KAT Sikorsa thought she had seen most things, thanks to her job at a tattoo and piercing lounge in Southampton city centre.

Her working day is filled with people wanting to change the way they look – many in unusual ways.

Her speciality is piercings and she has been asked to do some in the most intimate areas of a person’s body.

But nothing had prepared her for new regulations that threaten to put her business on the wrong side of the law.

From April 1, women with vaginal piercings have been considered victims of female genital mutilation (FGM).

The law introduced across the UK states that women with a pierced labia or clitoris must be recorded as suffering FGM.

Monitored by the NHS, even women who give their consent to have a genital piercing could be deemed a potential victim of crime.

It comes after the World Health Organisation started classing piercings as harmful procedures which could be considered FGM.

Daily Echo:

Now piercing parlours across Southampton are preparing to stop offering genital piercings, with many of them shocked by the new law.

More than 20 studios line the streets of the city centre and many owners are now considering either changing their procedure for customers wanting a genital piercing or taking the service away completely.

Kat, pictured below, who works at Alteration Nation in East Bargate, thinks many young women looking to get it done could hear about the law and feel they cannot go to a professional, so try to do it themselves or have it done by inexperienced, unqualified piercer.

She said: “If everyone starts saying that they won’t offer genital piercings then young women who really want it done will find a way, which is really worrying.

“To say that piercers could be mutilators is disgusting. Professionals will only do genital piercings for someone who is over 18 and definitely wants it done. From experience I would never say yes to a customer who wasn’t sure.”

Last year Kat turned a woman away when she came in with her partner asking for a genital piercing because it became clear that the woman was not the one asking for the piercing.

“It was quite obvious that the partner wanted her to get it done so I asked to talk with the customer privately and realised that she was just sort of going along with it so I said no. This practice is not malicious or putting a woman at risk – it’s no different to them than wanting an ear piercing. It’s an accessory which they consent to, not something forced upon them.”

She added: “I don’t want to, but I think we are going to have to stop offering genital piercings because I am not going to break the law, but I don’t agree with it.”

Warwick Newson owns Asgard, in Southampton High Street, and has been in the industry for 25 years.

He said: “I think it is an infringement of women’s rights. We aren’t talking about mutilation against a person’s desire for adornment. To say that adult women are not able to consent to a genital piercing but an adult man can is incredibly sexist and that is the real issue.

“At the moment I haven’t made a decision of what to do. It’s completely sexist. They really don’t understand what they are talking about. Nobody in their right mind would condone FGM but by adding figures of people with genital piercings to those suffering FGM belittles and hides the real crime. Personal adornment with an adult’s consent is not the same as being forced to have intimate parts of your body cut.”

One Southampton piercer believes that ultimately it will keep people safe.

Peter Monkton, of Studio 13, in East Street, said: “I believe that it will really be looking at piercings that may be a preventative measure rather than decorative, it is popular in some cultures for that sort of piercing to happen and I hope that is what will be highlighted through this law rather than people who are consenting to have it done.

“There are many vague aspects to piercings, with lots of loopholes, so I think that should also be looked but ultimately I think it will take some time for Southampton piercers to adjust.”

A spokesman for the Association of Professional Piercers said: “We support the right for all adults to pierce their bodies in a safe, informed and consensual manner.”