Should jewelry be removed prior to surgery

In general, all metal jewelry should be removed prior to any surgery which uses electrocautery, including breast surgery.  There is always a risk of a burn if jewelry is not removed.  A piercing that is 12 months old will generally not close up if left out for an hour or two.  Alternately, some OR nurses are comfortable with taping a piece of jewelry with the caveat that there is always a small chance of a burn at the site of the piercing.  My advice would be to simply remove the piercing.