Piercing Common Problems

When the diameter of the fistula is enlarged, it is known as stretching of the piercing. In such a situation, the tissue stretches to such an extent that the user can wear jewelry having a larger gauge. The area where the piercing is done affects its wellbeing and the degree to which stretching would take place. In case the piercing is near the edge of the tissue and it enlarges, the skin at the edge tends to thin out. Sometimes, this skin becomes so thin that blood circulation does not take place. The tissue tends to die, due to which the skin becomes weak and can tear. If this happens, the user should go to a physician to get the torn skin stitched together in order to help it heal appropriately. In certain cases, another stretch occurs soon after one stretch has healed. The tissue splits and it may lead to a 'blow-out'. A 'blow-out' refers to a stretching of the tissue which does not heal to regain its original thickness. It is called a 'blow-out' because its appearance is that of a tissue flap that is away from the fistula. When this happens, the user should replace the jewelry to something of a smaller size or remove it at once. This would help the tissue to heal soon. Along with this, the use of pure olive oil or vitamin E cream that is rubbed on the flap would also accelerate the healing process. The process of stretching the piercing should be done slowly. It should be done keeping in view the process of healing of the piercing. If the stretch is rigid and sore, it should be given some time to adjust before trying to stretch it. The elasticity of skin is different for different people. The time taken for the stretching to take place may vary from one person to another. While stretching the piercing with weights, care should be taken to ensure that the fistula is not stretched overly, that is stretched to a diameter of more than 12/14 mm. However, what diameter can be called overstretching depends on the initial diameter of the piercing. If overstretching happens, the tissue might tear, which would necessitate stitching to help the area to heal. The tissue itself might be greatly damaged to an extent that it cannot heal to the desired level or might lead to damage to the tissue in case of stretching in future.

When bacteria develop in the tissue and spread to the white blood cells, boils and abscesses are formed. Abscesses develop inside the tissue of the skin and might rupture, which would spread infection in the body. As compared to this, boils are less serious. Abscesses and boils are best dealt with in when they are in the initial stages of development. When a piercing has not been fully drained and there is caked blood and pus at the entry and exit points, an abscess can form at the area. Reddish-pink bumps are formed in between the points of the piercing. The piercing too may become sore and swell or turn red in color. Nausea and fever may develop if the abscess is severe. Usually, abscesses heal on their own; however, it is always advisable to consult a physician or go back to your piercer when one occurs. If it is in the initial stages, compresses can be utilized to treat them. If this does not help, a course of antibiotics might be prescribed. In certain cases, the abscess is lanced with a needle to allow the fluid to drain. After this procedure is performed, care should be taken to ensure that the piercing remains clean and dry till it heals up completely. In terms of outward appearance, boils look similar to abscesses; however the difference is that boils generally develop at the entry and exit points of the piercing. Boils are generally observed more in case of nostril and nipple piercings and rarely in case of oral piercings. When a jewel in a piercing gets caught and the skin tears because of that, boils tend to develop. When this happens, bacteria get caught inside the wound and the tissue closes it in. Some people pop a boil in order to drain out the fluid or pus inside; however this is not advisable. Instead warm compresses should be used at the area. If the boil bleeds, care should be taken to clean and dry the wound properly to avoid the further development of bacteria at the area.

When a piercing is healing, even after the skin tissue heals, it sometimes does not match the tissue around it. The thickness of the healed skin tissue and the scarring patterns differ from one person to another. If a piercing is worn for a reasonably long period of time, it does tend to leave a scar when the jewelry is removed. Many users find it difficult to believe that the area of their piercing might not look similar to the area surrounding it after healing. Some people discard the idea of getting a piercing on knowing this. However, it would be advisable for them to discuss about their doubts with the piercer before getting the piercing done. One does have to accept the probability that they might have a scar left behind after the jewelry is taken off. It should also be noted that in most of the cases, the scars can barely be noticed. Any individual can develop a keloid scar, but those who have darker skin tend to develop them more. A keloid scar is generally a red and purple colored area near the ends of the fistula. A keloid scar is sometimes sore if there has been a swelling at the area of the piercing. There is usually not much blood flow to the area of the keloid, due to which the process of healing is delayed. Soaking in hot water and compresses can help in treating keloid scars. In a few rare cases, keloid scars are widespread. Usually a physician can prescribe appropriate treatment for such a scar. The scar tissue that forms around an oral piercing is generally like a white-colored ring. Generally, the scar tissue heals in a month or two. However, in some people, scar tissue might develop along the entire length of the jewelry. In this situation, the piercer or a dentist or physician should be consulted by the user. Rinsing the mouth regularly with saline solution might help in dealing with this problem. The amount of scar tissue tends to be very less when the piercing heals normally. This is because in this case, there is very little irritation to the skin. When the jewelry snags or gets pulled forcefully, the skin might tear, giving rise to the formation of more scar tissue at the area of the piercing. Traditionally, natural oils like tea-tree oil, germseed oil and extra virgin olive oil as well as natural sea salt solution can be used regularly at the area of the scar tissue to help it to heal faster.

When the jewelry moves to a different position from where it was initially placed, it is called 'migration'. The migrating jewelry tends to move an extremely short distance from its initial position. This situation is also known as 'parking'. In certain cases, migration of jewelry takes place because the user has sensitivity to the metal used in it. He might also develop allergic reactions to the skin. In such a situation, the user should return to the piercer and get the jewelry replaced by jewelry made from PTFE or other safe materials. Migration may also take place if the jewelry is very big and it disrupts the stretching of the skin, due to which the jewelry moves to another place. Usually, migration is observed in case of naval piercings when there is very little space for the jewelry to be placed in the navel. In such situations, the piercing does not heal well on account of the tension exerted on the tissue by the jewelry. If this happens, the user should go back to the piercer and get the jewelry changed to jewelry that is suitable in shape and size. Migration may also take place on account of the heaviness of the jewelry. The weight of the jewelry is an important factor that affects the duration of the piercing. It has been observed that a person does not immediately notice the migration of his piercing. If the user finds that his piercing is migrating for no obvious reason, it might be due to the heavy jewelry. In this situation, jewelry made from lightweight material such as titanium or niobium or PTFE and other biocompatible plastics should be utitilised. Another reason due to which migration takes place is due to the gauge of the jewelry. When the gauge is only about 1 to 2 mm, the jewelry can easily travel through the skin and migrate. Usually, jewelry having a small gauge are used in abdomen and genital piercings and hence, migration is commonly observed in these piercings. It is advisable to use jewelry with a gauge of 1.6 mm and more for abdominal and surface piercings, 2.4 mm and more for male genital piercings and 1.6 mm and more for female genital piercings. Apart from changing the appearance of the piercing, migration also causes the problem of rejection if it is not taken care of. Rejections are generally observed in case of eyebrow and navel piercings. Rejection of jewelry takes place for reasons same as that for initial migration. However, in case of rejection, the jewelry is forcefully expelled by the body and it can be quite painful to deal with. Soreness and redness may develop around the area of the piercing. The skin also becomes thinner as the jewelry moves. Ultimately there is only a minimal amount of skin holding the jewelry and it keeps on thinning further. It becomes so thin that it cannot bear the weight of the jewelry and it falls out. When the jewelry falls out in this manner, it leaves behind a large amount of scar tissue and a mark at the area where the jewelry was finally held. If thinning out of the skin is observed, it would be advisable to remove the jewelry before it falls off on its own. This can help avoid large amounts of scar tissue and damage to the skin at a later stage.

Sensitivity to nickel has been increasing over time. The government in certain countries is monitoring the metals used for body piercing. Irrespective of whether you are sensitive to a certain metal or not, it is always better to use hypoallergenic metals for body piercing in order to avoid any allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic metals do not give rise to any allergic reaction and thus the piercing heals faster, putting less stress on the immune system. In fact, before undertaking the piercing, the piercer should inquire if you are sensitive to any metal. Many customers are not even aware of the fact that they are sensitive to a certain metal. Sometimes, the customer does not even know what metal is being used for the piercing. Frankly, both the piercer and the customer are responsible for avoiding the use of a metal that the customer is allergic to. The piercer should ask the customer about his sensitivity before proceeding with the piercing. However, if the customer has ever had a skin problem due to the use of a particular metal, this fact should be informed to the piercer. If you get skin irritation with wearing metal-backed wristwatches, metal buttons in jeans or belt buckles, you might have an allergy to nickel, which many people have. According to a European directive, jewelry used initially in a piercing should not contain more than 0.05% nickel. Once the piercing heals, jewelry with a slightly higher percentage of nickel might be used. Nickel-free surgical steel is ideal for initial use in the piercing as it is graded 316L and contains less than 0.01% nickel. The percentage of nickel in 'common' surgical steel is more than 10%. Using Surgical Implantation grade Titanium of the grade 6A1 4V to BS7252 and Niobium in piercings that are new is safe because these metals do not lead to any reactions in the human body. Sometimes, titanium is colored in such a way that no undue reactions are caused. However, the color might fade with time. Silver is generally mixed with other metals like nickel, due to which its use should not be made in the initial stages. 9 carat gold and other low grades of gold have several other metals mixed with them, due to which their use in a new piercing should be avoided. High grade gold such as 24 carat gold is used for making jewelry for occasional use. Pure gold is generally not useful for making jewelry for long-term use because it is very soft. Acrylic jewelry does not usually cause skin irritation, but acrylic jewelry tends to develop breaks easily. This might lead to the development of bacteria and germs. Retainer jewelry that is jewelry made of transperant acrylic in order to make it subdued also poses the same problem. Acrylic jewelry is ideal for temporary use; however, if it is taken care of well and is worn after the piercing heals completely, there are fewer chances of skin problems occurring. PTFE or polytetraflouroethylene is a harmless material that is highly flexible. Many a times, it is used in piercings where hard metal jewelry would lead to rejection on account of the stress at the area. Due to its flexible nature, the stress caused at the area of the piercing reduces and so it accelerates the process of healing of the piercing. In case red and irritated skin develops around the piercing or there is drainage from it or if the area is sore or extremely dry, the user may need to get the jewelry changed to one that is made from biocompatible material.

Infections usually develop when the area of the piercing is tender and fresh. Bacteria and fungi build up at the area and lead to an infection. The body tries to resist this infection by building up white blood cells. Many times, redness and swelling is seen at the area along with soreness. There might be pus drainage from the area that is grey, green or white in color. The situation can be helped by using compresses; however, only in the initial stages. The user may require antibiotic treatment if the infection is not controlled. In case of an infection, the removal of jewelry should be avoided as this may ensnare the infection within the body and infect various organs and tissue. For instance, if a cartilage piercing becomes infected, the infection can extend to several layers of cartilage and might even lead to damage to the cartilage and disfigurement of the shape of the ear. Similarly, if infection takes place in the nipple piercing of a female, it may extend to the mammary glands and give rise to mastitis. This could cause the breast to become inflammated and painful and there might also be swelling and a sheen over the area. Sometimes, pus may drain out of the nipple. Some commonly found symptoms of piercing infection are similar to that of flu, that is high temperature, shuddering, aches in the muscles, nausea and throwing up. If the piercing is done following a proper procedure, there are negligible chances of infection occurring. However, when such an infection occurs, it should be treated immediately because if left uncared for, it might lead to problems with breastfeeding. It is better to know about the signs and symptoms of infection so that they can be recognized and treated when they occur. However, it would be ideal if such a situation is avoided in the first place. Moreover, incomplete information about these symptoms would only lead to confusion and trouble. Many times, customers have been noted to come to the store flustered because someone told them that they might have an infection, only to have a healthy piercing with no problems. There might have been certain changes occurring at the area because the body is adjusting to the piercing and the process of healing is taking place. Some customers routinely cleanse the area of the piercing with a strong cleansing solution, which would prevent an infection from occurring, but it may damage the tissue and slow down the process of healing.

Sometimes, when the skin is cleansed more than necessary using a strong cleanser, it might cause the skin to become very soft and have a plastic-like shine to it. Pus-like liquid might emanate from the area of the piercing. Cleansing the area with saline more than necessary might lead to a similar situation. In such a case, the cleanser should be weakened by adding disinfected water to it. However, if the use of the harsh cleanser continues, the skin might become very irritated and soft, which may lead to the development of infection at the area of the piercing.

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