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Piercing care?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by Kidd, Apr 15, 2011.

  1. Kidd

    Kidd Guest

    Ok, so for New Year's Eve my bestie and I decided to kick 2011 off right with matching piercings. We got Helix piercings, and it looks great, but for the last three months I've had this bump on it and I can't get it to stay down. I popped it once because it was filling with blood and it disappeared, and now a new one has formed but I'm pretty sure this one is just cartilage and not a blood blister. I clean it once a day with an antiseptic wash and nothing is happening, and I think it's getting bigger. -_-;

    Someone told me that I should take it out for a while and let it heal and then try to push the hoop through again...but the piercing isn't even 4 months old yet so I'm reluctant to just yank it out.

    Has anyone dealt with this before or anything? I'm not sure what to do...
     
  2. Tiny Catastrophe

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    I'm not sure what a Helix is but when I got my cartilage pierced it formed a bump like that and it's been there ever since and I got that piercing 6 years ago. It's a keyloid (sp) and unfortunately it doesn't go away. I just wear earrings that cover it
     
  3. Z3ni

    Z3ni Guest

    Omg yeah!!

    I got a bump, and I took it off to clean, now I can't get my piercing back on :/

    You should try askin at the parlours.
     
  4. roborama

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    ive got one on my cartilage piercing too, its gotten a bit smaller but im thinking its permenent. if it is just a bumb i wouldnt take it out because it will only get worse (no clue why) and more bump-like. so either you abandon the piercing all together (dont because those are really cool but thats just my opinion) or you take extra good care in cleaning it at least twice a day thoroughly. but the secod you take it out its pretty much over, its next to impossible to get something through it before its healed especially with the bump and potential swelling good luck and keep it clean!
     
  5. KaraBulut

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    Helix is the top of the ear.

    It's a bad idea to pierce cartilage. The piercing process can damage the cartilage. And cartilage doesn't have a supply of blood and lymph like the skin of the ear lobe. The lack of vascular supply means that damaged cartilage doesn't heal quickly and it also means that infected cartilage is very difficult to cure. Without a blood supply, there's not a way to get antibiotics to infected tissues like cartilage.


    What you're describing is another complication of cartilage piercing- overgrowth of the tissue, also referred to as keloiding. It's not reversible.
     
    #5 KaraBulut, Apr 15, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2011
  6. tazzie

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    Just make sure you clean it every day and try not to play with it alot.Tends to happen from playing with it alot or not washing your hands before touching the piercing or the earing itself.When i first got mine done about 7 or so years ago, i had a stud in it and then put a ring in after a few weeks.I then got the lump on the back, got told it was from not taking care of the piercing.So you can either take it out if it gets worse or leave it in and see how it goes i guess, mine went back down after a few weeks.Even just go back to where you got it done and see what they suggest aswell :slight_smile: a professional's opinion is always best i would say :grin: so best of luck with it! :thumbsup: hope it helps
     
  7. Aya McCabre

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    If you got it pierced with a gun then bumps are normal. All cartilage piercings are slow to heal, so it will probably still be hurting for a year or more..... my 18 month old helix piercing still hurts and that was done with a needle so if yours was gunned then I would expect it to take longer.

    Don't take it out. It will close. Fast. If you just leave it alone it should be OK. If you're worried, make up some chamomile tea using saline instead of pure water, let it cool a bit with the tea bag still in it then press to bag to the piercing until it cools right down. If that's not helping..... You always have the option of taking it out and getting it re-pierced later. If you got it done with a gun then that's what I would recommend anyway. I only have my own experience (since I'm not allowed to link the site I want to link) but it wasn't worth trying to heal my gunned piercing. I healed two helix piercings (done with needles) in the time I wasted trying to keep my old one (done with a gun).
     
    #7 Aya McCabre, Apr 16, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2011
  8. Rosina

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    I hear you, I got my helix done a while ago (August 2009), see this thread here for the pictures and my question.

    I asked the same question because I got a bump too. First time around I had it done with a gun; bad idea I find out later, seeing as piercing-guns are designed to be used only with ear-lobes :bang: I followed Kara's advice on thread, having gone to my GP as well, and took it out to let it heal for a couple of months. That lovely round bump that you see in the pictures went away.

    I was rather disappointed after taking it out but thought it best. However I decided I'd try one more time at a different parlour, around April 2010, where they used a needle this time around; they pierced the area slightly below the original place and it healed like a dream (they also used a hoop, rather than a stud, which is better to allow natural swelling to occur). Now all I have is an area of harder tissue where the original piercing was, my guess being that it's scar tissue from the nasty gun.

    So I don't know if the bump you've got bares any resemblance to mine, but if it does, I would do what I did, as my lump just got larger and larger, which is a little unnerving :confused: But I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you follow the no-touching, clean-gently-but-regularly thing, though really do consider taking it out and getting it done again with a needle, it's so much better :slight_smile: Just out of curiosity, has your friend got the same problem or is theirs alright?

    Mine does too, and it's a year on, though I put it down to having had it done previously with a gun. I suppose they stop hurting at some point XD
     
    #8 Rosina, Apr 17, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2011
  9. Kidd

    Kidd Guest

    So, these posts really scared me for a hot second and it motivated me to do some light reading. I saw that keloid scars don't bleed so I sterilized a needle and stabbed it and it does in fact bleed, which makes me think that this is a cyst or something and not a scar. I had a bump that looked almost identical to this one and I popped it and it went away and now this one has sprung up in the exact same place.

    All of my piercings have been done with needles except for my lobes. If it means anything, I also have a rook piercing and I haven't had any of these problems with it yet. It's healing perfectly and doesn't hurt or anything, but my helix piercing is still really sore. I was really worried about it still hurting too but I guess that's normal after reading these posts...

    I have to go to my doctor in a few weeks anyway to renew a prescription so I'll just ask him to look at it really quick when I'm there.
     
  10. Aya McCabre

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    I don't think I'm allowed to post a link, but if you google "bodymod forum" you'll find the site where I would go to ask these sort of questions.
     
  11. tazzie

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    How about just go back to where you got it done and ask them? They must do hundreds of piercings they should be able to help you, don't stress about it too much :slight_smile:
     
  12. sloaners

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    Crush up some regular aspirin and mix with a little water to make a paste. Apply it all generously to the bump on your piercing before bed for a while. The bump should go away in no time! That's happened to a few of my piercings.
     
  13. Veronica

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    Got my helix pierced a few months ago and have had no problems aside from being a bit swollen for a couple of days. But I did go to a professional piercing studio though. They don't use guns, but proper sterilized equipment. It's more expensive to get it done, but it's worth the extra money.

    I'll be getting another of those soon too.
     
  14. Aya McCabre

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    A lot of people freak out over bumps on piercings, so it's worth going to a piercer who has the training and experience to give you a proper answer. It's usually just hypertrophic scarring, but not knowing that or what that is can be scary.
     
  15. MommaFrog

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    I am a certified and trained piercing artist. If it was bleeding, its not a keloid, and you need to have a doctor look at is because it could be a Sebaceous cyst or an infection.

    Was it done with a 16 or 14 g?

    Any other piercing questions?