Nose piercing isn’t something new. Nostril piercings are common in traditional New Guinea and African societies, according to the Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service of South Australia.

If your ears are stretched and you wear plugs or hanging jewelry in your ear piercings, daily cleaning of your earrings is a necessity, according to Infinite Body Piercing. Stretched ears with earrings, commonly called "ear gauges," do not allow for dead skin cells inside the earlobe to fall off the earlobe.

Having a newly pierced tongue can make eating a challenge. During those initial weeks, eating certain foods may intensify your discomfort level and increase your risk of developing an infection. Once the swelling subsides and the healing process is complete, you should be able to eat any food you usually eat.

Body jewelry adorns not only your earlobes and navel, but sometimes some other, very private areas of your body. Thus, they must be kept clean to keep you healthy and free of infection. Rubbing alcohol is a common household sterilizing agent, but it might irritate the skin and discolor your jewelry.

Piercing the tongue has ancient antecedents, but it wasn't until the 1990s and the rise of body-modification culture that tongue piercing became widespread. Piercer Elayne Angel is often credited with popularizing this particular piercing among both men and women.

Having a nose ring fall out is a fairly common problem associated with that type of body jewelry. Depending on the type of nose ring you have, it can be fairly easy for the ring to unclasp, bend or twist its way out of the hole.

Ear piercing is a common procedure, and complications are rare. However, piercers are human, and mistakes can occur. Minimize your risks by shopping around. Select a professional piercer with a clean, efficient shop and sterile equipment.

Your pierced ears might ooze or seep light-colored fluids during the healing process. Fluids draining from your ear piercings is normal during the healing period, but if the seeping and oozing are constant or continue after the healing period of six to eight weeks, your pierced ears might need additional care.

Navel piercings, also known as belly rings, have become increasingly common in the last several decades. Those who choose to remove their navel jewelry may find that they have an unsightly scar, particularly if the piercing was traumatized in some way.

Nipple piercings vie with navel piercings as the most popular below-the-neck body adornment. They can take a long time to heal completely--from three to four months for men and six to nine months for women.

Tattoos permanently etch images beneath the top layer of the skin, which can result in sores and bleeding. If the tattoo becomes infected as it heals, scars may form, which can damage the skin and ruin the look of the tattoo. Laser tattoo removal can also cause scarring.

The practice of piercing the nose has been around for thousands of years, but don't expect it to be like an ear piercing. The process and healing period take longer, with the piercing more visible to others. Before getting your nose pierced, learn where to go and how to care for it to avoid complications.