Piercings keep closing

MelonieHead

Hopefully someone more experienced will be able to shed some light on this. I got my navel pierced but the bar worked its way through my skin and came out. I'd like to get it done again but I don't know if I'll be able to as there's a scar.

Recently my nose piercing did the same. The area around the piercing became swollen and lumpy so I took it out, figuring it was about to close. Unfortunately I was right.

So should I just give up on piercings? I'm getting annoyed with them constantly closing. When I was a kid I got my earlobes pierced and they closed so I got them done again, they closed again, I got them pierced one more time and they started to close again. I was going to just let it go but changed my mind and forced a pair through. That was nearly ten years ago and nowadays my ear piercing is in no danger of closing, I could have nothing in them for months but the piercing will still be there when I go to put another pair in.

I'm wondering if my lobes are typical of the rest of me and it's just a matter of getting pierced three or four times before the hole will stay open? Or would it take more tries for my nose than it did for my ears?

I really don't know if I should keep getting the piercings or if it's a waste of time beacause they will always close up.

Will

They aren't closing they're rejecting unfortunately. Could be down to a number of reasons, most probable cause is that the piercings were poorly done.

Piercings will stay open for short periods of time, all depends on the particular piercing though. If you have had it more than 2 years the fistula (hole) will stay open almost indefinetly (apart from some piercings like tongues etc)

Basically, go to a decent piercing studio and follow their after care advice

MelonieHead

Thanks for that Will. I have to take some of the blame for the rejections. I've been pierced a total of 12 times and have only 2 piercings that are still open! I've never been to the same piercer twice.

I wonder if it's relevant that the only time the piercing stayed open was when I did it myself - every other time they closed. But maybe it's a coincidence and it was more the fact that the piercing was done for the fourth time.

TheBlondeOne

Rather than ask on here why not go see a professional experienced piercer? Usually rejection of piercings below the neck are due to having them done young (under the age of 19) and the growing process pushes them out. A decent piercer will take the time to talk to you and give you advice.

MelonieHead

Thank you for your reply, The Blonde One. The reason I'm asking here is because there is no obligation here to go ahead with anything. If I went to see a professional I would feel like I was wasting their time unless I went ahead with a piercing.

Thank you also for the explanation. I got my navel pierced at 19 but all of the other piercings were above the neck. Has anyone else had this problem, where the piercings keep closing? It seems to be fairly rare, I didn't realise.

Gauge

I'm a bit confused by your post. It sounds like your navel rejected alright, but it seems your nose piercing closed because you took it out after it became swollen and lumpy (which is a common problem with nose piercings).

Can you explain what happened with your other piercings? Did they close up after you took the jewellery out? Were they lumpy like the nostril piercing, or did they physically work their way out like the navel piercing?

What is your aftercare routine like, and what was the person who pierced them like? There's a lot of factors that could have contributed to your problems.

MelonieHead

Well, the navel piercing came through the skin which is pretty straightforward. The nose piercing got swollen and lumpy and I thought, due to past experiences, that "It's probably swelling because it's trying to close" because obviously with a nose piercing it can't just force the stud out, like it could with the navel bar. The nose piercing closed up very quickly. You could see that a top layer of skin had already knitted over the hole within a day. Do you think I should have just kept it in? At the time I thought that if it was going to close I'd be better off letting it close, fighting it wouldn't do me or my nose much good. Was I wrong to do this?

All the other piercings were in my ears. I would get them pierced, leave them in until I was allowed to put in the normal sized stud (rather than the thick one you get at the start) and if I left my ears without earrings for a day or two they would start to close. Like the nose piercing, there would be a layer of skin knitting over the hole. You'd be able to see the hole but it would be pretty painful if you tried to force them.

I got my ears pierced for the first time at 7 and for the last time at 12. The last time getting them done professionally would've been the fourth time. The same thing happened as had happened before and I was going to just let them close again but changed my mind, took a pair of my mom's studs and forced them. Since then they have stayed open with absolutely no problems.

My piercings have never been sensitive, never caught any infections or anything like that, they just close. You might be thinking "Well, why did you take the earrings out and give them a chance to close if you got it done before and knew what would happen?" Well, it wasn't practical to have earrings in all the time, afraid to take them out in case they closed. Plus, I was a kid and a slow learner! The ear piercings were okay in the end. After the four rounds of getting them done professionally and one round of doing it myself they are now permanently open.

Star Lord

Ear, nose where-ever, the piercings will always try to close, as it's part of the natural healing process! When you take the jewellery out, they will immediately try to heal up again.

When you forced your mums studs through you probably just ripped the tissue, possibly causing irreparable damage, which is why they are still open.

As regards your navel, a proper piercer should be able to check the area and evaluate if it might be worthwhile attempting to repierce behind the scar tissue.

MelonieHead

Thanks Damo, so if I was to get my nose pierced again I shouldn't take it out if the situation happens next time?

I didn't realise I had damaged my ears. I guess I'm lucky that I didn't have any more problems with them than I did.

I have another question. Do navel piercings always come out for everyone else as well? What about women who have them pierced? Do they get them done regularly in order to keep them open? That sounds expensive.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer.

Star Lord

MelonieHead wrote: »

Thanks Damo, so if I was to get my nose pierced again I shouldn't take it out if the situation happens next time?

I wouldn't give a blanket answer, as each situation is different, but most nose piercings can get quite "angry" like that, but if you keep up a proper aftercare routine, they will eventually settle down.

MelonieHead wrote: »

I have another question. Do navel piercings always come out for everyone else as well? What about women who have them pierced? Do they get them done regularly in order to keep them open? That sounds expensive.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer.

They don't always come out, but they would be fairly prone to rejection, as there is a lot of movement in the area, and it depends a lot on each persons anatomy and their aftercare etc...

Gauge

Navels are more difficult to heal than people give them credit for- rejection is common enough, if the piercing isn't placed correctly, or if your anatomy just isn't suited for it.

It can be easy to confuse rejection with an irritated piercing as they share a lot of symptoms- redness, swelling, gunk, all that fun stuff. Surface piercings like wrists/necks/hips are very prone to it and navels can be too- you can probably see the common factors in these areas for yourself. In comparison, a nostril or lobe piercing is very unlikely to reject (not impossible! But very, very unlikely, and you'd have to be a very unlucky person to have 12 non-surface piercings reject on you!)

Removing the jewellery from an irritated piercing should be a last resort. Don't EVER be afraid to go back to your piercer, because this is where things can go wrong. If a piercing is rejecting, the jewellery will need to come out. If a piercing is irritated, the jewellery may not need to come out, or it might if the irritation is down to placement or jewellery-related issues. If the piercing is actually infected, you shouldn't take the jewellery out, or the infection gets trapped under the skin. Part of a good piercers job is to provide you with good aftercare, so don't ever be afraid to follow up on a piercing you're worried about. You're not wasting their time, and if they make you feel like you are, find a new piercer ASAP!

Nose piercings can suffer from bumps, as can cartilage, so don't worry too much if this happens, just ask your piercer what to do. Proper aftercare, avoiding irritation (makeup, cleansers, hair products are just a few things that can piss off a piercing big time), proper jewellery and placement will help you guarantee that you have no problems.

Piercings can close very quickly if they're recent, sometimes even if they're old. My first nose piercing was gone in an hour, and my current one tightens up in a few hours even though it's five years old. If in doubt, keep it in!

Good luck with your future piercings.

TheBlondeOne

MelonieHead wrote: »

Thank you for your reply, The Blonde One. The reason I'm asking here is because there is no obligation here to go ahead with anything. If I went to see a professional I would feel like I was wasting their time unless I went ahead with a piercing.

Thank you also for the explanation. I got my navel pierced at 19 but all of the other piercings were above the neck. Has anyone else had this problem, where the piercings keep closing? It seems to be fairly rare, I didn't realise.

Hmmmm, I am a Body Piercer and i'd never expect anyone to spend a penny when looking for advice....anyway, the reason i say go see a piercer is that sometimes you need to see what you're dealing with in the flesh to give advice. No offence to anyone on here who actually does know what they are talking about but i have seen some rather questionablr advice given by certain members.... thats why its best go to a pro

MelonieHead

Thanks again to everyone who replied. At lest now I know some of the things I've been doing wrong. Like taking it out as Damo and Gauge have said. I'll try again with the nose piercing, as soon as it's safe to do so.

The Blonde One, you're right, I'm sure most piercers probably wouldn't mind answering a few questions, it's more my problem than anyone else's, as Guage said if I'm not comfortable I should find someone who I am comfortable with.

TheBlondeOne

Exactly!