Trouble Healing?
If you're experiencing issues with your piercing, it’s best to reach out to our studio first before taking any action, such as removing the jewelry, researching online, or seeking medical attention. We are trained to troubleshoot and guide you through any piercing concerns you may have.
If you're concerned that your piercing might be infected, it's best to have us take a look to assess the situation. While we can offer guidance based on our piercing experience, if we believe it may be an infection, we’ll recommend that you see a medical professional for further evaluation. It’s important to leave the jewelry in while you follow the medical professional’s treatment plan, whether that includes antibiotics or other care. Removing the jewelry could cause the skin on the outside to heal over, trapping the infection inside and potentially forming a pus pocket.
Keep in mind, much of the information available online is not accurate and could make the situation worse. Here are some common recommendations found online that you should avoid:
Tea tree oil: While it's often suggested as a healing remedy, tea tree oil is too harsh and can irritate the skin around your piercing, potentially causing more harm than good.
Aspirin paste: This can dry out and irritate the skin, potentially leading to more swelling and discomfort.
Salt water soaks: It's easy to miscalculate the salt-to-water ratio, leading to a solution that’s too concentrated. Excess salt can dehydrate the skin, worsening irritation. For best results, it's important to use the correct balance to avoid these complications.
Plastic bump discs: These can trap bacteria, prevent proper airflow, and make the irritation worse. They also don’t address the underlying cause of why the bump is forming.
Hydrogen peroxide and Isopropyl alcohol: This can kill both good and bad bacteria, potentially disrupting the natural healing process. Hydrogen peroxide also has a chemical reaction with titanium and can cause it to tarnish.
Neosporin or antibiotic ointments: While these may appear helpful, they can cause allergic reactions or clog pores, leading to additional complications. Moreover, if your piercing is actually infected, using these ointments can contribute to antibiotic resistance, making it more difficult for a doctor’s prescribed antibiotics to effectively treat the infection.
Piercing bump oil: While piercing bump oils may seem like a quick fix, they can cause more harm than good. These oils often contain ingredients that can clog pores, leading to further irritation. Additionally, the quality of ingredients in these oils is often unregulated.
Hypochlorous spray: While hypochlorous spray is marketed as a piercing aftercare solution, it’s not recommended over traditional saline. Saline is the most gentle and effective solution for cleansing a piercing, while hypochlorous spray can be overly harsh on the skin, potentially disrupting the natural healing process.
If you're noticing swelling or a bump around your piercing, our first recommendation is always warm compresses. These help tremendously with inflammation and irritation and are one of the safest, most effective treatments. We recommend doing warm compresses 1-2 times a day until the irritation subsides. Here’s how to do them:
Wash your hands thoroughly before handling your piercing or compress materials.
Boil water and dip a couple of paper towels into it.
Once the water has cooled to a comfortable temperature, drape the damp paper towels over both the front and back of the piercing(s) for 3-5 minutes.
Afterward, dry the area thoroughly using a clean paper towel, gauze, or a Q-tip. A blow dryer on a cool setting can also help. It’s very important that the area is dry, as moisture left on the piercing can lead to further irritation and complications.
If swelling persists, sleeping with your head elevated and running warm water over the piercing in the shower can also help. You can also keep your saline solution in the fridge for additional soothing relief.
If the bar or post seems too tight due to swelling or you notice embedding (where the jewelry is sinking into the skin), you must visit us so we can replace it with a longer bar to accommodate the swelling.
If a piercing bump is forming, we need to understand the root cause of why it’s happening. Piercings can sometimes go through phases where they seem to be healing well, only to suddenly develop issues.
What Usually Causes Piercing Bumps:
Piercing bumps can be caused by several factors, including:
Improper or shifting angles: Sometimes, a piercing that was initially done at the correct angle may start to shift over time due to factors like needing a downsized post or sleeping on it. This shift can cause irritation, inflammation, and the development of bumps. If the piercing was done at an angle that doesn’t allow for proper healing, it can also lead to similar issues. In either case, these problems can often be corrected using a technique called the cabochon cure. This involves replacing the jewelry with a flat disc-style piece to stabilize the piercing, prevent further shifting, and support the healing process as the bump resolves.
Sleeping on it: Putting pressure on your piercing while you sleep can irritate the area and cause swelling or a bump to form. Use a donut shaped ear piercing pillow from Amazon, airplane neck pillow, or even a rolled up towel with a hair tie tying the two ends together to help. You just want your ear off the pillow at night so its not causing problems.
Trauma from snagging: Any accidental pulling or snagging of the jewelry can disrupt the healing process and lead to bumps.
Removing or reinserting jewelry: Frequently changing or moving the jewelry during the healing period can cause unnecessary irritation or inflammation, leading to bumps.
Changing jewelry to a ring: Switching from a stud to a ring, even after the piercing is fully healed, can still cause issues. Rings have more movement than studs and can rub against the piercing, causing friction, irritation, or swelling, which may lead to bumps.
Not downsizing your posts at the right time: We initially use a longer bar to accommodate swelling during the early healing stages. However, if the jewelry is left too long for too long, the excess movement can cause irritation and bumps. It’s important to come back to see us between 4-6 weeks so we can do a check-up on your piercing. During this visit, we’ll assess how the piercing is healing and whether the swelling has subsided. If the swelling has reduced, we’ll need to downsize the jewelry to a shorter post to prevent excess movement and ensure proper healing.
Excessive moisture: One of the most common causes of piercing bumps, aside from not downsizing jewelry, is not properly drying the area after it gets wet—whether from saline spray, showering, washing your face, or any other exposure to water. This is especially important for areas like behind earlobes, nostrils, navels, and inner ear cartilage, where moisture can get trapped. Always make sure to dry the area thoroughly after cleaning or water exposure. Additionally, be mindful of your hair—pin it up, braid it, or use a blow dryer after showering to avoid wet hair sitting on your ear piercings, as it can contribute to irritation.
Excessive pressure: This is a common issue with piercings like navel or nipple piercings, where pressure from tight clothing can cause irritation and delay healing. For navel piercings, avoid high-waisted pants that sit directly on the jewelry for 4-6 months to prevent unnecessary pressure. For nipple piercings, we recommend wearing braless, bralettes, regular underwire bras, or loose cotton sports bras. Avoid push-up bras, tight spandex-style sports bras, or very tight-fitting shirts, as they can put excess pressure on the piercing and lead to irritation.
Too-tight posts: If the post is too snug, it can restrict airflow and cause the jewelry end or disc to rub against the bump(s), aggravating the irritation and making the bump worse. In this case, a longer post is needed to give your piercing more room to heal and prevent further irritation.
To help diagnose the cause of your piercing bump and get personalized advice, it's best to visit us in person. You can book that here under ‘Jewelry Change’ and add a note it’s about a struggling piercing. If done by us, we do free checkups! If you’re unable to come in or its a piercing emergency, please send a well-lit, straight-on photo of your piercing from all angles to 602-688-2534 and a backstory on what’s going on so we can assess the situation. Our goal is to ensure your piercing heals properly, and we’re here to help guide you every step of the way.