Thursday November 15th, 2007 @ 1:59 PM
Alright, this is really embarrassing, but I’m not exactly sure what to search for in engines and querying “yeast” in this AskBME search didn’t do anything, but I really want to know. I’m on antibiotics and I have a fully healed vertical clitoral hood piercing. Whenever I take antibiotics, I developed a mild-to-moderate yeast infection. Usually I don’t treat it as it goes away by itself when I eat a lot of yogurt and whatnot, but this is my first one since getting the piercing. I know that the tissue gets irritated and it has bled minimally before, but now that it’s pierced I’m not sure if it is going to seriously affect it. I keep imagining the skin around the CBR rotting away and I get a sinking feeling whenever I go to check on its condition. I feel like the area covering the CBR is shrinking, but that could be my own paranoia. Do I have anything to worry about? Thanks so much!
A yeast infection should not negatively affect your piercing in the long term. If the yeast infection normally affects the “quality” of the tissue, you will probably still experience that, but it shouldn’t have any long-term effects on your piercing.
+1 / 1 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Thursday November 15th, 2007 @ 1:55 PM
Filed under: Ear
I’ve been considering getting my helix piercing dermally punched out to anywhere from a 6 - 0 gauge. I had a question about the jewelry best suited for this sort of thing. I don’t really like O-rings, so I suppose that leaves me with either single or double flared plugs. I was wondering if it would be possible to put double flares in cartilage and be able to take them out without a hassle.
What other kinds of jewelry could you recommend?
Double flare plugs can be worn in cartilage piercings, although they can be pretty difficult to get in and out, given the flare. They are probably also not a great option to be used in an initial piercing, as getting them in will mean additional stretching. Also, double flare plugs are typically made shorter than single-flare plugs, because there doesn’t need to be room for an o-ring. If the plug is too short for the amount of swelling you experience, you will find yourself in an uncomfortable, and not-great-for-healing, situation.
If you really can’t stand the idea of o-rings, you might want to try and get pierced with a “flesh tunnel”. These are eyelets that look like double flared plugs, but one of the “flares” screws onto the hollow-tube part of the jewelry. Again, the length of the jewelry could be an issue. Also, finding a good-quality flesh tunnel can sometimes be challenging as well.
0 / 0 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Thursday November 15th, 2007 @ 1:48 PM
Filed under: Ear
I recently got pierced in my ear twice for an industrial piercing. I noticed the two barbells are slightly of-axis, there is a slight difference in direction of the two piercings, I’ll say about 5 degrees.
How will this be a problem, when I insert the industrial barbell? Will this simply bend my ear and stay that way, or will the holes migrate a little by the tension?
Once they piercings are healed, it is possible that the slight difference in angles won’t affect the end product. However, it might. You may need to have the bar for the industrial custom-bent to accommodate the slight shift in angles of the piercing. Unfortunately, you won’t really know until you actually try it. If the piercings are off, I would suggest waiting at least 4 months, although 6 months is likely better, before trying to put one bar in the piercings. That also assumes the piercings are healing well at that point. If they are still red, sore and/or swollen at that point, putting once piece of jewelry into them probably isn’t your best option at that point.
I personally prefer to do industrials with one bar initial to avoid any potential shift in the angles of the piercings that can sometimes occur when you put in two separate pieces of jewelry. That may not be what’s going on here, as the piercings may have simply been done slightly off to begin with.
0 / 0 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Thursday November 15th, 2007 @ 1:45 PM
Filed under: Ear
I had my lobes pierced just about three weeks ago (at 10g with an immediate strech up to 8ga) in an experience vastly different than any I’d had before. Keeping piercings above the neck has never been my forte (metal allergies, lost o rings and severe discomfort), but these piercings were never sore. I got crusties for about a week, and minor crusties at that.
As of this writing, they are loose around my plugs, skin all the way around and feel like normal earlobes. Is it possible they’ve healed this quickly?
I suppose that it’s possible they have healed, but it’s not likely. It also depend upon how you choose to judge the “degree” of healing. At three weeks your piercings won’t be able to stand the type of abuse (i.e., accidentally snagging the jewelry hard) that piercing that are months or years old will be able to stand. I would hesitate to call them “healed” at three weeks, but it possible you may not need to be quite as diligent about your aftercare routine at this point.
In general, listen to your body. It will generally do a very good job of letting you know what is okay and what isn’t.
0 / 0 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 1 Comment
Thursday November 15th, 2007 @ 1:43 PM
I am seriously considering a tongue splitting using the scalping method and the only worry i have is how it affects speech. I realize that while it is healing my speech will be affected but i am wondering how badly it affects speech fully healed.
Thanks
Jacob
The degree to which tongue splitting affects speech varies from person-to-person. Most people who have their tongue split end up having no noticeable difference in their speech once things have healed and they have adjusted to the split. Some people experience a small difference in their speech, but even the it’s often so slight that only they, or people that know them really well, will even notice.
+1 / 1 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 2 Comments
Thursday November 15th, 2007 @ 1:38 PM
Filed under: Nipple
Hey there, hoping that you could help with my problem here…
I had my nipples pierced in Toronto March 2006, so it’s been over a year.
I have a bubble/abscess(i dont know what to call it) , that are filled with a tiny bit of yellow/white almost sticky fluid, &sometimes a bit of blood. on the inner side of where the barbell exits my nipple. My right nipple has been tender for a while after tearing it slightly in the summer. The ‘bubble’ then pops and drains, forms a scab and tries to heal. (this had happened many times, still no luck in healing). I am cleaning them with an unscented soap in the shower, and doing sea salt soaks once a week.
I think I am starting to feel the middle of my nipple thinning out across the barbell, but am unsure. I just moved and haven’t found a reputable piercer to go get it looked at. It’s a disappointment to have them not being able to heal totally. Advice PLEASE? Thanks. 
The bubble you have is a sign of irritation. Having a piercing tear is an obvious form of trauma that can cause fluids and discharged cells to gather at the edge of the piercing. Simple pressure from sleeping, bras and/or tight-fitting shirts can also cause enough irritation to cause the build up. Basically what needs to happen is that your piercings need some TLC and some time to recover.
I would suggest you stop cleaning with the soap. If you are a relatively healthy person and your personal hygiene is good, there is no real need for the soap. In most cases, the soap will end up being more of an irritant than anything, and will simply cause your body to have a harder time healing. Increasing the frequency of your salt soaks to once a day is probably a good idea. One of the biggest things is to be extra careful with the piercings; try to move them as little as possible and obviously try to avoid any direct abuse or trauma.
0 / 0 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Thursday November 8th, 2007 @ 10:12 PM
I want to get another tattoo (this time in white or UV ink) but since I can’t get a tattoo in my own state (SC, where the legal age is 21), I’ll be travelling to either Charlotte or Augusta. Without travelling down to check places out beforehand, how can I find out more about them? Is there an archive of tattoo studio reviews somewhere?
The internet is a vast ocean of information and misinformation.
Places you should start looking at are: BMEZine.com (of course!), Google.com,etc. On BME you can do searches for specific regional areas and by that you’ll be able to see the work that’s produced from each area.
Look for artists work, look to make sure they have healed photos of the work, make sure they have shop photos (so you know they aren’t working out of a toilet stall) ,etc.
Also try asking various friends you know to see if they know of any studios that they might recommend.
And as a final note make sure you research enough to make a sound decision. Never just go with the first shop that will do it because its the first shop you found. Do the research in depth enough for you to know who does good work and who doesn’t.
Personally I’d say if you’re willing to go from SC to Augusta GA, I’d say take the trip to:
All or Nothing Tattoo
2569 S. Cobb Dr.
Smyrna, Ga. 30080
0 / 0 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 3 Comments
Thursday November 8th, 2007 @ 10:06 PM
Is there any reputable piercers in or around North Carolina that can scalpel lobes?
The main studio that comes to mind in North Carolina is:
Progress
1213 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27603
United States
(919) 833-4559
If there’s anyone who can help you in North Carolina and is reputable it’d be Seth Cameron.
0 / 0 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 5 Comments
Thursday November 8th, 2007 @ 9:27 PM
i’m sure that somewhere in the annals of QOD this question has been asked but here goes– i’ve been seriously considering scarification, most likely in the way of flesh removal and was wondering if any of you kind folk would know of anyone in the central florida area (tampa, orlando.. hell, st. pete, ft. myers, WHATEVER) that you would highly recommend for such things and if so.. do these particular people specialize in any certain ’style’ of art? i’ve got things in mind but i’m open to working it around a bit as what i’m thinking of is at the ‘crude’ stage, at best, in development.
thanks. 
Hi.
One minor flaw with publicly stating an artists name here is the fact that in Florida, at least from what I gathered from fellow piercers, it is illegal for shops to have scalpels and dermal/biopsy punches. Because of this artists are not going to want to publicly advertise that they offer said procedures, due to liability reasons.
My suggestion to you is to research the various scarification artists on BMEzine, you can also check out ScarWars.Net, and perhaps get into contact with said artists. As you might have to find out if an artist is willing to do guest spots in that area of the country, or you might need to pay a visit to one of the said artists in their area or to a nearby area.
To answer your question about specializing in a certain “style” I’m sure many artists have their preference to what they like doing. Some prefer geometric patterns, others ancient South American patterns, the list goes on. The best option for you though is to find the artist who has done previous work that is similar to the piece that you want.
The key thing with finding a scarification artist is much like finding a qualified tattoo artist or body piercer. You want to make sure they have an established portfolio of fresh (clean though, not a bloody mess) as well as healed shots, don’t just fall for the ploy of an unethical artist who will talk you into doing something without providing proof of their skills,etc.
But since scalpels and biopsy punches are suppose to be illegal to use in Florida, there are not many artists publicly advertising their work, from that specific state.
+1 / 1 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 3 Comments
Thursday November 8th, 2007 @ 8:50 PM
I drink a lot of coffee and tea, and I’ve just re-quit smoking for the 50th time, so my teeth aren’t as white as I’d like them to be. Are teeth whitening products, like the strips you put on your teeth ok to use with oral piercings? I have a new-ish (about a month old) inverse vertical labret. I was of course going to wait until it was much more healed to stick any harsh chemicals like whitening products in my mouth; I just wanted to know if they would be ok to use once I was healed up.
Thanks!
I’ve used teeth whitening systems myself, and they’ve never affected my healed oral piercings negatively - but I’ve only ever used the professional sort that one has done by a dentist, and I honestly don’t know if the supermarket ones are any different. I’ve always been told that the supermarket teeth whiteners are much weaker and take longer to be effective, so I can see it going one of two ways: A. It’s not as harsh and doesn’t irritate the piercings; or B. The multiple treatments and extended exposure will be more irritating. Of course, if the strips start irritating your piercings, you can always just stop using them!
Also, it just occurred to me that the kind of whitening I had done involved the bleaching gel put into fitted mouth trays, which pretty much kept the gel off my gums, let alone my lips or cheeks, so that’d be something to think about, too. Readers, feel free to weigh in with your experiences in the comments!
0 / 0 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 5 Comments
