

On the whole, the biggest dangers posed by getting pierced stem from what you don't know. Since piercers aren't very heavily regulated, you don't really know whether the person piercing you is qualified or practicing the necessary safety precautions.

"Unfortunately, some studios are still operating without adequate sterilization equipment and pierce minors without even checking I.D., which is against the law," says Angel. "Enforcement is definitely lagging."

Piercing vs. Medicine

Given the potentially serious risks, many medical organizations have issued advisories warning against the practice. And obviously, no doctor can really be enthusiastic about piercing -- viewed medically, it's either an unnecessary medical procedure or a self-inflicted injury.

"I don't think any physician could endorse what is, essentially, self-mutilation," says Shelly Ann Sekula-Gibbs, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "I always discourage it in my practice when I'm asked about it."

But Stirn argues that doctors can be more sympathetic without endorsing the practice. She also believes that the tendency to react to pierced people with horror or condescension isn't very helpful.

"Doctors need to have a neutral attitude toward pierced individuals. It can be hard because a person with a lot of piercings can be distracting, I know. But most of the people with body piercings will get them no matter what the doctor says."

In addition, there are some practical concerns for the medical treatment of people with piercings. For instance, doctors in emergency rooms should know how the basic clasps work on piercings, so that they can be removed if necessary before surgery or other procedures.

Genital piercing is a "social reality," says Stirn, and as such, we -- and especially medical professionals -- need to accept it. She's almost certainly right: Whether you're fascinated by the idea or so repulsed by it that reading this article was torture, genital piercing is probably not going away any time soon.

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