North Wests edgy piercings put her at risk for scarring and disfigurement, doctor warns
Kim Kardashian has been vocal about letting daughter North West “express herself” through boundary-pushing clothes, colorful hair and experimental makeup — but the 13-year-old’s latest mode of self-expression could come with some serious and irreversible risks.Last September, North, then 12, debuted a dermal piercing on her middle finger.It was the first of many: Since early 2026, her collection’s expanded to several more piercings across her fingers and hands, fittingly accompanied by her debut single, “Piercing on My Hand.”Critics have flooded social media, but neither North not her mom appear concerned.
On their shared TikTok account, the pair told fans: “It’s OK,” while North later clapped back with a sassy video to “everyone that’s mad over a finger piercing.”As far as doctors are concerned, though, it’s very much not OK: Hand piercings can lead to plenty of issues and long-term complications, from rejection to scarring to disfigurement.“Just don’t do it,” advised Corey Hartman, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder and medical director of Skin Wellness Dermatology.“Long term, these piercings can lead to hypertrophic scars, hyperpigmentation, disfigurement and loss of function of the body part where the piercing is done, particularly in patients with highly-melanated skin, like North West,” he told The Post.West’s piercings appear to be a combination of surface and dermal piercings — two styles that are far more complex than a typical earlobe piercing.Surface piercings have two entry points connected beneath the skin by a barbell, with decorative ends that sit on top of the skin.Dermal piercings are single-point piercings designed to give the illusion that jewelry is floating on the skin.
Rather than using a traditional backing, a piercer inserts a small anchor beneath the skin, then screws the decorative top into that anchor, making it look like a bead resting on the body.Even changing the jewelry isn...