Body Piercing-Surgery Question

[amykins 202]

I honestly don't know the answer to this one. I have a body piercing and I don't know if I will have to remove it before surgery. I know I can go through airports but I don't know about ORs. Thanks

[Squisha 99]

most (all?) hospital you have to remove all jewlery & piercings.

[Nate 292]

They will probably have you remove them. I remember in my pre-surgery appointment I was told to wear no glasses, rings, or any other forms of jewelery. Body piercings would fall into the "other forms of jewelery" category.

[Izuri 428]

I have quite a few ear piercings and tongue ring and I was told to remove all body piercings before surgery. I would assume that your surgeon will most likely require the same. If they don't specifically tell you I'd pick the more cautious option.

[Izuri 428]

Oh, and contacts. I wear the kind you can wear for a month straight and I had to switch to glasses for the few days pre/post op.

[buckeye_girl40 203]

I know you can't wear jewelry during surgery ... anyone know when you can put belly ring back in?

[amykins 202]

Thanks. I was afraid of that. I think there's a plastic spacer-type ring I can use so it doesn't close before I can put it back.

[notime 340]

Suggestion: Take it out at home before going to surgery. Otherwise, it has to be checked in and put in a secure place, often the Security office. Then you have to go through the hassle of going to the place it has been held and checking it out when you leave the hospital.

[buckeye_girl40 203]

Good idea! I usually give my jewelry to my husband to keep for me ......

[missjenny 43]

I could not wear any jewerly,makeup,lotion,deodorant, I even had to take my nail polish off finger nails and toe nails.

[aaron1976 19]

Any thing not natural ( other than surgical metal in you) has to corne out.

[Cresteds Mom 9]

What happens if you can't get rings off due to gaining weight? Also, what about acrilic fingernails?

[sr910 55]

Since the location of the piercing was purposely avoided, I'm assuming it's in a *special* place and I'd say... take it out. Especially if a nurse is going to be inserting a catheter...

[kmoore 97]

They will make you remove the plastic spacers too. I had surgery on my elbow several years ago and had a 1 month old nostril piercing. I didn't want it to close up, so I bought one of the plastic ones and had that in the morning of the surgery. They made me take it out, and 6 hours later, I could not get it back in. Had to get the piercing redone Just be prepared for that possibility.

[Ready4success 380]

In the case of rings that WON'T come off, we are able to tape it to your finger so it doesn't cause a burn. With any jewelry that remains on your body, there is a risk of burn, so it's safer to just remove it. As soon as you are awake enough to put it back in, you can. I've seen patients put piercings back in as soon as they opened their eyes. Plastic spacers are not a risk for burn, but can still be ripped out of the skin by accident, so it's safer for EVERYONE to just remove it.