Piercing Troubleshooting
If you’re here it’s probably because you have a piercing giving you some issues! It can be hard to determine when to see a professional piercer about an issue or if a doctor visit is in order! Let’s break down some of the most common issues I get asked about!
What is normal with a Healing Piercing?
At first: some bleeding, bruising (bruising can remain 1-4 weeks depending on how your body heals) , swelling, redness, and soreness or mild pain. During healing, you may experience some discoloration, itching, and/or oozing of a whitish-yellow fluid that will form some crust on the jewelry. Your skin may tighten around the jewelry as you heal. After healing the jewelry may not move easily in the piercing; do not force it. If you don’t clean your piercing as a part of your daily hygiene, normal but smelly secretions may build up. A piercing may seem just fine before the whole healing process is done. This is because they heal from the outside in, even if it feels fine, the new skin is weak on the inside. Be patient, and keep cleaning all the way to the end of the entire healing period. Piercing can shrink or close in minutes if you take out your jewelry. This is different from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave the hole empty.
It is normal for cartilage piercings to go through a “rollercoaster” of healing. This is when they may seem healed and happy and then all the sudden may get irritated and annoyed again. This is common. Keep cleaning, reduce any pressure to the piercing (like sleeping on it, or touching it besides cleaning) and it should calm down in a couple days. Unless piercing is hot to the touch, red, and producing green or dark yellow fluid, then contact your Doctor.
Do I have a piercing bump?
I recommend booking a follow up appointment if you suspect you may have a piercing bump! These can be caused by a variety of issues, and is usually a sign of irritation. Symptoms include:
Small, slightly elevated bump/pimple
Red and inflamed, but contained locally
May be tender, itch, or burn, though some are painless
Secretes pus and/or blood when drained or popped
So how do we treat it?
Over-the-counter antihistamines can help with the inflammation
Baby the piercing like it’s brand new
Try to Identify the source of irritation. Has the piercing shifted to an angle? Have you downsized your jewelry? Do you have a metal allergy? Has there been trauma to the piercing(bumped, snagged, slept on) Once you can figure out what the irritation was, then removing that source should help the bump heal.
Pressure therapy. Some people find success in this option. We place a sterile silicone disc onto the jewelry to provide some pressure to the piercing bump.
Is my piercing rejecting or migrating?
If the jewelry is moving closer to the outer surface of the tissue this is migrating piercing and it is rejecting. A piercing should be retired if the tissue between the entry and exit progressively gets smaller or thinner over time plus any of the following:
The skin between the openings is flaking or peeling, red or inflamed, and/or hard and calloused-looking
Just a thin filament of nearly transparent tissue is left, and the jewelry can be seen through the skin.
What is the most common issue with piercings?
Irritation. This can be traced back to inappropriate aftercare. Irritation can be resolved if you follow the list below.
DO NOT USE Alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Betadine, Hibiclens, harsh soaps, bactine, and/or ANY ointment(s) are not appropriate for the care of a healing piercing.
Over-cleaning and using strong products can irritate piercings and delay healing.
Rinsing with sterile wound wash saline 1-3x a day is suggested for body piercings
Reduce movement and pressure. DO NOT SLEEP ON PIERCING.
What if I think my piercing is infected?
Your piercing could be just irritated. Irritation looks like:
Localized reddness/swelling
white/light yellow discharge
sensitive to the touch
piercing bump.
To treat irritation:
LITHA (Leave It The Heck Alone) - Reduce touching, sleeping, twisting, or snagging jewlery.
Stop sleeping on it. You will want to use a piercing pillow if you are a side sleeper. Links can be found on my instagram (amazon storefront).
Do NOT put harsh chemicals on healing piercings. (refer to list above titled “common issues”)
Over-the-counter antihistamines can help with the inflammation
Baby the piercing like it’s brand new
If you feel as though your new piercing got Infected, contact your Doctor right away. DO NOT REMOVE PIERCING as this can seal the infection in as the hole closes. I am not a doctor. Keep In mind redness, swelling, and white/yellow crusty discharge is normal. A Fever or green discharge is not. Visit a doctor immediately if you have these symptoms:
Experience SEVERE redness, swelling, or pain from the piercing
Have a large amount of discharge that is thick, green, dark yellow, or gray and smells bad
Have red streaks coming from from the piercing site
Have symptoms that last for a week or get worse
Experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or disorientation
Infections are beyond the scope of practice of Professional Piercers so a Doctors visit is in order.
TRUST YOUR GUT
If you feel like something is off, don’t ever hesitate to contact your professional piercer and/or me! I am alway happy to help! Most often piercing issues will need to be addressed in person. But you can always email me a photo first and I can help guide you in the right direction!
