Troubleshooting Piercings
Today were going to be talking about troubleshooting your piercings. If you recently had a piercing done, it was fine at first and now your experiencing problems then keep reading..
Back when I used to pierce ears, there were a series of questions we would ask to determine what was going on with a piercing. Here are questions you can ask yourself to help troubleshoot your piercing and determine if that is the cause.
When it comes to piercings, it usually always comes down to these 4 things that lead to your piercing being irritated. So I’m going to go into the main reason your piercing would be irritated and then a list of questions to determine if that’s the cause.
Aftercare
What are you using to clean your ears?
The only thing you need to clean your piercing is Sterile Saline Wound Wash or my personal favorite is H2Ocean.
No alcohol, peroxide, Neosporin. Here is a whole video to watch on what not to use on piercings.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. The ingredients in Sterile Saline Wound Wash is MINIMUM because that is all you need.
You are using this would wash to wipe away any dirt or debris that may have collected in your piercing and letting your body do it’s job of healing so don’t think you need all this fancy stuff that only irritates your piercing
Are you using q-tips or cotton balls?
This is one cause that I have recently learned irritates piercings. Those little fibers from q-tips and cotton balls can come off and attach themselves to the piercing, leading to an irritated piercing. Use a sterile gauze or paper towel instead.
Are you using tea tree oil?
If a piercer is recommending tea tree oil as aftercare - this is a big red flag. Tea tree oil is way too harsh to use on an open wound like a piercing. It is not meant irritation bumps either and will further irritate your piercing. Immediately stop any tea tree oil use.
Metal/Jewelry
What metal were you pierced with?
Always ask what you are being pierced with. If you’re not sure, give your piercing a call and ask what you were pierced with.
Were you pierced with 14k yellow or white gold?
Gold is a great metal to get pierced with but did you know the color of gold can make a difference. Depending on where it’s from, some white gold contains nickel which is typically what people are sensitive to (metal allergy.) Same goes for sterling silver and is why people are usually sensitive to it.
Were you pierced with a high quality stainless steel like ASTM or high quality titanium?
Not all stainless steel is equivalent. Stainless Steel is one of the most common types of metal used in the US when it comes to body jewelry. What people don’t know is that there are different grades of Stainless Steel.
The American Society for Testing Metals has proved only certain grades of stainless are biocompatible like ASTM-F138. Did your piercer mention what type of stainless steel You can check out THIS video right here for more info on good metals vs bad metals.
Were you pierced with a long enough piece of jewelry?
It’s common for piercers to pierce you with a longer piece of jewelry to accommodate for swelling but maybe the piercer you went to didn’t and it’s now putting pressure on your piercing.
Also, some people just have bigger or thicker earlobes than others and piercer should recommend a longer post. If it’s too short, it will most likely hurt, become red, and may become embedded. If this is the case, see a piercer to help you.
Was the earring originally used too small?
If you feel as though your earring is sinking in your ear, it could be that the size of your earring is too small. For example, I never felt comfortable piercing with 2mm stud because it was entirely way too small and risky. If swelling occurs (which is likely with a piercing) and a smaller earring like a 2mm cz stud is used, it’s going to be easier for the earring to sink into your ear. Some people may refer to this as your “ear eating the earring”, “swallowing the earring”, or becoming embedded. If that’s happening to you, it could that the jewelry used was too small and you should immediately see a piercer to replace.
Where were you pierced?
The place you were pierced makes a difference in the quality of jewelry of used and can help determine if it’s the jewelry that irritating your piercing. For example, did you know that at places like Piercing Pagoda and Claires, the earring backings are gold plated, even if you were pierced with a gold earring?
To clarify, the post is real gold (if that’s what you chose) but the backing is gold plated. It’s rare that it affects people, but it does happen. The reason why the backings are plated is because gold is soft and an all gold backing would break on impact with a piercing gun therefore they have to use something stronger like stainless steel. If this is the case for you, I would change the backings (if during the healing period) or switch the earrings to something else.
As mentioned earlier, where you were pierced makes a difference, did the piercer use a high grade stainless or titanium. If they don’t specify, that could mean it’s because it’s not a high grade and a cheap metal. Someone who sells a high quality jewelry is going proud and will let you know. Check out the members guide of the APP to find one near you!
Did you have this problem before you changed your jewelry?
Your piercing was fine before you changed your jewelry. Well that NEW jewelry is probably the problem. With piercings it’s a lot of trial and error. So if you tried a different metal and your body reacts to it, I would suggest changing it back to the original metal or find a new piece that’s the same type of metal.
I used to see moms all the time change their kids earrings right away (after healing period) and put those cute cheap earrings into their ears. The only thing is with those cute earrings, it’s common they’re a cheap material and not good for their ears.
Something else to be aware of is the ball of certain jewelry pieces can be made out of a different metal than the bar,. Also the dangly part on those cute long belly button rings is often a mysterious metal. So if you notice your skin on the bottom part of your belly button is reacting but not the piercing itself.. There you go.
Were you pierced with a hoop?
Personally, I love hoops but hoops aren’t always the best to get pierced with (at least the curved hoops) because they put pressure on your piercing. If you were pierced with a hoop, then I would recommend switching to a stud, a labret would be your best bet.
Trauma
Are you turning your earrings? Do you touch your ears often? Do you put your phone up to your ear?
Over handling or over touching your earrings can lead to them becoming irritated. As far as turning your earrings, this is a little bit controvesial. I’ve done this video about it that you can check out at the end of this video.
Do you remove your earrings each time you clean your ears?
Do not remove earrings to clean your ears. This can lead to your piercing becoming irritated. During the healing process, the tissue is very fragile. It is possible that the channel could tear causing the ear to bleed.
Is one side or both ears bothering you?
If only one side is bothering you, it’s likely because your favoring one side over the other for example while you are sleeping. A solution here is using an airplane pillow. If this is the case checkout this video
Have you recently been hit? Have you snagged your piercing maybe on your shirt. If you’re earrings keep snagging on things, it could be because of the prongs that hold the stone or certain designs the crows, stars, anything with points. Bezeled earrings are great or even just plain balls. Earring balls. Gold Balls.
Placement-Angle
Does you piercing look too close to your face?
Does your piercing look like it’s too high up on your earlobe?
Does it look like it’s too close to the edge?
Does it look like your piercing has moved from it’s original placement (migrating)?
If placement is the reason for the piercing being irritated, I wouldn’t feel comfortable going back to a piercer and would see someone else. Most think a piercer is a piercer, but this is not always the case. If you want a highly skilled professional piercer, go to a piercer that is part of the Association of Professional Piercers. You can use member locater to find an APP approved piercer at safepiercing.org and this locator is for most places not just the US. Note: I am not associated with the APP.
Infections
Infections aren’t common but it does happen. If you have any suspicions of one see a doctor.
Early signs may include redness, swelling, pain, sensation of heat in the general area.
Please note: a piercer can not diagnose you with an infection. Only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe you medicine. If you have any suspicion of an infection, please see a doctor right away.
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