Fresh Piercings: What is Normal?
http://www.articlefit.com/Fresh-Piercings-What-is-Normal/a8241_1
Nymphetamine
By Nymphetamine
Published on 02/2/2009
A guide to what to expect with new piercings, what is normal, when you should see your piercer and when you should go to the doctor.
Fresh Piercings: What is Normal?
What should you expect when you get a piercing? What is considered normal in the healing process and what should you be concerned about? In this guide I will try to address the most common questions I get about healing a piercing.
What is normal?
1. Redness. When a piercing is fresh, a little redness around the exit wounds is totally normal. This redness should go away in a few weeks and should not spread out away from the piercing. If the redness doesn't go away or spreads away from the piercing, it is cause for concern and will be addressed later in this guide.
2. Lymph or 'Crusties' It is normal for a piercing to secrete lymph (commonly called crusties) until it's fully healed. Lymph is a combination of dead white blood cells and any impurities that may have gotten into the piercing. It is a normal and healthy sign of healing. Even in healed piercings, it's not uncommon for lymph to develop if you bump or irritate the piercing or if you get a cold or get sick. Don't pick at lymph, just wipe it away after a sea salt soak or during your shower.
3. Bleeding. It's not unusual to have a little bit of bleeding during the first week of healing. You just had a hole poked in your skin, it's going to bleed a bit. If you are experiencing bleeding, make sure your sea salt soaks are room temperature. Warm water will encourage bleeding. Once the bleeding has stopped for a day or so, return to warm sea salt soaks. Excessive bleeding can be a cause of concern and will be addressed later in the guide.
4. Swelling. New piercings will swell up. They may only swell a little bit, or may swell a lot. Swelling should clear up within two weeks, but can be problematic during that time. Piercers will use longer jewelry initially to accommodate this swelling which will need to be downsized by your piercer after about 2 weeks. Sometimes a piercing can swell more than expected and will cause jewelry to embed in a piercing. This will be addressed later in the guide.
5. Soreness/Discomfort. You just had a needle put through your skin, then jewelry inserted. It's going to be sore for a while. Usually soreness will go away after a week or two, but if you bump the piercing or get it caught on anything, it will hurt. Ear cartilage piercings will be sore for longer than most other piercings, and can be uncomfortable to sleep on for up to a year.
6. Bruising. While it doesn't happen all the time, bruising is nothing to be concerned about. Piercing causes trauma to the skin and bruising is a normal reaction to that. Bruising is more common if your piercer uses forceps or clamps, but can happen with freehand piercings as well. The gauge of the piercing needle has little to do with bruising. I almost always bruise with the 18 gauge needles I use in play piercings, but rarely bruise with 8 gauge needles used in suspension.
Go see your piercer
1. Bleeding. If you experience excessive bleeding or your piercing bleeds for more than a few days, it's a good idea to see your piercer first. Bleeding from piercings is not going to be life threatening unless you have a clotting disorder. Often bleeding can be taken care of by inserting slightly larger jewelry. Your piercer will be able to tell you if the bleeding is normal or if you need to see your doctor.
2. Swelling/embedding. If your piercing is swelling so much that your jewelry is embedding in your skin, you need to see your piercer ASAP. You will need to have longer, sterile jewelry inserted. This is not something that you can do yourself.
3. Rejection Rejection will usually be sore, with redness around the exit holes or over the length of the piercing. Your jewelry may seem longer as the tissue recedes. You may be able to see the outline of the jewelry through the skin. Rejection is common with surface piercings, but can happen in many different piercings. Of the more standard piercings, rejection is more likely to occur in navel piercings, eyebows, bridge piercings and christina piercings. If you think your piercing is rejecting, go see your piercer.
3. Anything else you are concerned about. Your piercer is there to help you. You should never hesitate to call or visit your piercer if you have concerns about your piercing. A professional piercer will be able to address your concerns and put you at ease.
Problems
1. Bumps. Bumps on piercings can be a number of things. The most common (and the only ones I've actually seen in 5 years as a professional piercer) are boils and scar tissue. Both are easily taken care of at home, but scar tissue needs a bit of detective work to determine the cause.
Boils - Boils look like a pimple, and are very similar. They can feel hard to the touch and may be tender. There is liquid inside, which is usually composed of dead white blood cells. Do not pop or lance a boil (your doctor may do this, but he/she has sterile equipment. You should never do it). Boils are usually easily treated with a hot compress. Use your sea salt solution as hot as you can stand. Dip a piece of sterile gauze in the solution and hold it against the boil. Make sure the gauze stays hot by dipping it in the hot solution again. Use the compress for 10 mins at a time 2-3 times per day. The heat will encourage the boil to drain and you should see improvement in a few days.
Scar tissue - Is pretty common with piercings, due to a number of factors. Scar tissue forms in response to irritation. To deal with scar tissue, you need to address the reason it formed as well as treat the scar itself. Hypertrophic scars (the most common) will appear as small hard bumps and can be red, white or even slightly darker than your regular skin tone. Keloid scars (very rare) will grow quickly and will grow outside of the original area of the piercing. They are most common in people with darker skin tones as melanin is believed to be involved in keloid formation. Keloids will need to be treated by your doctor.
To find the reason your skin is producing, you need to be a bit of a detective.
Make sure you are wearing properly fitting jewelry. Jewelry that is too large will move around and can irritate the piercing. Make sure you get your jewelry downsized when your piercer indicates. When buying new jewelry, make sure that the length is correct. Jewelry should be snug but not tight in a piercing. CBRs or any type of ring should only be worn in healed piercings as they tend to move through the piercing. Even in healed piercings, they can cause irritation that can lead to scar tissue.
Make sure your jewelry is good quality. Jewelry should be implant grade stainless steel, titanium or Pyrex. Organics (bone, wood, stone, horn) can be worn in healed piercings. PTFE can be worn in some piercings, but I don't like it for long term wear. Acrylic should never be worn for more than a few hours at a time, if at all. Good quality jewelry will be internally threaded. External threading can damage the fistula (inside of the piercing) and should be avoided.
Make sure you're not changing your jewelry too often. This can really irritate your piercing and cause scar tissue to form. Change jewelry as little as possible. If you need to wear a retainer for work/school, put it in on Monday morning and put your regular jewelry back in Friday evening. Changing jewelry everyday can irritate even fully healed piercings.
Make sure you're using proper aftercare. Chemicals and many cleaning products are too harsh and can irritate piercings. You should only be using a mild sea salt soak to clean your piercings, nothing else. Please see my article on piercing aftercare for full details on how to do a sea salt soak. Also make sure that you aren't getting shampoo or soaps from your daily shower in the piercing. If this can't be avoided, make sure you rinse the piercing off really well.
Exercise can irritate a piercing, as can any type of work where the piercing gets bumped or moved too much. Try to avoid these movements. For example, doing sit ups the day after getting a navel piercing will be likely to irritate it.
Clothing can often rub against piercings causing irritation. Try to avoid tight clothing over fresh piercings. Waistbands are a common problem for navel piercings.
To treat scar tissue, eliminate all possible causes of irritation, the most common of which are listed above.
Do regular sea salt soaks, 2-3 times a day. If the piercing is healed, you can do vitamin E rubs. Massaging the oil into the skin will help encourage blood flow to the area which will help eliminate the scar tissue, as will the sea salt soaks. If you have a fresh piercing, you can take vitamin E along with your daily multi-vitamin, according to package directions. Improvement in scar tissue will take a while to see, but should happen within a few weeks.
Some people will tell you to put tea tree oil on scar tissue. It's not something that I recommend, because I find that 50% of the time it works and 50% of the time it makes things worse. If you are going to try this method, make sure you dilute the tea tree oil. Once again, I would skip tea tree oil for scar tissue, as it is a harsh astringent (which certainly has it's uses) and has a good chance of making things worse.
2. Allergies. Allergic reactions can happen in piercings. Most times it's a problem with jewelry material. If your piercing is itchy, weeping and tender there is a good chance you are allergic to something that you're using on or in the piercing. These types of reactions can lead to scar tissue as well. Many times, piercing gun studs (even the 'hypo-allergenic' ones) will cause allergic reactions. This is because they are made of cheap metals or cheap metal covered in a thin layer of better quality metal. The most common metal allergy is nickel, which can be found in many different metals, including gold and silver. If you are having an allergic reaction make sure you have good quality jewelry in. Avoid gold and silver, as they can contain nickel, gold becomes too soft for piercings as it gets better in quality. Implant grade stainless steel, titanium and pyrex are the best materials to use in any piercing, but especially when you are having an allergic reaction. While it is extremely rare, some people will be allergic to stainless steel (there is a very small amount of nickel in it) and should try titanium. Those rare people who are allergic to titanium should try stainless steel. If you can't wear either, get some pyrex.
You can also be allergic to aftercare products. Chamomile is a common one. If you have ragweed allergies, there is a pretty good chance you'll have an allergic reaction to chamomile as well.
Go to your doctor
Signs of Infection
Redness spreading away from the piercing
Heat around the piercing
Fever
Green pus/discharge
Pain
If you have redness that spreads away from the piercing and it is accompanied by pain, heat, green pus or fever, go to your doctor immediately. This is a sign that you may have an infection. Leave your jewelry in, taking it out can prevent the infection from draining and can result in an abscess. Infections are much easier to treat if caught early. Do not wait to see your doctor if you have the above symptoms (you don't have to have all of them, but more than one will usually indicate an infection)
Piercing guns and cartilage
Some places will pierce ear cartilage with piercing guns. While I have discussed this issue in another guide, I feel it is important to include here. Piercing guns can sometimes shatter the cartilage of the ear. If you have severe pain (remember that cartilage piercings can be very sore for quite some time), bruising in the cartilage, softness or lumpyness in the cartilage, go see your doctor right away.
What is normal?
1. Redness. When a piercing is fresh, a little redness around the exit wounds is totally normal. This redness should go away in a few weeks and should not spread out away from the piercing. If the redness doesn't go away or spreads away from the piercing, it is cause for concern and will be addressed later in this guide.
2. Lymph or 'Crusties' It is normal for a piercing to secrete lymph (commonly called crusties) until it's fully healed. Lymph is a combination of dead white blood cells and any impurities that may have gotten into the piercing. It is a normal and healthy sign of healing. Even in healed piercings, it's not uncommon for lymph to develop if you bump or irritate the piercing or if you get a cold or get sick. Don't pick at lymph, just wipe it away after a sea salt soak or during your shower.
3. Bleeding. It's not unusual to have a little bit of bleeding during the first week of healing. You just had a hole poked in your skin, it's going to bleed a bit. If you are experiencing bleeding, make sure your sea salt soaks are room temperature. Warm water will encourage bleeding. Once the bleeding has stopped for a day or so, return to warm sea salt soaks. Excessive bleeding can be a cause of concern and will be addressed later in the guide.
4. Swelling. New piercings will swell up. They may only swell a little bit, or may swell a lot. Swelling should clear up within two weeks, but can be problematic during that time. Piercers will use longer jewelry initially to accommodate this swelling which will need to be downsized by your piercer after about 2 weeks. Sometimes a piercing can swell more than expected and will cause jewelry to embed in a piercing. This will be addressed later in the guide.
5. Soreness/Discomfort. You just had a needle put through your skin, then jewelry inserted. It's going to be sore for a while. Usually soreness will go away after a week or two, but if you bump the piercing or get it caught on anything, it will hurt. Ear cartilage piercings will be sore for longer than most other piercings, and can be uncomfortable to sleep on for up to a year.
6. Bruising. While it doesn't happen all the time, bruising is nothing to be concerned about. Piercing causes trauma to the skin and bruising is a normal reaction to that. Bruising is more common if your piercer uses forceps or clamps, but can happen with freehand piercings as well. The gauge of the piercing needle has little to do with bruising. I almost always bruise with the 18 gauge needles I use in play piercings, but rarely bruise with 8 gauge needles used in suspension.
Go see your piercer
1. Bleeding. If you experience excessive bleeding or your piercing bleeds for more than a few days, it's a good idea to see your piercer first. Bleeding from piercings is not going to be life threatening unless you have a clotting disorder. Often bleeding can be taken care of by inserting slightly larger jewelry. Your piercer will be able to tell you if the bleeding is normal or if you need to see your doctor.
2. Swelling/embedding. If your piercing is swelling so much that your jewelry is embedding in your skin, you need to see your piercer ASAP. You will need to have longer, sterile jewelry inserted. This is not something that you can do yourself.
3. Rejection Rejection will usually be sore, with redness around the exit holes or over the length of the piercing. Your jewelry may seem longer as the tissue recedes. You may be able to see the outline of the jewelry through the skin. Rejection is common with surface piercings, but can happen in many different piercings. Of the more standard piercings, rejection is more likely to occur in navel piercings, eyebows, bridge piercings and christina piercings. If you think your piercing is rejecting, go see your piercer.
3. Anything else you are concerned about. Your piercer is there to help you. You should never hesitate to call or visit your piercer if you have concerns about your piercing. A professional piercer will be able to address your concerns and put you at ease.
Problems
1. Bumps. Bumps on piercings can be a number of things. The most common (and the only ones I've actually seen in 5 years as a professional piercer) are boils and scar tissue. Both are easily taken care of at home, but scar tissue needs a bit of detective work to determine the cause.
Boils - Boils look like a pimple, and are very similar. They can feel hard to the touch and may be tender. There is liquid inside, which is usually composed of dead white blood cells. Do not pop or lance a boil (your doctor may do this, but he/she has sterile equipment. You should never do it). Boils are usually easily treated with a hot compress. Use your sea salt solution as hot as you can stand. Dip a piece of sterile gauze in the solution and hold it against the boil. Make sure the gauze stays hot by dipping it in the hot solution again. Use the compress for 10 mins at a time 2-3 times per day. The heat will encourage the boil to drain and you should see improvement in a few days.
Scar tissue - Is pretty common with piercings, due to a number of factors. Scar tissue forms in response to irritation. To deal with scar tissue, you need to address the reason it formed as well as treat the scar itself. Hypertrophic scars (the most common) will appear as small hard bumps and can be red, white or even slightly darker than your regular skin tone. Keloid scars (very rare) will grow quickly and will grow outside of the original area of the piercing. They are most common in people with darker skin tones as melanin is believed to be involved in keloid formation. Keloids will need to be treated by your doctor.
To find the reason your skin is producing, you need to be a bit of a detective.
Make sure you are wearing properly fitting jewelry. Jewelry that is too large will move around and can irritate the piercing. Make sure you get your jewelry downsized when your piercer indicates. When buying new jewelry, make sure that the length is correct. Jewelry should be snug but not tight in a piercing. CBRs or any type of ring should only be worn in healed piercings as they tend to move through the piercing. Even in healed piercings, they can cause irritation that can lead to scar tissue.
Make sure your jewelry is good quality. Jewelry should be implant grade stainless steel, titanium or Pyrex. Organics (bone, wood, stone, horn) can be worn in healed piercings. PTFE can be worn in some piercings, but I don't like it for long term wear. Acrylic should never be worn for more than a few hours at a time, if at all. Good quality jewelry will be internally threaded. External threading can damage the fistula (inside of the piercing) and should be avoided.
Make sure you're not changing your jewelry too often. This can really irritate your piercing and cause scar tissue to form. Change jewelry as little as possible. If you need to wear a retainer for work/school, put it in on Monday morning and put your regular jewelry back in Friday evening. Changing jewelry everyday can irritate even fully healed piercings.
Make sure you're using proper aftercare. Chemicals and many cleaning products are too harsh and can irritate piercings. You should only be using a mild sea salt soak to clean your piercings, nothing else. Please see my article on piercing aftercare for full details on how to do a sea salt soak. Also make sure that you aren't getting shampoo or soaps from your daily shower in the piercing. If this can't be avoided, make sure you rinse the piercing off really well.
Exercise can irritate a piercing, as can any type of work where the piercing gets bumped or moved too much. Try to avoid these movements. For example, doing sit ups the day after getting a navel piercing will be likely to irritate it.
Clothing can often rub against piercings causing irritation. Try to avoid tight clothing over fresh piercings. Waistbands are a common problem for navel piercings.
To treat scar tissue, eliminate all possible causes of irritation, the most common of which are listed above.
Do regular sea salt soaks, 2-3 times a day. If the piercing is healed, you can do vitamin E rubs. Massaging the oil into the skin will help encourage blood flow to the area which will help eliminate the scar tissue, as will the sea salt soaks. If you have a fresh piercing, you can take vitamin E along with your daily multi-vitamin, according to package directions. Improvement in scar tissue will take a while to see, but should happen within a few weeks.
Some people will tell you to put tea tree oil on scar tissue. It's not something that I recommend, because I find that 50% of the time it works and 50% of the time it makes things worse. If you are going to try this method, make sure you dilute the tea tree oil. Once again, I would skip tea tree oil for scar tissue, as it is a harsh astringent (which certainly has it's uses) and has a good chance of making things worse.
2. Allergies. Allergic reactions can happen in piercings. Most times it's a problem with jewelry material. If your piercing is itchy, weeping and tender there is a good chance you are allergic to something that you're using on or in the piercing. These types of reactions can lead to scar tissue as well. Many times, piercing gun studs (even the 'hypo-allergenic' ones) will cause allergic reactions. This is because they are made of cheap metals or cheap metal covered in a thin layer of better quality metal. The most common metal allergy is nickel, which can be found in many different metals, including gold and silver. If you are having an allergic reaction make sure you have good quality jewelry in. Avoid gold and silver, as they can contain nickel, gold becomes too soft for piercings as it gets better in quality. Implant grade stainless steel, titanium and pyrex are the best materials to use in any piercing, but especially when you are having an allergic reaction. While it is extremely rare, some people will be allergic to stainless steel (there is a very small amount of nickel in it) and should try titanium. Those rare people who are allergic to titanium should try stainless steel. If you can't wear either, get some pyrex.
You can also be allergic to aftercare products. Chamomile is a common one. If you have ragweed allergies, there is a pretty good chance you'll have an allergic reaction to chamomile as well.
Go to your doctor
Signs of Infection
Redness spreading away from the piercing
Heat around the piercing
Fever
Green pus/discharge
Pain
If you have redness that spreads away from the piercing and it is accompanied by pain, heat, green pus or fever, go to your doctor immediately. This is a sign that you may have an infection. Leave your jewelry in, taking it out can prevent the infection from draining and can result in an abscess. Infections are much easier to treat if caught early. Do not wait to see your doctor if you have the above symptoms (you don't have to have all of them, but more than one will usually indicate an infection)
Piercing guns and cartilage
Some places will pierce ear cartilage with piercing guns. While I have discussed this issue in another guide, I feel it is important to include here. Piercing guns can sometimes shatter the cartilage of the ear. If you have severe pain (remember that cartilage piercings can be very sore for quite some time), bruising in the cartilage, softness or lumpyness in the cartilage, go see your doctor right away.