Pounded Ink

Today I will try to express the importance that when you decide to get a piercing you do it correctly and use a piercing needle rather than some homemade contraption or needle. You must pierce your skin and not puncture it or you will risk the formation of a keloid.

The only way to heal a keloid is to remove the jewelry and hope it goes away after time. This is not always possible. Some cases may require the surgical removal of all the scar tissue to stop the keloid from growing.

What’s A Keloid?

A keloid is a type of scar which results in an overgrowth of tissue at the site of a healed skin injury. Keloids are firm, rubbery lesions, fibrous nodules, and can vary from pink to flesh-colored or red to dark brown in color. A keloid scar is benign, non-contagious, and can be accompanied by severe itchiness, sharp pains, and may even change in texture.

Why Should I Care?

Keloids develop around wounds to the skin. What is a piercing? Of course, a wound to the skin. The reason professional piercers use needles that have hollow tubes in them is because this design cuts the skin rather than puncturing it. When skin is cut it heals around the piercing. When skin is punctured it is much more susceptible to the development of keloids.

Don’t Use Piercing Guns

You really should not use any type of piercing gun on any part of your body including your ear. The reason for this is that these machines work the same as a nail or staple gun. Using force to drive an object through your skin creating a distinct entrance and exit wound which are not uniform.

There is also no medically accepted sterilization procedures used with piercing guns. Most of these guns are made of plastic and wiped with an antiseptic pad which does not kill things such as HIV or Hepatitis. As if that wasn’t enough to scare you, keep in mind that the jewelry used in these guns does not allow adequate room for swelling during the healing process.

Bottom Line

If you are going to get any kind of body piercing go to a professional that has the correct equipment, jewelry, and training to perform such a procedure. Professional body piercing shops have a much stricter sterilization procedure and will be able to give you advise and care instructions specific to the area you are getting pierced.