For many people, the warmer weather is also an excuse to 'improve' the appearance of parts of their body - the navel, for example, with a piercing.
But piercing involves risks no matter what the part. Anyone considering getting pierced should visit a professional and only have it done under hygienic conditions.
Listening to a doctor talking about the negative consequences of a piercing can be disconcerting.
'The most common thing that can happen is an infection,' says Dieter Schuele, dermatologist at the Neukirchen Special Clinic in Bavaria.
Infections are caused by bacteria on the surface of the skin that get into the wound despite disinfection.
'It's in the facial area that very big problems can occur,' says Schuele.
'They include painful infections but also swelling in the skin and muscle tissue,' says Juergen Billing of the Bavarian state Institute for Health and Food Safety in Erlangen.
The metal the jewellery is made from poses another potential risk.
Allergic reactions to metals such as nickel are not uncommon but even materials considered safe, such as titanium, can cause allergies.
The areas of the body most likely to have an allergic reaction are the mouth and nose due to their proximity to mucous membranes.
'The membranes have unique acidic conditions that can react with metal.'
Even a navel piercing, where there is no mucous membrane, can lead to problems.
According to the Berlin dermatologist Elisabeth Rowe, the risk of a lymph node infection increases with a navel piercing.
'And there are even a few people who have a navel hernia without knowing it. Complications can follow in a case such as that,' she says.
The only form of risk-free piercing is in the ear lobe, which in contrast to a piercing in the ear's cartilage, almost never leads to an infection.
Bearing these risks in mind, piercing is becoming increasingly popular for other parts of the body.
The potential for damage to health can be kept to a minimum by following basic hygiene rules, according to Juergen Billing.
The best way to find out if a piercing salon adheres to these standards is to go there and have a look.
The German Association of Professional Piercers based in Aachen advises visiting more than one salon.
The area where the piercing is to take place should be clean, free of cigarette smoke and be easy to disinfect.
The person carrying out the piercing must also volunteer information about the risks and potential consequences, as well as ask the client about their present state of health and their history of allergic reactions.
Piercers should also inform customers about the material used in the piercing and ask for written permission from parents of adolescents under 18 years.
The most important thing to watch out for is hygiene; the piercer must wear a fresh pair of sterile gloves for each procedure.
'Customers should also take note that everything is sterile and the piercing equipment is non-reusable,' advises Schuele.
'Professional piercers have developed very good tools for doing the job safely,' adds Billing.
After the piercing has been performed, the customer should also be told how to care for the piercing and be given a sterile bandage to cover the wound.
They should also remain in contact with the salon while the wound is healing.
Billing advises against using the services of piercers who are not based permanently in one location.
'You shouldn't get a piercing done at a flea market for example,' he says. Self-piercing or getting a friend to plunge the needle is also risky.
Using the services of a qualified doctor is an alternative to high street piercing salons, according to Rowe.
'There are doctors who are pierced or have tattoos,' she says.
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