Piercing problems and complications

Things that can go wrong.....

Infected Navel Piercing

There are several complications which can occur following a new piercings. The majority of these are usually a result of insufficient aftercare or lack of cleaning and some are simply biological complications which cause your body to reject the piercing. The good news is that the vast majority of complications are easily dealt with if caught at an early stage....

**PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON**

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Skin Infections and Irritations

Skin infections and irritations are usually the result of a small amount of dirt entering your new piercing. Even if you are cleaning it well, this can still happen because piercings pick up dirt from your hands, hair and clothes to name a few things! It is important to learn the difference between irritation and infection because they are treated differently.

In some cases, the piercing will need to be removed in order to stop the infection but this is not always advised as removing the jewellery can cause infection to become trapped which can lead to abscesses. Please contact us to discuss if you feel that you have developed a serious infection.

Infected Piercing

Infections usually start with swelling and redness around the site of the piercing which will then be accompanied by heat and possibly oozing or smelly discharge. If this starts to happen, do not take the piercing out and contact us to discuss. In general terms, small infections can be dealt with by cleaning with topical antiseptic liquids such as Savlon or TCP. In the event of a serious infection, you will need to see a doctor who will usually provide antibiotics.

Irritations will have similar symptoms to start with but are usually caused by things such as clothes rubbing on the piercing or perhaps sleeping or leaning on the piercing which puts it under pressure. Irritations do not usually require antiseptic. If you piercing is irritated as opposed to infected, cover it to protect it from the source of the irritation and continue to clean as normal. Monitor it for 48 hours to ensure that the irritation is reducing. If it does not improve please get in touch.

Irritated Piercing

Keloids or Keloid Lumps

Keloid Lumps

A Keloid Lump is a type of scar tissue. They form within Collagen which is the substance which your skin uses to repair itself following any kind of injury. They can occur in anyone and are completely benign and non-contagious. If they occur as a result of piercings, they usually remain small and will disappear quickly as the piercing settles. If you begin to develop a Keloid, continue to clean as normal to ensure that the tissue within the Keloid does not become infected thus preventing the tissue from healing safely.

Embedding and Rejection

Whatever way you look at it, piercing is not a natural process and your body will instantly see your new piercing as a threat and try to defend you. Your body defends you by trying to push the piercing out. In most people, this is a very minor reaction which won't even be noticed, but some people encounter very strong physical reactions which ultimately result in the need to remove the piercing.

Basic Rejection simply means that your body will force out the jewellery. The jewellery will be pushed upwards through the skin. Before this takes place, the piercing will become sore and irritated and will not settle no matter how well you clean it. Rejection is usually a reaction to the metal in the jewellery so contact us to see if we can help to save your piercing before you give up on it. The earlier you spot these signs and come back in to see us, the easier it will be to avoid losing the piercing.

Rejecting Piercing

Embedded Piercing

Embedding occurs as a result of your body allowing the skin to grow over the top of a piercing. It happens because your body tries to absorb the piercing in order to "kill" it to defend you from infection. It is a small but unpredicatable risk and can cause serious complications. It cannot be foreseen or prevented and usually starts with aggressive swelling and a build up of fluid around the site of the piercing. You will literally see your jewellery being swallowed by your skin. Embedding requires immediate removal of the jewellery. If you spot the signs early, the removal will be easily conducted by your piercer but if you spot it later on, you will need a doctor to cut the jewellery out.