Nose Piercing

[EicessGoddess]

I got my nose pierced on Sunday, and I'm having a rather hard time cleaning it out. I feel like I should be doing a better job, but I just can't get the solution into the hole. I'm worried that if I can't fix this soon, it will get infected. Please help me!!!

 

[Ms_Lilith]

Okay. I had mine done in .. May? Early June? Something like that. DO NOT shoot the solution into the hole. Just put the solution on a Q-tip and wipe around the piercing on the outside, and around the piercing on the inside. If you put solution into the hole, it lubricates the stud, and it moves around, not only causing sneezing, but causing potential damage to the piercing.

What you are doing is just fine.

 

[EicessGoddess]

Thanks

Thank you. The reason why I'm so nervous about it is because there's a little bump where the piercing is inside of my nose. I don't know if it's just healing, or if it's getting infected.

 

[Ms_Lilith]

Re: Thanks

Originally posted by EicessGoddess
Thank you. The reason why I'm so nervous about it is because there's a little bump where the piercing is inside of my nose. I don't know if it's just healing, or if it's getting infected.

*snork* That is what they call scar tissue. I STILL have it, and I removed my nose ring a month ago. (It was just annoying me). That won't go away... you can look at me, and there is NO scar whatsoever, on the outside of my nose, but that bump on the inside is there.

The more you touch that bump, the more inflamed it will be, just cus you're pissing it off, but it's not infected. Just leave it be, and it'll be fine.

 

[EicessGoddess]

Okay

I shall leave the bump alone. Thank you for your wonderful advice!

 

[Lynxie]

Bumps are a fairly regular problem with a lot of piercings. Someone once told me it has to do with the type of tool that's used to do the piercing, but I'm not sure. I've got a little bump next to each of my ear piercings though...and it's been well over 15 years since I had them done.

 

[EicessGoddess]

Thanks

The guy who did it used a hollow needle to take out some of the cartilage before he put the stud in. None of my five ear holes have that, including the one in the cartilage. As long as it isn't infected, a little bump is fine.
Thank you for posting your knowledge!

 

[warrior queen]

i'm sorry, but this absolutely shits me!

Ms_Lilith, are you a qualified piercer?

and EicessGoddess, please tell me you have actually considered going back to your piercer to ask these questions?

i am a professional piercer, and i see things like you've described all the time.
not from most of the piercings i perform, mind you!

ok, let me give you some fixes - but i really want to stress that your FIRST course of action should always be to go back to your piercer!

you were pierced on sunday, so what you are describing is firstly a result of swelling (the nose always swells more inside than outside) and irritation - which is going to happen when you shove a bloody great needle into flesh and cause a trauma!

add to that, you have inserted a foreign body into your newly traumatised and swollen nose - your body does NOT like having foreign things poked into it! - and you can begin to see just how busy your system is going to be just getting used to the entire idea! immune systems are kicking into 'drive' mode, and your white blood cells are rushing to the area to try and stop any infections from entering the rest of your system. (that's what causes the 'crusties' around all new piercings).

so long as you are diligent about cleaning your new piercing, and about keeping your filthy little fingers away from it, your healing should progress perfectly fine.

cleaning is simple - twice a day, use 2 clean q-tips dipped in a salt solution (1/4 teaspoon sea salt, to 1 cup boiled water), one q-tip for the outside of your nose, 1 q-tip for the inside (NEVER, EVER USE THE SAME Q-TIP FOR BOTH SIDES!!!) and gently wipe away all easily removable matter.
then, using a clean, dry q-tip, dry around the outside of your piercing. this is extremely important - you need to remove all the excess moisture or you will develop those unsightly bumps you both were talking about.
keep makeup and oils away from the piercing for at least 4 weeks - it takes that long for your piercing channel to seal itself.

once your channel has healed, then and only then, will the inside of your nose piercing begin to settle down, and it is then that any lumps begin to go down.

the single most important thing with piercings, is to keep fingers away from them - and this includes NOT TOUCHING the end of the q-tip you are using to clean and dry it.

above all, and i stress this again - if you have any problems or if you just have questions - always go back to the person who pierced you before asking anyone who is NOT qualified for advice.

good luck with your new hole.

 

[EicessGoddess]

Your advice, warrior queen

Thank you for your advice. It's nice to see a professional piercer's advice here. I took my newest ear holes out (they're about four weeks old) and even after cleaning them dilligently there are bumps inside of my earlobe, and outside of my cartilage. I'm not too happy about this!

 

[warrior queen]

Re: Your advice, warrior queen

Thank you for your advice. It's nice to see a professional piercer's advice here. I took my newest ear holes out (they're about four weeks old) and even after cleaning them dilligently there are bumps inside of my earlobe, and outside of my cartilage. I'm not too happy about this!

the worst thing to do is take the rings out
this means that as your piercings heal, because they seal from the outside IN, any infection is likely to abcess inside the piercing channel.

mind you, if you were pierced with a gun instead of needles, your biggest problem is going to be the fact that you should probably go for a hep-C test - piercing guns are EVIL - they cannot, repeat cannot be sterilised, and are a huge cause of infection with hep and staph.

keep cleaning them anyway, but remember to dry afterwards - moisture is a big no-no.

 

[warrior queen]

If you put solution into the hole, it lubricates the stud, and it moves around, not only causing sneezing, but causing potential damage to the piercing.

this is incorrect.

 

[warrior queen]

Re: Re: Thanks

Originally posted by Ms_Lilith
*snork* That is what they call scar tissue. I STILL have it, and I removed my nose ring a month ago.

this is not scar tissue - this is a direct result of not healing correctly.

The more you touch that bump, the more inflamed it will be, just cus you're pissing it off, but it's not infected. Just leave it be, and it'll be fine.

no, do not just 'leave it be' - get the correct advice, and help your piercing heal properly.
you absolutely CANNOT tell if a piercing is infected or not, if you don't know what you're looking for!

 

[warrior queen]

Re: Thanks

The guy who did it used a hollow needle to take out some of the cartilage before he put the stud in.

your piercer didn't use a hollow needle to 'take some of the cartilage out' - he used a hollow needle because that is the correct way to pierce!
he created a channel of the correct guage to fit the jewelry - so that scarring would be minimised and healing would occur.

 

[Celtia]

thanks for posting the info, Warrior Queen. I am considering getting my nose pierced (I really like the tiny nose studs on women--I think it's classy looking), and know very little about piercing. My sister thinks she knows all, but in reality doesn't.

I just got my earlobes pierced for the first time (with a gun--yes yes, it's bad for you--but my friend is training at a jewellary store that does gun piercing and needed a guinea pig). They're actually almost completely healed (and are only 3 weeks old)--my boyfriend calls me "Wolverine" because of my healing abilities.

anyhow, thanks for the advice!

 

[mystic_maiden32]

now I know what to look for when I get my nose pierced. Had my eyebrow pierced already a few years ago.

 

[EicessGoddess]

Going back to the piercer

Warrior Queen,
I have plans to return to the piercer, but he us usually open while I have class, and cannot get there until either today or tomorrow.
I have been cleaning it with the solution the piercer gave me-benzalkonium chloride. I clean it four times a day. He didn't tell me the whole deal about the moisture thing. I'll keep that in mind while I clean it.
I really do appreciate your input. It's a lot better knowing that this information is coming from a professional piercer.
With the ear holes, I got those done four weeks ago, and that is how long the people told me I should keep them in before I could change them. I have had all of the hepititis shots, so I don't think that should be a problem. Also, the person put a new top on the gun before she used it. No part of it had ever touched someone else's ear before.
I am still wondering what the bumps are in the ears.
Thanks!

 

[warrior queen]

Re: Going back to the piercer

With the ear holes, I got those done four weeks ago, and that is how long the people told me I should keep them in before I could change them. I have had all of the hepititis shots, so I don't think that should be a problem. Also, the person put a new top on the gun before she used it. No part of it had ever touched someone else's ear before.

this is the classic - we piercers hear it all the time.
and now i will give you the accurate info....
piercing gun handsets cannot be sterilised.
put the handset into the only apparatus that can sterilise it completely, an autoclave, and it will melt.
which means that no matter what the person does to ensure it is 'sterile', it won't be. because the second you attatch any sterile part to an unsterile handset - the entire thing is contaminated.
so putting a new top piece onto the unsterile gun makes no difference to preventing pathogen transferrence. (and it only takes one tiny little cell or microbe!)
how do guns pierce?
well, they punch through the tissue, causing excessive trauma to the flesh as they force the stud (which, btw, is worth about 2 1/2 cents, so you can just imagine what kinds of metals are used to make them!) into your body.
this means that the entire piercing site starts out it's healing as a bruised and damaged area - not really conducive to quick and effective healing.
and it is for these reasons that most holes done with guns develop scar tissue - lumps and bumps that are very difficult to get rid os. they are, in effect, traumatic keloid scarring.
add to that, piercing studs that do not allow air to the front or back of the piercing channel, and you create the perfect environment for infections to flourish.
some people get lucky - and that's all it is, the luck of the draw - and heal relatively unscathed. but almost all will develop an allergy of some kind over time, and find they can only wear certain metals in their ears - we all know someone who cannot wear anything but 18 carat gold, right? - because in the first days of healing, they absorbed impurities from the cheap and nasty jewelry used in guns, and these absorbed metals accumulate until the body decides it's had enough (and then, some people even find they have trouble with watch-backs, etc).
and that info is for earlobes, that generally heal quite well and have almost no blood flow. add cartilage to the equation, and the entire scenario is magnified 10-fold, because cartilage takes a minimum of 12 months to heal fully if pierced correctly in the least traumatic fashion, and using medical grade materials in the jewelry!

you've had hepatitis shots?
well, then you're covered for a few of the types of hep....... except that hep-C has no immunisation, and is therefore still a considerable risk.

 

[warrior queen]

Re: Going back to the piercer

I have been cleaning it with the solution the piercer gave me-benzalkonium chloride. I clean it four times a day. He didn't tell me the whole deal about the moisture thing. I'll keep that in mind while I clean it.

i am a very great believer in the human body's natural tendancy to heal - and as a result, i very rarely advise my clients to use anything except boiled, salted water to clean and maintain their piercings.
i also pride myself on the fact that i have been able to maintain a better than 99% problem-free healing rate amongst my clients.

it's only very occasionally that i will give my clients anything else to use - and those few are generally the ones who have no choice but to expose their new piercings to potentially damaging environs - people like construction workers, or swimming instructors (pools/spas are a HUGE no-no for at least 8 weeks after getting any piercing!)

i have also had, in the last 7 years, fewer than 10 clients who could not be pierced and healed successfully.
the way a piercer does their work, and the level of after-care provided (all after-care, maintainence and advice are free with me for all piercings i do), makes all the difference.

 

[EicessGoddess]

Do you think I should take the ear peircings out then? I don't want to have the keloids in them.
I am truly horrified that the piercers who use the guns are not legally obligated to tell the recipient that there are all of these risks involved.
I know that the earrings put into my ear are sterling silver, so I don't think the impure metals will be a problem, but I could be wrong, so please correct me if I am!
I have been following your advice about drying the piercing too.
Since the people who pierced my ears obviously had no idea what they were talking about, how long would you suggest I wait to change the earring?

 

[warrior queen]

Do you think I should take the ear peircings out then? I don't want to have the keloids in them.
I am truly horrified that the piercers who use the guns are not legally obligated to tell the recipient that there are all of these risks involved.
I know that the earrings put into my ear are sterling silver, so I don't think the impure metals will be a problem, but I could be wrong, so please correct me if I am!
I have been following your advice about drying the piercing too.
Since the people who pierced my ears obviously had no idea what they were talking about, how long would you suggest I wait to change the earring?

ok, let's start with the fact that you have silver jewelry in - get it out asap!
any piercer who is the least bit professional will NEVER use silver jewelry in a new piercing. silver is so soft as a material, that it has to be combined with other, impure materials, to make it hard enough to use. things like copper, zinc, tin. all of which can cause reactions - seen someone's silver jewelry turn black?
(once the channel has healed fully, silver is generally fine for ears, but nowhere else on the body.)
so, get the jewelry out as soon as you can, and replace it with either 18 carat gold, medical grade implant surgical stainless steel, or titanium - all of which are relatively cheap these days. i would suggest doing this with your piercer if they can - and if they scoff at my info, then go to a better one!
a quick search of piercing sites on the net will validate what i have told you so far.

you are right about people not being required to inform you of the problems, which is why we have groups of piercers all around the world who are working to improve the quality and professionalism of the entire industry.
here in australia, we even have a group devoted to trying to get piercing guns banned, or at the very least, making it illegal to pierce anything but the earlobes using these devices.

in the last few years, there has been an enormous increase in hep-C transmission rates attributable to gun piercing, and the rates for staph infections are not far behind.

 

[warrior queen]

just a quick point here - you can always tell a person who has had ear cartilage pierced with a gun, because that ear will always be 'fatter' around the piercing site (no matter how long ago it was done) than the non-pierced side.
the result of the trauma and brutality of the gun, i'm afraid.

 

[warrior queen]

.... and i forgot to add, when you change out the jewelry, if you do it sooner than about 6 to 8 weeks, treat the entire piercing as if it were just pierced.
begin your cleaning and aftercare regimen from the start, because you will be causing micro-tears in the channel, and your healing has to start from the beginning.

 

[EicessGoddess]

wow do I wish that I had known all of this before i got my ears done!!! It's my fault for not doing the research beforehand, but now i will make sure that anyone i know who wants to get their ears done won't go and get it with the gun! it's more expensive to go to a piercer, but now i realize that the extra cost is for more sanitary and safe methods of piercing.
If you don't mind my asking, where are you located? if you are anywhere near me, i would like to make an appointment to see you so that you can help me out a little better.

 

[warrior queen]

wow do I wish that I had known all of this before i got my ears done!!! It's my fault for not doing the research beforehand, but now i will make sure that anyone i know who wants to get their ears done won't go and get it with the gun! it's more expensive to go to a piercer, but now i realize that the extra cost is for more sanitary and safe methods of piercing.
If you don't mind my asking, where are you located? if you are anywhere near me, i would like to make an appointment to see you so that you can help me out a little better.

unfortunately (or fortunately!) i am in australia
tasmania, to be exact.

i'm happy to help as much as i can via email and pics, but be aware this is no substitute for actually standing in front of you, seeing your piercings.

 

[warrior queen]

wow do I wish that I had known all of this before i got my ears done!!! It's my fault for not doing the research beforehand,

it is rather ironic that if we go to get an immunisation - essentially a sterile procedure - we expect our practitioner to have qualifications and experience.
but most people are perfectly happy to allow an unskilled 16 year old retail assistant with a piercing gun, to shoot holes wherever.