穿環的歷史

穿環歷史淵源流長

傳言在五千年前，就有穿環的行為。埃及的法老穿鼻環，以彰顯人生進入了新的階段；羅馬時代男人穿耳環，用來顯示自我的男子氣概。現代人穿環的位置可說是五花八門，讓人聽得心驚膽跳，穿耳環算什麼？有人甚至穿乳環、陰唇環、陰蒂環。

其實，在身體穿孔也需要有莫大的勇氣，身體各部位對疼痛的敏感程度不一，財團法人尹書田紀念醫院整形美容科主任醫師黃季怡便指出，在目前各類型的穿環來說，乳環可居疼痛之冠


痛苦指數 不斷攀升

黃季怡表示，因為身體神經分布的疏密不同，所以對於外力入侵的敏感度也有異，以下將各部位分為初、中、高三個等級，越「高級」，疼痛感越強烈。建議您，行動前，請三思吧！

初級班：耳、眉、肚臍穿環，只是穿過皮膚表層，疼痛感較輕，些微灼熱、刺激的感受。

中級班：舌頭、鼻子，鼻子穿過軟骨，鼻子與舌頭部位感官神經交錯密佈，疼痛的感受會較強烈，坐立難安的疼。

高級班：乳頭，疼痛程度是最嚴重的，若沒有搭配藥物，晚上會讓人痛到睡不著，或在半夜痛醒無法入睡。

雖然社會型態一直在改變，以前視為異端或叛逆的行為，如蓄留阿哥哥髮型等，現在看起來僅屬小兒科等級之列，對於耳環、眉環……大可將其視為單純的裝飾品，無須大驚小怪，但穿環的先決條件是：不能危害健康，不會引發任何不良的後遺症。



誰不適合身體打洞

並不是人人都適合在身上掛裝飾品，以下有四類型的人與穿環無緣：

1.容易出血的體質，如地中海型貧血（血紅素低）、血友病（凝血機轉有問題）、貧血。

2.對細菌抵抗能力低的人，如糖尿病、過敏免疫反應的患者如紅斑性狼瘡等。

3.疤痕體質，因為體質容易長疤，傷口容易留下巨大疤痕，如蟹足腫。

4.過敏反應，如戴項鍊、戒指、手錶會有過敏反應者。容易有過敏的人最好不要穿環，因為根本沒法戴環，失去穿環的意義。





穿乳環細菌感染率高

乳環的穿法有兩種，1.直接穿過乳頭，2.穿在乳暈的表皮。穿過乳頭會影響的後方乳腺，穿過乳暈雖然不會傷害到乳腺，但也可能發生其他的問題。乳頭和乳暈的肌膚非常細緻，腺體（乳暈上一顆顆突起物）會分泌油脂保護，若是在乳暈部分穿乳環的話，有可能會傷及這些腺體，造成傷口感染等問題。

耳垂薄的人穿耳環時發生問題的機率低，因為耳環穿過的「路徑」較短，但是乳環若是經過乳頭，厚度頗厚，雖然沒有正式統計，但按常理推論，發生感染、乳腺阻塞的機率應該是偏高的狀況。



乳腺阻塞 哺乳障礙

以感染而言，一般性的局部感染還好解決，但以乳房來說，不管是乳頭或是乳暈，其血液和乳腺相通，感染途徑可經血液或乳腺管造成乳腺發炎、乳腺阻塞，日後不易哺乳，甚至要透過開刀解決感染的後遺症。

至於女性是否比男性更不適合穿乳環？是的，因為男性不用哺乳，所以不用考慮這方面的問題，但男性同樣有乳腺，所以乳腺炎、乳房變形的危機並不會因為性別而有所不同。



後遺症如影隨形

穿環首先要考慮的不是美觀的問題，而是它背後所引發的後遺症。

以疤痕或乳腺阻塞這部分而言，傷害已經造成，即使日後卸除乳環，也是無法挽救的。因為穿乳環不僅有乳腺阻塞的問題，身體其他部分穿環可能發生的問題，如感染、疤痕增生或過敏反應等，穿乳環同樣也會發生。若以發炎的狀況來說，拿掉乳環，經過藥物治療後，就可以解決該問題。若產生過敏反應，一旦將引起過敏的乳環卸除，過敏反應也會降低，

而局部的傷口感染（乳腺沒有發炎時）治療的時間短且簡單，卸下乳環，配合使用抗生素7～10天後，多半都能痊癒。若是有乳腺發炎的話，治療的方式略有不同，通常先用抗生素治療，但若情況沒有好轉或乳腺已有化膿現象，可能就要藉助手術擴瘡，但乳房有可能會變形。



民俗療法 不可聽信

有些人穿環發生問題後，因為不想放棄，所以尋求偏方處理，如用大蒜精、蘆薈、茶葉梗等，經過這些偏方處理後，傷口往往腫得更嚴重。因為傷口一旦發生感染，組織的低抗力弱，更容易造成敏感的反應，日後需要的恢復期會更長。所以千萬不要因小失大，有問題就應該求助於醫師，免得發生更大的傷害。



危險叢生 步步為營

雖然穿舌環的人不在少數，但黃季怡並不贊成穿舌環，雖然鼻環會穿過軟骨，一旦細菌侵入，吞噬軟骨，會造成鼻子變形，但這可以透過不斷地回診來檢視、觀察，一旦發生問題，立刻處理，比較不會造成永久性的後遺症。口腔裡滿佈細菌，舌頭肥厚，舌內的血液循環和腦部相通，若因穿舌環發生細菌感染，細菌極有可能透過血管，一路竄到腦部。

這樣的狀況雖然發生率低，可是一旦發生時，卻是非常嚴重且危險的情況，要付出非常慘痛的代價。此外，穿眉環時要小心避開大血管和顏面神經分支，防範失血過多或顏面不對稱的問題。舌頭底部有許多靜脈大血管，若不謹慎處理，也會有失血過量的問題。



穿乳環的準備

如果經過審慎考慮後，仍然覺得乳環是妳的最愛，非穿不可時，記得要找適合的醫院進行，保護自己的健康。

在醫院門診時，先備妥純金或白金材質的穿環飾品，穿乳環時會使用局部的麻醉藥物擦拭，大約等1個小時後，麻藥發生作用，再進行穿環的動作，但麻藥消退，疼痛感仍在，所以會搭配口服的止痛藥物。由於乳房的血液循環豐富，擔心細菌會侵入皮膚、經由排乳汁的管腺跑進乳腺裡，造成乳腺炎，所以會使用預防性的抗生素來避免。



居家照護

局部的傷口也需要細心呵護，因為傷口會有滲液流出，所以需要持續地清理乾淨，同時記得要塗抹抗生素藥膏，幫助傷口癒合。乳頭的部位要特別受到保護，要有覆蓋物遮蓋，避免摩擦造成發炎反應。事後的照護約需2～4個禮拜，照護時間因部位而不同。

穿環成型後，除了戴環的基本姿勢要注意外，配戴時記得塗抹油膏在環上，增加潤滑性，避免摩擦環孔的皮膚。避免配戴過大、過重的飾品，造成該處斷裂、變形的危險。

In ancient times
Evidence suggests that body piercing (including ear piercing) has been practiced by peoples all over the world from ancient times. Mummified bodies with piercings have been discovered, including the oldest mummified body discovered to date, that of Ötzi the Iceman, which was found in an Valentina Trujillon glacier. This mummy had an ear piercing 7–11 mm (1 to 000 gauge in AWG) diameter.

Nose piercing and ear piercing are mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 24:22, Abraham's servant gave an earring and bracelets to Rebekah, wife of his son Isaac. In Exodus 32, Aaron makes the golden calf from melted earrings. Deuteronomy 15:12-17 dictates ear piercing as a mark of slavery. Nose piercing has been common in India since the 16th century. Tongue piercing was popular with the elite of Aztec and Maya civilization, though it was carried out as part of a blood ritual and such piercings were not intended to be permanent. Ancient Mesoamericans wore jewelry in their ears, noses, and lower lips, and such decorations continue to be popular amongst indigenous peoples in these.


Body piercing folklore
Many contemporary authors and body piercing enthusiasts have made attempts to explain the history or development of body piercing in Western Culture, prior to its contemporary practice. In Dreamtime by Hans Peter Duerr, the author claims that nipple piercing became popular in 14th century Europe. There is evidence, both anecdotal and photographic, that nipple piercing was practiced in Europe during the late 19th century and in the early 20th century, but it was not considered to be a common practice. It is sometimes claimed that Roman centurions practiced nipple piercing and that soldiers attached their capes to the piercings. This is not true. Their capes were attached to the breastplate of their armor. This particular myth owes its popularity to Doug Malloy, an American piercing pioneer who published pamphlets in the late 1970's promoting his highly fanciful histories of body piercing.

TONGUE PIECEING HISTORY

Tongue piercing was practised in a ritual form by the ancient Aztecs, Mayas of Central America and the Haida, Kwakiutul, and Tlinglit tribes of the American Northwest. The tongue was pierced to draw blood to propitiate the gods, and to create an altered state of consciousness so that the priest or shaman could communicate with the gods.

HISTORY OF NIPPLE PIERCING

Roman Centurions wore leather armour breast plates which were shaped to fit the body and rings were sometimes placed in these breastplates where the nipples appeared to be, the rings were used to hang a cape from. This has led to the belief by some people that the actual nipples were pierced to hang a cape from, but anybody who has had their nipples pierced would tell you that this would be a very uncomfortable practice.

"In the middle of the 14th century...Many women suddenly wore 'such low necklines that you could see nearly half their breasts', and among the upper classes in the same century, Queen Isabella of Bavaria introduced the 'Garments of the grand neckline', where the dress was open to the navel. This fashion eventually led to the application of rouge to freely displayed nipples, those 'little apples of paradise' and to placing diamond studded rings or small caps on them, even to piercing them and passing gold chains through them decorated with diamonds" "Dreamtime" Hans Peter Duerr