Body Piercing Injury Negligence Claims

Updated on 5th March 2026. Those who can make body piercing injury negligence claims are able to prove that the negligent actions of a third party directly caused them to suffer harm. When pursuing compensation for a piercing gone wrong claimants can claim for a variety of different injuries ranging from nerve damage to severe scarring. If you believe you have been harmed due to the negligent actions of a body piercer, we actively encourage you to pursue a body piercing injury compensation claim. Don’t worry, our solicitors can show you how to claim.

Here at Legal Expert, our advisors are dedicated to helping potential claimants like you by answering any questions you may have. Notably, our advisors can help you on several fronts including answering queries on claim eligibility, compensation estimates as well as provide you with step-by-step guidance on how the claims process works. Most importantly, our solicitors will provide their legal services on a No Win No Fee basis to eligible claimants, so you can claim for an ear piercing gone wrong with confidence. Here at Legal Expert, we deeply care about both the claimant and their claim. So if you are looking for legal representation that is both compassionate and experienced, contact us today so we can get your claim set up for success.

What Is A Body Piercing?

Body piercings are when a puncture is made in the skin to accommodate body jewellery. Body piercers have a duty of care towards their customers.

The Health and Care Act 2022 is relevant in relation to certain cosmetic procedures, including body piercings. It states that people who perform cosmetic procedures need a license to do so. These licenses are issued by the local council. Once you’ve obtained a license, you can only practice this procedure in the premises where the license applies.

There are pieces of legislation that are relevant in administering body piercings. For example, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 outlines the requirements for handling substances that can harm individuals. This will be appropriate if a piercer needs to dispose of a needle or body jewellery that has come into contact with blood or tissue.

Furthermore, the party in control of a piercing shop owes a duty of care according to the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This states that they need to take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of those who visit the space.

For more information on claiming if the negligence of a body piercer has resulted in you being harmed unnecessarily, speak with an advisor today.

Can You Claim Compensation For A Body Piercing Injury?

You can claim compensation for a body piercing injury if you are able to prove that the negligent actions of a third party, such as a body piercer, directly caused you to suffer harm. 

Here at Legal Expert, we are empathetic to the fact that you might not be quite sure whether you have an eligible body piercing injury compensation claim. This is why we have provided you with the specific eligibility criteria. Please find it below:

1. You were owed a duty of care – This means a person, business or organisation had a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect your health and safety. This is known as a third party providing a duty of care. An example of this duty of care is adhering to the correct hygiene standards by using sterile equipment when piercing a client.
2. The duty of care was breached – This duty of care mentioned above must have been breached in some capacity. More specifically, this is when the party responsible fails to act in a way as a reasonable person or organisation would have done. This can look like a body piercer providing the wrong aftercare advice or failing to provide any aftercare guidance at all. 
3. This breach caused you to suffer harm – In order to have an eligible body piercing injury compensation claim, you must have suffered a physical injury, a psychological injury or an illness. As an illustration, as mentioned above, a body piercer provides you with the wrong aftercare advice and you develop a severe infection as a result which leads to hospitalisation. 

Do you need guidance on the eligibility of your claim? Our advisors can confirm your claim’s eligibility during a free consultation. Call us today to find out more.  

Common Body Piercing Injuries That Lead To Claims

Body piercing procedures are universally performed on individuals for aesthetic body modification purposes. Although they are typically safe practices when performed with the correct standard of care, they may impose some risks. 

Before having a body piercing, the professional piercer may discuss the risks associated with it, such as: 

• Infections – this risk may be especially present with nose piercings as it is difficult to disinfect this area 
• Damage to the surrounding cartilage – this risk is particularly present with ear piercings 
• Nerve damage
• Chipped or damaged teeth with tongue piercings
• Allergic reactions- the piercing itself may cause this
• Genital and intimate piercings may result in pain and uncomfortable sex 

If the professional who completed your procedure discussed the associated risks of your piercing and you still consented to the procedure, you may not be eligible to claim compensation if you suffered any side effects.

However, if the professional fails to discuss the associated risks or provide details or treatment for aftercare and this results in your suffering, you may be eligible to start a body piercing injury negligence claim. You may also claim compensation if you sustained injuries because the professional breached their duty of care by acting negligently during your procedure.  

If a professional body piercer caused your injuries by failing to maintain a duty of care, get in touch with our friendly advisors to learn more about claiming compensation. You may also ask questions such as, ‘How to start a claim for ear piercing gone wrong?’

Causes Of Piercing Negligence

Body piercing injury negligence can arise in various situations. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common that we’ve helped with:

• In an ear piercing gone wrong, poor hygiene and sterilisation practices at the piercing studio could lead to a serious infection.
• An inadequately trained or inexperienced staff member could cause injuries
• A lack of instructions on how to properly clean your piercing caused a major infection in your nasal passage. This is otherwise known as aftercare negligence
• A failure to consider any medical conditions before carrying out the procedure
• Piercing a person under 18 without obtaining proper consent
• Using unsafe jewellery, such as that which contains materials that could trigger allergies.

Our team is available all day, every day to provide a free eligibility assessment. Get in touch with our advisors at any time using the contact information given below.

How Much Compensation For Body Piercing Negligence Claims?

Compensation in body piercing injury negligence claims is awarded under two separate heads of claim, general and special damages. Compensation for the physical as well as psychological pain and suffering is awarded under general damages. Certain financial losses may be compensated under special damages.

When it comes to calculating general damages for your body piercing injury compensation claim, those assigned this task can refer to your medical evidence alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). 

The JCG publication contains guideline compensation brackets. We have provided a selection of these brackets here. However, we need to emphasise that as every claim is assessed individually, these values are intended as guidance only.

Compensation Amounts

Please be advised that the first bullet point is not a JCG figure.

• Multiple very serious injuries with special damages, such as costs associated with cosmetic surgery, scar creams and oils and lost wages – Up to £500,000 and above.
• Facial disfigurement – very severe scarring in young claimants with a severe psychological impact – £36,340 to £118,790.
• Facial disfigurement – less severe scarring where the disfigurement and psychological impact are still substantial – £21,920 to £59,090.
• Facial disfigurement – significant scarring where the worst effects have been reduced by surgery, and the psychological effect is not great or has diminished to a relatively minor level – £11,120 to £36,720
• Facial disfigurement – trivial scarring where any effects are minor – £2,080 to £4,310.
• General psychiatric damage – Moderately severe harm where there are significant problems regarding the ability to cope with work, social life and personal relationships, although the prognosis is optimistic. – £23,270 to £66,920
• Scarring to other parts of the body – a single disfiguring scar or a number of noticeable lacerations – £9,560 to £27,740.
• Scarring to other parts of the body – a single noticeable scar or multiple superficial scars with minor cosmetic deficit – £2,890 to £9,560.

Special Damages

If you are eligible to claim special damages, you could be compensated for any related financial losses you have experienced. This could include loss of earnings, travel costs or care expenses.

To successfully claim special damages, you would need to provide evidence such as receipts and payslips.

As an alternative to a soft tissue injury compensation calculator, get in touch with our advisors for a comprehensive estimate of your claim.

The Process Of Making A Body Piercing Injury Claim

The process of making a body piercing injury claim involves seeking medical attention as soon as possible, gathering as much evidence as you can and securing robust legal representation. 

We understand that gathering evidence as part of the claims process can be overwhelming, especially when you are recovering from an instance of harm. To make things a little bit easier, we have provided step-by-step guidance below:

Step-By-Step Guidance

• Get medical treatment immediately – Not only must you prioritise your health and wellbeing by seeking medical attention promptly, but it’s also important that you create an official record, via medical records, that you suffered harm in the first place.
• Collect as much evidence as you can – Evidence is a vital part of the claims process as it validates your version of events that a third party’s negligent actions directly caused you to suffer harm. So, it’s very important that you gather as much evidence as possible including things like medical records, photographs of any visible harm, the body jewellery or earring you were supplied with, your copy of the consent form, as well as collecting witness contact details.
• Report the incident straightaway – By reporting the incident right away you create an official record that negligence took place. To create a papertrail of this kind, you can submit a formal complaint to the piercing studio stating the time and date the incident occurred. You can then use this documented complaint as evidence to support your claim.
• Keep ongoing records – Keeping ongoing records is very important as you can document details such as daily pain and suffering experienced, including psychological distress, financial hardship encountered as well as any medical treatment you have had to undergo.
• Speak to a solicitor – Working directly alongside a solicitor will dramatically increase the likelihood of your claim winning as well as increase the amount of compensation you will receive. This is because solicitors can contribute in numerous ways during the claims process, for example, writing up witness statements to further fortify your claim. 

The Time Limit

• Ensure the claim starts within the time limit – In order to ensure the validity of body piercing injury negligence claims, they must be started within 3 years from the date the injury was suffered, as per the Limitation Act 1980.

If you have any questions regarding the process of making a body piercing injury claim, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with one of our advisors who will be more than happy to help.

Why Choose Legal Expert To Claim For Body Piercing Injury Claims?

Choosing Legal Expert to claim for body piercing injury gets you immediate access to a robust range of support services designed to make the claims process more manageable. Supporting claimants in a way that is effective and structured is very important to us as we are firm believers in the importance of pastoral care in relation to the claims process. To give you a clearer picture of how we support our clients, please take a moment to read the examples of support services we offer below. We will:

• Gather evidence on your behalf so you can focus on getting better
• Access your taxi account to establish any financial losses incurred via travel expenses
• Negotiate with the defendant’s solicitors and keep you informed at all times
• Translate any of the legal jargon into plain english so you can make informed decisions about your body piercing injury compensation claim
• Fight for the highest compensation possible for your case that accurately reflects all damages and losses

Can I Claim For Botched Piercings On A No Win No Fee Basis?

Yes, you can claim for botched piercings on a No Win No Fee terms with our solicitors at Legal Expert via a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). In simple terms, this means you won’t have to pay for your solicitors’ service fees at several stages:

• If your body piercing injury compensation claim fails
• While your claim is ongoing
• At the start of your claim

In the event that your claim wins, you will pay a success fee. This is taken from your body piercing compensation as a percentage that is legally limited by law, as per the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013. In other words, you take home the bulk of your compensation which is exactly what you deserve.

Another thing you deserve is having strong legal representation by your side that genuinely cares about your health and the outcome of your claim. Here at Legal Expert, our solicitors have helped claimants across the entire country and they wish to help you. Get in touch using the contact details below if you think we’d be a good fit for you:

Contact Legal Expert To Make A Claim

• Ring us free of charge on 0800 073 8804
• Contact us online
• If you are in need of a more convenient option to get in touch with us, text us using our live chat function. Don’t worry, you will be greeted by a dedicated advisor and not a chatbot.

Thank you for reading our guide about body piercing negligence claims. Please get in touch to start your claim today.