What are your rights if a piercing goes wrong?

Under UK consumer law, a piercing service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If it goes wrong, document everything and raise it with the studio first; unresolved complaints can go to your local authority's environmental health team or Trading Standards. See a GP about any health concern before pursuing paperwork. This is general information, not legal advice.

By The Piercing Team at Lark & Berry · Published 2026-08-15

First things first: health before paperwork

If a piercing has gone wrong in a way your body is telling you about — spreading redness, heat, swelling, discharge, fever, an earring embedding into the ear — the complaint process can wait and your GP cannot. See a doctor first, follow their advice, and keep any notes or prescriptions you’re given; they’ll matter later if you do pursue a complaint, but they are not the reason to go. Nothing in this article is a substitute for medical advice, and none of it should delay seeking it. (It isn’t legal advice either — it’s a general map of the routes available in the UK.)

It’s also worth being clear-eyed about what “gone wrong” means, because it shapes everything that follows. Not every unhappy piercing is a wronged customer. If you’re unsure whether what you’re seeing is a complication or just an irritated healing piercing, start with infected or just irritated.

What the law expects of a piercing studio

Piercing is a service, and UK consumer law expects services to be carried out with reasonable care and skill — the Consumer Rights Act puts it in almost exactly those words. In piercing terms, reasonable care and skill looks like: hygienic, sterile technique; placement appropriate to your anatomy; suitable, accurately described jewellery; and honest aftercare guidance. Jewellery sold to you is goods, and goods must match their description — “titanium” must be titanium, “gold” must be gold.

If a studio falls short of that standard, you’re entitled to ask them to put it right, or to some or all of your money back where putting it right isn’t possible. That’s the plain-language shape of it; the precise remedies depend on circumstances.

Step one: document, then go back to the studio

Whatever route you eventually take, it starts the same way. Photograph the piercing clearly and regularly, with dates. Keep your receipt, booking confirmation, aftercare sheet and any messages with the studio. Write down what happened while it’s fresh — what was said, what was done, what jewellery was used, and what grade of metal you were told it was.

Then go back to the studio, calmly, and give them the chance to respond. This isn’t a formality; it’s usually the fastest fix. A reputable studio takes a problem piercing seriously — reassessing the placement, swapping unsuitable jewellery, refunding where they’ve fallen short — because their reputation is the business. Put the complaint in writing (email is fine) so there’s a record, say clearly what outcome you’re asking for, and give them a reasonable time to reply. How a studio handles a complaint tells you as much about it as anything in how to choose a good piercing studio.

If the studio doesn’t resolve it

Two public routes exist, and they handle different things.

Your local authority’s environmental health team registers or licenses piercing premises and inspects their hygiene. If your complaint is about cleanliness, sterilisation, or practices that put health at risk — yours or the next customer’s — report it to them. They can inspect, require changes, and in serious cases act against the business. This route matters even when there’s nothing in it for you personally; it’s how unsafe premises get found.

Trading Standards deals with unfair trading and misdescription — jewellery sold as a metal it isn’t, services materially misrepresented, refunds wrongly refused. In practice you usually reach Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service, which will also give you free guidance on your own next steps.

For actual injury caused by negligence — an infection traceable to poor technique, lasting damage from bad practice — personal injury claims exist, but they turn on evidence that the studio fell below a reasonable standard and that this caused the harm. That is solicitor territory, and an initial conversation with one (often free) will tell you quickly whether there’s anything in it.

Realistic expectations

A bad outcome is not automatically a bad piercing. Healing bodies are variable: irritation bumps, slow healing and rejected placements can happen after flawless work, and a piercing that struggled because aftercare was skipped is not the studio’s failure. The strongest complaints pair a poor outcome with a poor process — vague metals, no anatomy assessment, questionable hygiene, no aftercare. If the process was good, an honest studio will still usually help you troubleshoot; that help is goodwill, and worth more than a grudging refund.

See a professional if: the piercing itself is the problem — increasing pain, spreading redness, heat, discharge or fever means a GP appointment now, before any letter, form or complaint. Get the ear looked after first; the paperwork will still be there afterwards, and a medical record strengthens it anyway.