A board-certified physician and mom of two, Dr. Tania Elliott, is warning people not to pierce their babies’ ears.
Elliott, from New York, is a health influencer with 96,000 followers on Instagram and is a doctor on faculty at NYU Langone Health, as well as a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
She said piercing your baby’s ears increases their risk of infection and of developing an allergy.
“Piercing your child’s ears when they’re infants can lead to bacterial infections requiring antibiotics, abscesses and damage to the ear tissue and cartilage when done incorrectly, especially with certain commonly used devices and when the right sanitization protocols are not followed.
“It can happen at any age, but young infants with a developing immune system are most prone,” she said.
“Ear piercing is also one of the most common causes of nickel allergy, which can lead to skin rashes and affects up 15% of the population.
“In fact, nickel in jewelry is banned in the EU. While babies’ immune systems are developing and the skin is pierced, the body can mount an immune response, so the next time it is exposed to something containing nickel, an allergic reaction can happen,” she added.
Elliott posted a video on her Instagram account @drtaniaelliott, sharing the three things she would never do as a doctor and a mom — and piercing infants’ ears was one of them.
“This is one of the biggest reasons that so many people have a nickel allergy and can’t wear costume jewelry.
“While babies’ immune systems are developing and the skin is pierced, the body mounts an immune response,” Elliott said in the video.
“The next time it is exposed to anything containing nickel, an allergic reaction can happen. Remember, nickel is present in stainless steel, silver and gold below 14K, in addition to many foods,” she added.
Some commenters below her video thanked her for her advice and said they agreed with her.
