A teenager has undergone emergency surgery after a tongue piercing went drastically wrong.
15-year-old Reece-Marie Hall visited a tattoo parlour in Hull, claiming she was 16, and paid £15 to have a silver bar inserted through her tongue. Unfortunately, the bar pierced a vein, rupturing it and leading to a trip in an ambulance to the hospital.
Tongue piercing is a popular trend, but the danger involved is highlighted by this case. Reece-Marie reports that the bleeding started after leaving the shop, and the flow was so strong that she choked several times. On returning to the shop, the teenager was given some gauze to stem the blood flow.
On arriving home, Reece-Marie's appalled mother Leeanne called an ambulance and the girl was rushed to hospital where doctors removed the bar and stemmed the bleeding.
Steve Rowe, who pierced Reece-Marie's tongue, believes the blame lies at her door as the bleeding didn't start until she left the shop. He also claimed that she kept touching it and making it worse, which led to further bleeding.
When it comes to tattoos and piercings there is no minimum legal age, although guidelines suggest under-16s should have the consent of a parent or guardian. This seems to leave a lot of room for dangerous situations like this to occur.
Reece-Marie has been left with a lisp and has a few issues with eating. Whether this is just temporary remains to be seen, but it's a tough lesson to learn for a fashion trend.
Source: Daily Mail