Hazards of ear-piercing procedures which traverse cartilage: a report of Pseudomonas perichondritis and review of other complications.

A case of severe Pseudomonas perichondritis following a 'fashionable' ear-piercing procedure, performed high on the pinna, is reported. The current vogue for such 'high' ear-piercing, which traverses cartilage rather than the fatty tissue of the ear lobe as in 'traditional' ear-piercing, increases the risk of infection which may produce severe cosmetic deformity.