We don’t know if the person asking this question is a woman or a man, but the answer applies pretty much to both sexes. Nipples come in all shapes and sizes. Some are sensitive (have lots of feeling in them) and some are not. Piercing them doesn’t make much difference in sensitivity in the beginning. Those people with really sensitive nipples may actually notice an increased sensitivity, at least for a while. Those folks with nipples that aren’t sensitive probably won’t see a change in that either.
What CAN make pierced nipples hard and insensitive is scarring. This kind of scarring is inside the nipple itself. You can’t see it like a scar from a cut for instance. Scarring occurs for several reasons. Some people just naturally scar more when they heal. An infection in the piercing site can also cause scarring. Chronic stimulation of the pierced nipple by pulling on the nipple or pulling on the nipple-ring can cause the nipple to slowly scar, get harder, larger and lose feeling. The longer a nipple is pierced, the more likely it is to get a little hard and lose feeling. If you don’t want these changes, don’t over stimulate the nipples once you pierce them.
Women who get their nipples pierced occasionally have problems breast-feeding, but that is pretty rare. Most do just fine.
The most important thing about any piercing is this: be SURE that the person doing the piercing knows what she/he is doing and understands the anatomy of the body part being pierced. And be DOUBLE SURE the person doing the piercing is using sterile, disposable supplies and gloves when they are doing the piercing. You don’t want to get a skin infection or Hepatitis or the HIV virus from dirty equipment. Beauty is never worth sacrificing health.
For more information, check out this article:
Potential Piercing Problems: Know What to Avoid and What's Safe
Reviewed 7-31-05
