Danger: Sharing Pierced Jewelry!

Step 1: Best Case

If it's earrings and your piercings are fully healed and you have no infections or cuts, no biggie. Ear tissue is mostly cartilage, which isn't very vulnerable. It's pretty much the same as sharing rings or bracelets, and you can always disinfect jewelry with alcohol before you put it in your piercing.

Step 2: Worst Case

If any piercing is less than two months old, it may still contain blood, pus, or live skin cells, which makes it a potential carrier for viruses and infection, especially Hepatitis C. Same goes for an infected piercing. When it comes to pretty much any piercing other than an ear piercing, you're more vulnerable because of the blood vessels in the tissue, so you should be especially careful with belly rings, nose rings, and anything that goes in your mouth or tongue. Remember, you don't know where a piece of jewelry was before you touched it or what the previous wearer was incubating. Putting it into your piercing may expose you to any number of viral, bacterial or fungal infections, or skin diseases.

At the end of the day, it's pretty safe to raid your roommate's earring collection, but think twice before borrowing her tongue stud. You have the facts, now you make the call.