20-year-old Kelsey Reese was like a lot of teens. 

“I was 16 and I wanted to get my belly-button pierced,” Reese said. She went to a local shop in the Q-C. 

“I had researched the person and thought that they were definitely certified and everything,” Reese said. She started having problems one week after getting pierced.

“It was irritated. It was pussie. It was bleeding all the time,” Reese said. Soon, her body rejected it. 

“I was in class. It just popped out. Just popped out of my stomach,” Reese said. Eventually her belly ring was replaced with a scar. 

“Right there is where he pierced it,” Reese said.  The owners of Tooth and Nail Tattoo and Piercing said there is zero regulation of professional piercing in Iowa.

“It’s very dangerous,” Chad Robison said.  
“Anyone can walk off the street and into a studio and say ‘I’m a piercer.’ If the studio will allow it, they can pierce,” Manda Noel said. Noel and Robison said that’s because there’s no education required.

“There is no training needed, no blood-borne pathogens required, no CPR certifications, nothing,” Noel said. It’s an issue they’ve tried to change. 

“Iowa Piercers Unite have tried to get the legislation and stuff like that passed so that there are laws in place. Nothing has really moved forward with it law-wise,” Noel said. Meanwhile, risky practices continue. 
    
“Stainless steel, which is used in a lot of studios in the area, has nickel in it. A lot of people are allergic to nickel,” Noel said. She said often teens are the ones under the needle. 

“Minors are pierced on a regular basis. We have heard of studios doing genital piercings on minors with parental consent,” Noel said.  

“There’s nobody stopping it, there’s no repercussions for them messing someone up,” Robison said. Someone like Reese. She said now that she’s older she has more insight as to why her piercing went so wrong. 

“Learning what I’ve learned, possibly because he pierced it too high, and the bad jewelry. I think he used stainless steel. that has nickel in it. I have a nickel allergy,” Reese said. 

Local 4 News and FOX 18 News reached out to the Scott County Health Department to see if there are any county-specific regulations regarding piercing. While it routinely inspects tattooing establishments, there are no ordinances governing piercing. Our station was told the state has been attempting to pass piercing legislation for the past few years.