Kim Kardashian is facing fresh backlash after her daughter North West recently unveiled her latest body modification, a second finger piercing.
The preteen stunned followers after sharing close-up photos of her hand adorned with multiple jewels, including two dermal piercings embedded into her fingers.
In screenshots, captured by The Sun, one of her fingers featured a pair of silver gems, while another displayed a blue stone in the center of her middle finger.
North had first flashed the silver piercing while out with her mom in Rome in August.
Unlike traditional piercings, a dermal or surface piercing involves a small, flat-bottomed anchor being surgically inserted beneath the skin to hold the jewelry in place.
Another snap showed the process of getting the piercing, with a rod going through North’s finger.
Experts say the procedure carries significant risks, particularly when placed on the hands, which are prone to bacteria, bumps and movement that can easily cause rejection or infection.
According to Healthline, dermal piercings ‘carry a high risk of complications and this type of piercing requires meticulous aftercare’.
Many studios refuse to perform dermal piercings on anyone under 18, citing safety and hygiene concerns.
North’s latest piercing debut quickly circulated online after photos were also shared on Reddit, where users debated whether the tween’s parents should have allowed the procedure.
‘This is what happens when you need to be your child’s best friend and not a rational adult,’ one critic wrote.
Another said, ‘I couldn’t imagine giving my 12-year-old permission to have dermal and surface piercings like this, especially with the complications that come with them.’
Others pointed out the potential medical risks.
‘The potential for serious injury with this piercing is so unnecessarily high. Infection, rejection, nerve damage. A 12 year old is not mature enough to care for this piercing responsibly,’ another wrote.
A number of users also criticized Kardashian’s parenting, suggesting she may be ‘pandering completely to North’.
‘Dermal piercings at 12 on your hand is wild. I’m all for letting kids express themselves, but not this, not at 12,’ one parent added.
According to Trist’n Peterson, co-owner and professional body piercer at Brightside Body Art in Missoula, Montana, dermal piercings are almost never approved for minors, and rarely recommended for adults.
‘Most body piercing businesses won’t give a surface piercing to anyone under 18,’ she told Scary Mommy. ‘Surface piercings are not permanent, and your body will eventually reject them, resulting in noticeable scarring.’
Her shop only pierces limited areas for clients between 13 and 18, such as earlobes, nose, septum or ear cartilage, but never fingers.
‘For surface piercings on a finger, most piercers wouldn’t even offer this on an adult,’ Peterson explained. ‘The finger has so much daily movement and potential to snag, causing the piercing to reject pretty quickly.’
