I was sitting at the local bar earlier this week and noticed a girl sitting across from me who was constantly playing with her lip piercing. It was obvious that she constantly played with it by the deep redness that surrounded the jewelry. Not only was this irritation aesthetically unpleasant, she was opening the door to a slew of possible complications.
In this article I will try to stress why you should never “play” with your piercings. Nothing good comes from constant movement of the jewelry and failure to leave your piercings alone can cause nasty scars and complications.
By constantly moving a piercing, weather it’s healed or not is counterproductive to the healing process. Jewelry should not be moved while healing and the more you irritate the surrounding skin the easier it is for infection to creep up on you. In the same aspect jewelry should never be changed before the healing process is complete and when replacing jewelry the process should be completed as quickly as possible to avoid closure of the hole which can happen rapidly.
In the event that you don’t take my advice and insist on playing with your new piercing. When your piercing starts to become irritated or infected you will need to either treat the affected piercing or remove it.
From The Association Of Professional Piercers
What is Normal?
- Discoloration
- Can be reddish, brownish, pinkish, or purplish
- Can remain for many months with certain piercings, such as navels
- Swelling/Induration
- Localized
- May be significant with oral piercings such as the lip or tongue, and may last several days immediately following the initial piercing
- Excretion
- Exudate of plasma, dead cells, etc.
- Should not be copious in quantity, malodorous, or green
- Will form a small amount of crystalline-appearing cruston the jewelry at the openings of the piercing
Things to consider when treating a troubled piercing or considering jewelry removal from a piercing:
The majority of troublesome piercings can be resolved without the piercing being lost.
- Advice to simply “take it out” is likely to be met with resistance from the piercee, and if infected can lead to the formation of an abscess (see below)
- Changes in aftercare and/or jewelry size, style or material may resolve the problems for the piercee/patient
- Inappropriate placement can also be the cause of problems. In this case removal is often required, and if done timely will prevent further problems
- Even momentary removal of jewelry from a healing piercing can result in amazingly rapid closure of the piercing, and make reinsertion difficult or impossible
Infected Piercing:
- Problem: Piercing has been contaminated by pathogenic microorganism(s)
- Causes:
- Most Common: Piercee has touched piercing with dirty hands or otherwise contaminated piercing (exposure to bodily fluids, dirty water, etc.)
- Piercing done with inappropriately sterilized tools, needles, jewelry
- Piercing done with unclean, ungloved, and/or contaminated gloved hands
- Indicators:
- Piercing exudes thick, green, malodorous pus
- Piercing and surrounding area is warm/hot to the touch (more so than other skin)
- Piercing site is swollen, red, and painful
- Treatment:
- Increased mild sea salt soaks (for minor infections)
- Oral/topical antibiotics, as prescribed by a physician
- Removal of jewelry in the presence of an infection may result in an abscess. In the event there is a localized, draining infection, quality jewelry should be left in place to allow for passage of matter to the surface
- Complications:
- Abscesses are usually site specific. An exception is the chest where the duct system can result in the abscess being formed inches away from the piercing site
Many complications from a piercing can easily be avoided by leaving the piercing alone. Don’t cause undue trauma to your body by using your piercing as a time killer. Not only will you make your new piercing look like hell, you are running the risk of further permanent complications.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Piercing // Nov 3, 2009 at 5:19 am
I loved this article. This is the first time I have came across such a blog who have discussed the facts as to why we should not play with piercings and how it can affect the piercing area.
2 Rebeccah // Jan 13, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Reallllly good stuff you’ve got here man.
3 Inferno // Jan 30, 2010 at 5:52 pm
The types of people who pick, play with, touch, rub, pull on their fresh piercings can’t stop.
No matter what they are told, no matter how many times… it is like telling a 500 lb man to stop eating junk. It is in their nature to fiddle with things.
Not just piercings… zits, scratches, nails, lips, etc…
4 Tattoo Supplies Los Angeles // Mar 30, 2010 at 9:39 am
@Inferno is so dead on. I have friends who are constantly playing with their facial piercings. It is so annoying, but they wont stop. I will pass this along. Maybe it will help convince them that there are consequences to their addiction.
5 keri // May 13, 2010 at 9:23 am
i am looking into getting my hips pierced and i have read about the rejection rate and what not … i still want it and i think your advice was qiute up to par of hwat i’ve read all week i appreachiate the advice and plan to further read on thank you
6 Angel // Jun 1, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I am also planning on getting my hips pierced soon but there are some things that I don’t understand with it. Since I’ve already got spider-bites I know that you’re not supposed to play with or put the piercing through anything that isn’t necessary. I know that you have to wash your hands before and after the cleaning of the piercing. The only thing that I really don’t understand is the rejection thing.. I don’t really understand how you can tell that it’s not working out the way it’s supposed to.. Also I was wondering if you have to be a certain weight or something to be able to get the hips done..[It's not even the hips, it's the skin above the hips, I know.] Like, do you have to be skinny skinny or can you be a little chubby? Just out of curiosity.
7 Nekole // Feb 5, 2011 at 12:11 am
I play with my nose ring a lot… it’s a L shaped stud and gets annoying if it’s in a certain way. My eyebrow ring I play with maybe once every couple of days, if that, and it’s usually more to do with removing the hardened yellow excretion that really playing with it. I’m contemplating taking it out though… as much as I love it, I need a job and the piercing isn’t helping my search… plus it is somewhat annoying… I have thick eyebrows and it’s difficult to trim/shape them with the ring.
8 muddypuddle // Feb 11, 2011 at 4:07 pm
after just reading this article im trying really hard not chew on my lip piercing its really hard not too because im constantly fiddling with something the information here is really good i wasn’t told any of this when i got my lip down
9 Loa // Jul 15, 2011 at 7:17 pm
oops..i always play with my scaffold haha!
and i like to stroke the bar of my bellybar underneath the skin xD
i am literally one of those people who have to be doing something with their hands all the time.
10 juli // Jul 13, 2012 at 10:30 pm
I understand most of the risks with piercings, except for the general surface piercings. I just read your article on that. &you seem like you know what you’re talking ’bout, so, would you recomend getting surface clavicles pierced or dahlias? I’ve researched the dahlias &they seem a bit too good to be true. I was going to get the cheek piercings, ’til I found out about the fluid pockets. Would you happen to know if dahlias can get these fluid pockets? I read they can be the same as cheek piercings if they’re too far back. Too far forward &they can grow out through the lip. I also read they’re the same thing as lip piercings, basically, &my spider bites healed very nicely, though I have to admit I almost never cleaned them during the healing process, or even now. As for the clavicles, I’m getting kind of scared to get them after seeing the high rejection rate &all that. Eventually, I’ll crave for them no matter what. But as for now (I’ll be 16 next month), would the clavicles or dahlias be better with the cons?
P.S.- I have my belly button pierced, but I’m pretty sure it’s rejecting.. &my piercer went psycho on me &we don’t talk to anymore, &my other piercer just moved studios with the rest of the tat shop crew so I’m kind of on my own with the info ’til I find a new crew &piercer.
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