Medically reviewed by Casey Gallagher, MD An infected lip piercing is a common complication after piercing and jewelry ...

Health experts say respiratory illnesses, chronic wounds ... infections, such as hepatitis C, and other health issues. People who inject drugs can develop a condition known as puffy-hand syndrome.

Oil-based substances, such as petroleum jelly, appear to disrupt this important process, and might increase the risk of wound infection, they say in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Wounds are breeding grounds for microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Wound infection can cause delayed healing, loss of skin grafts (where healthy skin is removed from an unaffected area of ...