Removal of dermal piercings.

We report a case of a patient with dermal piercings of the hand that were used to anchor body jewelry. The piercings had become infected and were causing the patient pain. She requested that they be removed in the emergency department (ED). Both piercings were successfully removed by anesthetizing the area and creating a small linear incision at the base of the stud before gentle removal of the dermal anchor with a hemostat. This report outlines a simple way to remove the piercings while minimizing tissue damage.