Guidelines for healing your piercings - UPDATED

Gauge

New2Galway wrote: »

Hi would love some advise on a couple of things. I got my lip pierced on Monday. How long does it take to heal genearally. I have a bar in it at the minute but would like to change it to a ring as soon as possible. I been using sea salt but its not the pure sea salt. Its the tiny pieces. Is this ok? Also going on holidays next friday. Can i change it to a ring by then. Thanks guys.

No you can't change it to a ring. Wait 6-8 weeks.

I've found that the 'chunky' sea salt barely dissolves into the water, so it's okay to use for now, but you're better off getting your hands on some of the finer stuff when you can.

-lala-

Gauge wrote: »

I've found that the 'chunky' sea salt barely dissolves into the water, so it's okay to use for now, but you're better off getting your hands on some of the finer stuff when you can.

For the chunkier sea salt, try pouring the water in as soon as it's boiled and stirring it really vigorously and it should dissolve.

That's assuming we're talking about the same thing of course, which we might well not be... (am a bit tired and caffeineless)

New2Galway

Thanks. Where can i buy the finer sea salt. I was told i could change it to a ring in 3 weeks by piercer. Is this not recommended? Could i even change the ball to a smaller one. It just looks huge and a bit rotten.

Will

Health food stores, some tescos have it too. I use the maldon sea salt.

Your piercing is gonna look a bit sore regardless until it's healed. Would you rather irritate it now by putting on a smaller ball and have it still look sore AND prolong healing. OR leave it and have a shorter healing time then get it sorted with proper size jewellery.

Go back to your piercer in 3 weeks and see what they say, they will see if it's ready to change or not

-lala-

New2Galway wrote: »

I was told i could change it to a ring in 3 weeks by piercer. Is this not recommended?

YOU shouldn't change it until it's fully healed.

If you want to change it before it's healed, go back to the piercer and ask them to change it.

creativedrinker

hey i got my tragus pierced about a month ago.. i was wondering if i have to get a thinner bar in it, when i had the rim of my ear pierced with a cbr b4 i had to change it a month later to a thinner one for it to heal properly... does any one know if this applies for tragus piercings???(i got it done with a stud if that makes any difference) i would head into snakebite where i got it done but i wont get a chance for another week with tests in college and that...

Will

ring em tomorrow when they're open maybe?

creativedrinker

Yea ill do that...Thanks

BoysNoize

Total newbie here to the piercings but if anyone can help it'd be great. Just want to get my lobe pierced this weekend, looking for something like this http://www.topman.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=17551&storeId=12555&categoryId=102446&parent_category_rn=102440&productId=1216751&langId=-1 in black and would this be possible or as its my first time do they have to give me an earring of theirs. And also would swimming in 3 weeks be a bad idea ? Cheers !

Will

Stick to a standard barbell in your lobe till it's healed, then buy the jewellery ya want, depends where you are swimming tbh

_red_6_

Hi ,I got my eyebrow pierced nearly 5 weeks ago and its ok now,just a little crusting around the edge every couple of days! It hasnt been infected or anything so when can i change it to a new bar? And any recomendations for where to buy eyebrow jewellery?:)

Crumble Froo

while this is bumped, actually... just wondering... im currently wearing a 5mm tunnel in my septum, that's got an extra 3ish mm ptfe tape around it. am i actually doing any damage/harm by not splashing out on an 8mm piece of jewellery?

Will

red6 - go back to your piercer they will change it out for you if the time is right.

crumble - it's not a problem as long as you are changing the tape every day or two cos the stuff gets fierce mouldy after a few days wear and stinks to high heavens.

sillysocks

I got my navel pierced almost 4 weeks ago, healing seemed to be going grand, it was still a bit red at the top but nothing too sore. Then I did notice two days ago a little red lump, like a small ball of bright red skin (sorry if TMI!) was sticking out through the top of the piercing - I could see it if I just pushed the ball up a small bit. Then later that night I was lifting a box and the box banged off my piercing. Very sore!

Next morning when I woke up the ball of skin seemed to have disappered back inside, but its SO painful since. I'm not sure if its anything to do with the piece of skin or if its the bang it got but anytime anything touches off the bottom of the piercing especially the pain is terrible. Its actually bad enough that I'm thinking of just taking it out.

It doesn't look infected, the top and bottom of it are red but not majorily more than they were before. I have been doing my sea soak and did have a small bit of bleeding last night (nothing major just a bit on the cotton bud).
Anyone any suggestions as to what it might be or whether its just maybe bruised and will take a few days to clear up?

Will

To be honest I'd go into a studio and get em to take a look at it for ya, the bright red ball could be anything and impossible to know without looking at it.

So yeah go into your piercer asap and hope for the best

sillysocks

Thanks, went in today but the girl who is in charge of the piercing wasn't there. The other guy said he couldn't see anything major but I'd need to go back to see her if I want a definite opinion.

Its way less painful today so hoping it was just the bang I gave it causing the problem - the skin tag type thing seems gone as well.
I'll see what its like by Saturday and call back then if needs be.

paul08

hii just got my eyebrow done there no problems so far in the last few days was just wondrin about the little white bits at the edge of the piercing how could you get them off witout literally diggin them ou??? and do piercing places put the bar in for free if your just changin bars??

Will

Updated with chamomile tea bags and steaming procedures.

Coop92

Iv had numerous piercings but the same thing keeps happening to them all. They begin to heal and after about 2 monthes look great then they form this sort of sore oozey (sometimes bloody) bubble and then they swell. So i take them out. Im normally not left with a scare but my belly button bar has left one. Is there any way i can get rid of this scar? or get it pierced again? iv been told that i may have an allergy towards the metel. Is there another type of piercing i could use till the wound heals?

Will

Titanium would be your best bet if you are having issue with some metals. Bio oil after prolonged use can minimise the look of scars.

hitlersson666

Whats the best way to soak a wrist piercing? a glass is too big and we dont have shot glasses

Star Lord

Cotton wool balls/pads soaked in the boiled and cooled water that has had a little sea salt added. The pads are better than the balls, as there's less loose fibre to get caught on your piercing. Hold them to the piercing till they cool right down, then swap for a fresh one.

hitlersson666

Thanks cool will do

SmoosBoo

How long does it take for ear piercings to fully heal? (i.e. so that earrings may be removed and replaced without any effort or discomfort)

My eight year old daughter got her ears pierced last January (with a gun, in a place that I should have known better – I know, I know, it was a complete disaster with one ear needing four attempts!!!! – never again, I promise).

My daughter was very diligent in ensuring that the cleaning lotion was applied twice a day during the first six weeks and she was constantly twisting the earrings too as advised. After the initial six week mark she replaced the standard earrings with some that she bought herself. She has been constantly twisting the earrings and has occasionally removed them, (although she has not removed the new earrings for about 2 months). Yesterday she was changing them when she complained that one of her ears was sore (the opposite one that needed four attempts) and felt faint. I noticed that there was some fresh blood in the piercing.

I suggested that she use savlon to clean the piercing but I notice from searching here that I should be using sea salt. I will use that from today onwards.

How long should it take for ear piercings to fully heal? Should she just leave her earrings in for several months without taking them out or is this taking too long to heal properly? She has a fear that if she takes her earrings out the piercing will close – How long would it take for that to happen?

Thanks

snooleen

I've a HUGE keloid on my industrial. It's nearly the size of the ball on the barbell. I really don't wanna take it out I stick to a strict routine of cleaning it every morning with saline solution about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a mug. Any quick tips? Should I take zinc for a while? Or try the chamomile tea? Or the tea tree oil? I don't think I should try all three...:/

Joseph Lewis

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the advice, some interesting facts here. I have had a few tattoos and the first thing the tattooist told me, was to treat the tattoo with care and respect. Many people use creams and keep bandaged and clean for two weeks.

Have any of you had any problems with your tattoos?

hdowney

k so i got my lip pierced i think it was like late august or early september. seemed grand, cleaning it properly with me sea salt and water, got a small bit of an infection in it, nothing major. got some antibiotics and it cleared rite up. just wondering tho. it looks fine, but if i push outward on it (like put force with my tongue) i get a little white looking ring around it. now this is ONLY when i push outward on it, and is not there all the time. is this normal?

Pierced Off

Perfectly normal. Your lip has under gone the trauma of having a sharp object poked through it. The tissue inside the piercing is going to be different from normal skin. When you push against the piercing you are exposing the inner flesh, hence the whitish ring you see.

hdowney

Thanks. Was pretty sure it was fine but with body mod etc you never can be too careful. You are much better to ask the question you think you are stupid for asking and get told it is ok than to think you will look stupid asking, not ask and then there be a serious problem.

kitsuune

This thread has got me thinking. I've had my lip pierced (this time) for about a year and a half and suddenly in the last couple of weeks i've started getting this clear liquid (not much but I notice and constantly want to wipe it off) that smells pretty nasty. I know that I touch my piercing too much, and since it's happened I've been making efforts to clean it more. I took everything out recently and disinfected the metal and the piercing etc (which doesn't look aggravated or red or anything unusual, apart from getting little crusties every few days) and it was perfect for about a day before coming back. But I don't tend to take it out fully often because I have a pretty tight fitting bar and small ball and always end up wrecking myself trying to take it out!

I just got a new piercing so I figure Í'll just go back to soaking it properly in sea salt (when I got it done first I was inter railing so this one has never really gotten the proper treatment... oops )
I'm not really worried about it per se, it's annoying but I should be able to get it to go away. It's more that I'm really confused that it was completely and I had had the same jewellery in it for at least 3 or 4 months happily after an entire summer of messing with it cos I had to take it out everyday for work...