Once upon a time, I was working in a bookstore and one of my coworkers saw my own tragus piercing and proceeded to inform me that the piercing was incredibly dangerous because there is a nerve there and if they pierce it, it will paralyze your face. “No, there isn’t,” I said dryly, trying to extract myself from her eager jabbering. She continued to explain that this was dangerous and then did something that I really, really hate. She reached out and put her grubby finger on my piercing while asking, “Doesn’t that hurt?” I actually flinched and likely responded by telling her that yes, it hurt terribly and I was in constant pain, followed by a roll of my eyes.
What’s the purpose of this trip down memory lane? Urban legends, myths and misconceptions. We’ve all heard them, I’m sure. The dreaded nerve that will paralyze your entire face. Piercing your tongue will cause you to lose all your sensation of taste. If you have a tattoo over your spine you can’t get an epidural. Some of them are funny, some of them are ridiculous but the point is, people believe them and that can have consequences.
BME has always tried to serve not only as a documentation of body modification but as a platform for education. Here’s where you come in readers. Tell me about what urban legends, myths and misconceptions you have heard regarding body modification and if you have the knowledge, feel free to also debunk the myth with solid facts. The information we all come up with is going to be included in the new Misconceptions FAQ on the BME Wiki.
So let’s have them! And just so you don’t think I don’t love you, here’s a gratuitous photo of a beautiful woman pulled from the moderation queue.
Meizy’s piercings were done by Mike French and Spider. Her stone trinity spirals are by Oracle.
Comments
288 responses to “Pop rocks and soda pop!”
lets see…. what about the ‘you can go blind from an eyebrow piercing!’ and i was once informed by someone at a hairdressers (i was a naive 14 year old at the time) that you couldnt pierce ear cartilage because there’s a vein that runs at the top of your ear which would cause me to bleed to death.
i also had a taxi driver inform me that i was really quite intelligent, was’nt i? despite all that stuff in my face.
oh! the ignorance 🙂 hahaha.
lets see…. what about the ‘you can go blind from an eyebrow piercing!’ and i was once informed by someone at a hairdressers (i was a naive 14 year old at the time) that you couldnt pierce ear cartilage because there’s a vein that runs at the top of your ear which would cause me to bleed to death.
i also had a taxi driver inform me that i was really quite intelligent, was’nt i? despite all that stuff in my face.
oh! the ignorance 🙂 hahaha.
lets see…. what about the ‘you can go blind from an eyebrow piercing!’ and i was once informed by someone at a hairdressers (i was a naive 14 year old at the time) that you couldnt pierce ear cartilage because there’s a vein that runs at the top of your ear which would cause me to bleed to death.
i also had a taxi driver inform me that i was really quite intelligent, was’nt i? despite all that stuff in my face.
oh! the ignorance 🙂 hahaha.
lets see…. what about the ‘you can go blind from an eyebrow piercing!’ and i was once informed by someone at a hairdressers (i was a naive 14 year old at the time) that you couldnt pierce ear cartilage because there’s a vein that runs at the top of your ear which would cause me to bleed to death.
i also had a taxi driver inform me that i was really quite intelligent, was’nt i? despite all that stuff in my face.
oh! the ignorance 🙂 hahaha.
another time i was approached by a woman, mid thirties, well dressed and articulated, in awe of my ears (or, kinda disgusted). she said ‘oh my god! your ears! is there anything that can be done for that?’ when i asked her what she was talking about she said ‘well….you were obviously born like that. can’t you have surgery?’.
hahahahaha.
another time i was approached by a woman, mid thirties, well dressed and articulated, in awe of my ears (or, kinda disgusted). she said ‘oh my god! your ears! is there anything that can be done for that?’ when i asked her what she was talking about she said ‘well….you were obviously born like that. can’t you have surgery?’.
hahahahaha.
another time i was approached by a woman, mid thirties, well dressed and articulated, in awe of my ears (or, kinda disgusted). she said ‘oh my god! your ears! is there anything that can be done for that?’ when i asked her what she was talking about she said ‘well….you were obviously born like that. can’t you have surgery?’.
hahahahaha.
another time i was approached by a woman, mid thirties, well dressed and articulated, in awe of my ears (or, kinda disgusted). she said ‘oh my god! your ears! is there anything that can be done for that?’ when i asked her what she was talking about she said ‘well….you were obviously born like that. can’t you have surgery?’.
hahahahaha.
Some girl on a forum asked me if you would stop liking certain types of food if you had your tongue pierced because she had “heard” of a lot of people that had experienced this. (They loved chocolate and afterwards, no.) I laughed so hard I almost peed myself.
As if piercing your tongue would cause neurological damage?
Some girl on a forum asked me if you would stop liking certain types of food if you had your tongue pierced because she had “heard” of a lot of people that had experienced this. (They loved chocolate and afterwards, no.) I laughed so hard I almost peed myself.
As if piercing your tongue would cause neurological damage?
Some girl on a forum asked me if you would stop liking certain types of food if you had your tongue pierced because she had “heard” of a lot of people that had experienced this. (They loved chocolate and afterwards, no.) I laughed so hard I almost peed myself.
As if piercing your tongue would cause neurological damage?
Some girl on a forum asked me if you would stop liking certain types of food if you had your tongue pierced because she had “heard” of a lot of people that had experienced this. (They loved chocolate and afterwards, no.) I laughed so hard I almost peed myself.
As if piercing your tongue would cause neurological damage?
Dennis, I think I know where your grandad’s myth might have come from. Everyone remember the James Bond film Goldfinger, where the girl is killed by being painted gold? Well, back when the film was made there was a strong belief that covering your body in actual paint (some said specifically paint made from gold or other metals, some said all paints) as opposed to like bodypaint and things would cause it to totally seal up your skin up, ie. the skin would no longer be able to breathe, and you would then suffocate. It was a myth so strongly believed that dancers/performers of the time who were required to paint themselves would leave a square patch unpainted somewhere on their body to counteract the suffocating nature of the paint, and the girl who played the murdered gold girl in Goldmember also had a large square patch on her stomach unpainted so she didnt die during filming. The whole myth is now largely misproved, but it seems very similar to your grandads myth.
Dennis, I think I know where your grandad’s myth might have come from. Everyone remember the James Bond film Goldfinger, where the girl is killed by being painted gold? Well, back when the film was made there was a strong belief that covering your body in actual paint (some said specifically paint made from gold or other metals, some said all paints) as opposed to like bodypaint and things would cause it to totally seal up your skin up, ie. the skin would no longer be able to breathe, and you would then suffocate. It was a myth so strongly believed that dancers/performers of the time who were required to paint themselves would leave a square patch unpainted somewhere on their body to counteract the suffocating nature of the paint, and the girl who played the murdered gold girl in Goldmember also had a large square patch on her stomach unpainted so she didnt die during filming. The whole myth is now largely misproved, but it seems very similar to your grandads myth.
Dennis, I think I know where your grandad’s myth might have come from. Everyone remember the James Bond film Goldfinger, where the girl is killed by being painted gold? Well, back when the film was made there was a strong belief that covering your body in actual paint (some said specifically paint made from gold or other metals, some said all paints) as opposed to like bodypaint and things would cause it to totally seal up your skin up, ie. the skin would no longer be able to breathe, and you would then suffocate. It was a myth so strongly believed that dancers/performers of the time who were required to paint themselves would leave a square patch unpainted somewhere on their body to counteract the suffocating nature of the paint, and the girl who played the murdered gold girl in Goldmember also had a large square patch on her stomach unpainted so she didnt die during filming. The whole myth is now largely misproved, but it seems very similar to your grandads myth.
Dennis, I think I know where your grandad’s myth might have come from. Everyone remember the James Bond film Goldfinger, where the girl is killed by being painted gold? Well, back when the film was made there was a strong belief that covering your body in actual paint (some said specifically paint made from gold or other metals, some said all paints) as opposed to like bodypaint and things would cause it to totally seal up your skin up, ie. the skin would no longer be able to breathe, and you would then suffocate. It was a myth so strongly believed that dancers/performers of the time who were required to paint themselves would leave a square patch unpainted somewhere on their body to counteract the suffocating nature of the paint, and the girl who played the murdered gold girl in Goldmember also had a large square patch on her stomach unpainted so she didnt die during filming. The whole myth is now largely misproved, but it seems very similar to your grandads myth.
rather recently i had to have an allergy test… and as such they have to use forearms.
now when the nurse (who doesnt like tattoos anyways) said that my left arm was out of the question i presumed it was because she wouldn’t be able to see the results of the test due to the tattoo. OK that’s fine and understandable. apparently no… she went on to tell me …. not only are tattoo’s highly dangerous especially if the ink gets into the blood but also the ink in my skin can cause a reaction with the allergy test. she carried on by telling me i should stop getting tattooed because many medical procedures need clear lines to veins and IV’s cannot be placed through a tattoo!
i proceeded to educate her a little and then complained about her attitude to her superior. told them that if that’s the way nurses are thinking these days they need retraining!
rather recently i had to have an allergy test… and as such they have to use forearms.
now when the nurse (who doesnt like tattoos anyways) said that my left arm was out of the question i presumed it was because she wouldn’t be able to see the results of the test due to the tattoo. OK that’s fine and understandable. apparently no… she went on to tell me …. not only are tattoo’s highly dangerous especially if the ink gets into the blood but also the ink in my skin can cause a reaction with the allergy test. she carried on by telling me i should stop getting tattooed because many medical procedures need clear lines to veins and IV’s cannot be placed through a tattoo!
i proceeded to educate her a little and then complained about her attitude to her superior. told them that if that’s the way nurses are thinking these days they need retraining!
rather recently i had to have an allergy test… and as such they have to use forearms.
now when the nurse (who doesnt like tattoos anyways) said that my left arm was out of the question i presumed it was because she wouldn’t be able to see the results of the test due to the tattoo. OK that’s fine and understandable. apparently no… she went on to tell me …. not only are tattoo’s highly dangerous especially if the ink gets into the blood but also the ink in my skin can cause a reaction with the allergy test. she carried on by telling me i should stop getting tattooed because many medical procedures need clear lines to veins and IV’s cannot be placed through a tattoo!
i proceeded to educate her a little and then complained about her attitude to her superior. told them that if that’s the way nurses are thinking these days they need retraining!
rather recently i had to have an allergy test… and as such they have to use forearms.
now when the nurse (who doesnt like tattoos anyways) said that my left arm was out of the question i presumed it was because she wouldn’t be able to see the results of the test due to the tattoo. OK that’s fine and understandable. apparently no… she went on to tell me …. not only are tattoo’s highly dangerous especially if the ink gets into the blood but also the ink in my skin can cause a reaction with the allergy test. she carried on by telling me i should stop getting tattooed because many medical procedures need clear lines to veins and IV’s cannot be placed through a tattoo!
i proceeded to educate her a little and then complained about her attitude to her superior. told them that if that’s the way nurses are thinking these days they need retraining!
oh and i STILL get asked how i can move all my face after piercing and stretching my helix piercing because apparently that’s where the nerve is that paralyzes half your face!
oh and i STILL get asked how i can move all my face after piercing and stretching my helix piercing because apparently that’s where the nerve is that paralyzes half your face!
oh and i STILL get asked how i can move all my face after piercing and stretching my helix piercing because apparently that’s where the nerve is that paralyzes half your face!
oh and i STILL get asked how i can move all my face after piercing and stretching my helix piercing because apparently that’s where the nerve is that paralyzes half your face!
tobias:
ink colours…. i have a reaction to red and green which means it does take longer to heal than say blue or black ink…. my peacock feathers on my leg are still having issues in certain areas where different green’s overlap and where the red was blended with black. the rest of the tattoo is fully healed!
tobias:
ink colours…. i have a reaction to red and green which means it does take longer to heal than say blue or black ink…. my peacock feathers on my leg are still having issues in certain areas where different green’s overlap and where the red was blended with black. the rest of the tattoo is fully healed!
tobias:
ink colours…. i have a reaction to red and green which means it does take longer to heal than say blue or black ink…. my peacock feathers on my leg are still having issues in certain areas where different green’s overlap and where the red was blended with black. the rest of the tattoo is fully healed!
tobias:
ink colours…. i have a reaction to red and green which means it does take longer to heal than say blue or black ink…. my peacock feathers on my leg are still having issues in certain areas where different green’s overlap and where the red was blended with black. the rest of the tattoo is fully healed!
OMG Meizy is GORGEOUS!
The weirdest thing I’ve heard was someone asking if they had to really pierce their tooth to have one of those little bling blings (HAHAHA) – the ones that are glued to the tooth.
(and no. I don’t have one of those!!!)
OMG Meizy is GORGEOUS!
The weirdest thing I’ve heard was someone asking if they had to really pierce their tooth to have one of those little bling blings (HAHAHA) – the ones that are glued to the tooth.
(and no. I don’t have one of those!!!)
OMG Meizy is GORGEOUS!
The weirdest thing I’ve heard was someone asking if they had to really pierce their tooth to have one of those little bling blings (HAHAHA) – the ones that are glued to the tooth.
(and no. I don’t have one of those!!!)
OMG Meizy is GORGEOUS!
The weirdest thing I’ve heard was someone asking if they had to really pierce their tooth to have one of those little bling blings (HAHAHA) – the ones that are glued to the tooth.
(and no. I don’t have one of those!!!)
ha i wish i had a bling bling gluey thing!!! tops!
Ah ha sooooo frequently i get ‘doesn’t that hurt’ in the present tense, regarding my stretched lobes or scarification!! -All of which quite visibly healed.
haha and the flesh hooks- for suspending- the ones that you put jewelry in after ward, and go back through the same holes next time round! 😉
ha i wish i had a bling bling gluey thing!!! tops!
Ah ha sooooo frequently i get ‘doesn’t that hurt’ in the present tense, regarding my stretched lobes or scarification!! -All of which quite visibly healed.
haha and the flesh hooks- for suspending- the ones that you put jewelry in after ward, and go back through the same holes next time round! 😉
ha i wish i had a bling bling gluey thing!!! tops!
Ah ha sooooo frequently i get ‘doesn’t that hurt’ in the present tense, regarding my stretched lobes or scarification!! -All of which quite visibly healed.
haha and the flesh hooks- for suspending- the ones that you put jewelry in after ward, and go back through the same holes next time round! 😉
ha i wish i had a bling bling gluey thing!!! tops!
Ah ha sooooo frequently i get ‘doesn’t that hurt’ in the present tense, regarding my stretched lobes or scarification!! -All of which quite visibly healed.
haha and the flesh hooks- for suspending- the ones that you put jewelry in after ward, and go back through the same holes next time round! 😉
In denmark its illegal to tattoo someone from the neck upp and on hands and feet.
I talked about this with a danish guy who work as a nurse. He said that one of the reasons for the law was if you tattoo underneath your feet, you can die on the spot! This is because the nerves under the feet apparently is linked to your whole body, so if the needle hits the “heart spot” you’ll have a heart attack. And if that doesn’t kill you the intense pain will (he informed me of this as well!).
In denmark its illegal to tattoo someone from the neck upp and on hands and feet.
I talked about this with a danish guy who work as a nurse. He said that one of the reasons for the law was if you tattoo underneath your feet, you can die on the spot! This is because the nerves under the feet apparently is linked to your whole body, so if the needle hits the “heart spot” you’ll have a heart attack. And if that doesn’t kill you the intense pain will (he informed me of this as well!).
In denmark its illegal to tattoo someone from the neck upp and on hands and feet.
I talked about this with a danish guy who work as a nurse. He said that one of the reasons for the law was if you tattoo underneath your feet, you can die on the spot! This is because the nerves under the feet apparently is linked to your whole body, so if the needle hits the “heart spot” you’ll have a heart attack. And if that doesn’t kill you the intense pain will (he informed me of this as well!).
In denmark its illegal to tattoo someone from the neck upp and on hands and feet.
I talked about this with a danish guy who work as a nurse. He said that one of the reasons for the law was if you tattoo underneath your feet, you can die on the spot! This is because the nerves under the feet apparently is linked to your whole body, so if the needle hits the “heart spot” you’ll have a heart attack. And if that doesn’t kill you the intense pain will (he informed me of this as well!).
Nexy – My best friend is a nurse and I’ve told her about that whole “can’t see the veins” thing one time and she said they must not be very good at doing it then because there are lots of times when you can’t rely on sight to do it. She used to work in NICU so she’s got the “skillz” when it comes to putting in an IV.
These are great everyone, keep ‘em coming!
@28 – It’s funny that she’d think it would target specific foods. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that people claim this happened to them because I think there are people who will imagine something is true and convince themselves that they experienced when it comes to piercings and tattoos. Not that there is anything wrong with them other than an overactive imagination and being gullible.
Nexy – My best friend is a nurse and I’ve told her about that whole “can’t see the veins” thing one time and she said they must not be very good at doing it then because there are lots of times when you can’t rely on sight to do it. She used to work in NICU so she’s got the “skillz” when it comes to putting in an IV.
These are great everyone, keep ‘em coming!
@28 – It’s funny that she’d think it would target specific foods. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that people claim this happened to them because I think there are people who will imagine something is true and convince themselves that they experienced when it comes to piercings and tattoos. Not that there is anything wrong with them other than an overactive imagination and being gullible.
Nexy – My best friend is a nurse and I’ve told her about that whole “can’t see the veins” thing one time and she said they must not be very good at doing it then because there are lots of times when you can’t rely on sight to do it. She used to work in NICU so she’s got the “skillz” when it comes to putting in an IV.
These are great everyone, keep ‘em coming!
@28 – It’s funny that she’d think it would target specific foods. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that people claim this happened to them because I think there are people who will imagine something is true and convince themselves that they experienced when it comes to piercings and tattoos. Not that there is anything wrong with them other than an overactive imagination and being gullible.
Nexy – My best friend is a nurse and I’ve told her about that whole “can’t see the veins” thing one time and she said they must not be very good at doing it then because there are lots of times when you can’t rely on sight to do it. She used to work in NICU so she’s got the “skillz” when it comes to putting in an IV.
These are great everyone, keep ‘em coming!
@28 – It’s funny that she’d think it would target specific foods. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that people claim this happened to them because I think there are people who will imagine something is true and convince themselves that they experienced when it comes to piercings and tattoos. Not that there is anything wrong with them other than an overactive imagination and being gullible.
Besides the usual one where people lecture me on my “clit” and nipple piercings desensitizing me completely (nevermind that VCH’s don’t go through clits), the only other one that comes to mind is hearing a couple times that my regular 14 ga septum will block my nasal passages completely and I’ll never be able to breath through my nose.
Oh and even though it was mentioned already, I’ll mention it again… It’s really tiring to have people assume that you’re head over heels for pain and BDSM and self injury etc. just because you have one or more piercings. Ugh. (Okay, even though it’s true some of the time, for some people, I just don’t like general assumptions. 🙂 )
Besides the usual one where people lecture me on my “clit” and nipple piercings desensitizing me completely (nevermind that VCH’s don’t go through clits), the only other one that comes to mind is hearing a couple times that my regular 14 ga septum will block my nasal passages completely and I’ll never be able to breath through my nose.
Oh and even though it was mentioned already, I’ll mention it again… It’s really tiring to have people assume that you’re head over heels for pain and BDSM and self injury etc. just because you have one or more piercings. Ugh. (Okay, even though it’s true some of the time, for some people, I just don’t like general assumptions. 🙂 )
Besides the usual one where people lecture me on my “clit” and nipple piercings desensitizing me completely (nevermind that VCH’s don’t go through clits), the only other one that comes to mind is hearing a couple times that my regular 14 ga septum will block my nasal passages completely and I’ll never be able to breath through my nose.
Oh and even though it was mentioned already, I’ll mention it again… It’s really tiring to have people assume that you’re head over heels for pain and BDSM and self injury etc. just because you have one or more piercings. Ugh. (Okay, even though it’s true some of the time, for some people, I just don’t like general assumptions. 🙂 )
Besides the usual one where people lecture me on my “clit” and nipple piercings desensitizing me completely (nevermind that VCH’s don’t go through clits), the only other one that comes to mind is hearing a couple times that my regular 14 ga septum will block my nasal passages completely and I’ll never be able to breath through my nose.
Oh and even though it was mentioned already, I’ll mention it again… It’s really tiring to have people assume that you’re head over heels for pain and BDSM and self injury etc. just because you have one or more piercings. Ugh. (Okay, even though it’s true some of the time, for some people, I just don’t like general assumptions. 🙂 )
I had an IV through a tattoo once, on the inside of my left elbow. She did ask if it was alright that she put the IV in there, she said “I don’t want to leave a hole there.” I assume she meant in case the needle left a mark or something. She was really sweet about it, and I told her it was fine. ^_^ And it didn’t leave a mark at all. She didn’t seem to know anything about “can’t IV through tattoos” or anything like that, which was refreshing.
I was told once that my Dahlia piercings would paralyze my mouth, making it so I couldn’t eat at all. I was told the same thing about how helix piercings could kill/paralyze you because of the apparent nerve/vein up there. Same with the tragus. I once had some idiot teenage girl tell me she was getting an industrial because she heard you could get radio stations off it so she’d always have something to listen to. ROFL.
I’ve heard the epidural through tattoos myth came up because back in the old days when tattoo inks weren’t as safe as they were now, they could potentially cause problems if pushed into the spine/bloodstream. I also asked a nurse friend of mine about this. She said the only reason she hesitates when doing epidurals on people with lower back tattoos is because they could potentially leave marks/spots in the tattoo, ruining them and then the people sue the hospital, etc. Not sure how true that is, but it’s at least a bit more believable than some of the other crap people come up with.
I had an IV through a tattoo once, on the inside of my left elbow. She did ask if it was alright that she put the IV in there, she said “I don’t want to leave a hole there.” I assume she meant in case the needle left a mark or something. She was really sweet about it, and I told her it was fine. ^_^ And it didn’t leave a mark at all. She didn’t seem to know anything about “can’t IV through tattoos” or anything like that, which was refreshing.
I was told once that my Dahlia piercings would paralyze my mouth, making it so I couldn’t eat at all. I was told the same thing about how helix piercings could kill/paralyze you because of the apparent nerve/vein up there. Same with the tragus. I once had some idiot teenage girl tell me she was getting an industrial because she heard you could get radio stations off it so she’d always have something to listen to. ROFL.
I’ve heard the epidural through tattoos myth came up because back in the old days when tattoo inks weren’t as safe as they were now, they could potentially cause problems if pushed into the spine/bloodstream. I also asked a nurse friend of mine about this. She said the only reason she hesitates when doing epidurals on people with lower back tattoos is because they could potentially leave marks/spots in the tattoo, ruining them and then the people sue the hospital, etc. Not sure how true that is, but it’s at least a bit more believable than some of the other crap people come up with.