Tuesday November 11th, 2008 @ 3:11 AM
Filed under: Nipple
I got my nipples pierced about 2 months ago, 14g with Tygon. They’ve been doing fine for the most part– a little sore, and a lot of crusties, but other than that, they’ve been ok. But for the past few days, they’ve been really really sore and there have been more crusties than usual. Also, they smell really really bad and I’ve been doing a pretty good job cleaning and caring for them, so I don’t know where the smell is coming from. I moved the bars to the sides to clean the piercing and the bars kind of stuck to my skin and there was a pretty sharp pain. There’s a shooting pain going through the piercings right now and I’m not really sure what to do.
I guess my biggest question(s) are:
1. Is this normal for nipple piercings?
2. Does this have something to do with the Tygon? (since I guess Tygon is slightly controversial from what I’ve heard from different piercers)
Any help would be wonderful and greatly appreciated!! : )
I don’t think it’s normal to use tygon in nipple piercings, personally. After a month or two, the tygon must be switched out as your body begins to break it down causing (surprise!) crusties and weepy piercings, soreness, tissue adhering to the barbells themselves and a stench on them like grim death.
First off, see a piercer who is carrying implant grade barbells and have them fit you for a new (permanent!) set for your nipple piercings.
Secondly, stop moving the barbells to the side when your clean the piercing! Once you get some good jewelry in there you should see a huge decrease in discharge from the piercings.
Rinse any crusties off in running water and gently hold a clean cloth drenched in hot water on them for five minutes at a time. Some people like to do a little saline rinse which can help as well.
Don’t fuss over them too too much.
+10 / 10 votes 
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | 6 Comments
Tuesday October 21st, 2008 @ 10:20 AM
Filed under: Nipple
My question is two fold, and I have not been able to find any information about anyone having a problem similar to mine. I got my nipples pierced almost six months ago, and I wear 12 gauge straight barbells in them. They are still healing, and I haven’t had any problems with them, my issue is this: I preform as a drag king, and to do so I have to bind my breasts with medical tape. I’ve found that even with a thin foam pad over my nipples the tape still pulls on the jewelry, and thus the piercings, in painfully ways and causes them to remain sore for a couple of days afterwards. I cannot put thicker pads on because it would negate the binding. Do you have any recommendations for jewelry that would not get pulled on as much? I know that straight barbells are best for healing (and I like the looks of them best) but would putting in CBRs or something help to keep them from getting pulled on? Because they are still healing I don’t want to take the jewelry out to preform and I don’t want to experiment with other pieces of jewelry without someone else thinking I should. My second question is this: can taping my breasts delay the healing of my nipples? Thank you.
Your second question is easier to answer so I’ll start with that one. In a word - yes. Taping your breasts will lengthen the healing time.
As for your first query. I deeply doubt changing the jewellery will make a difference. This is one of those cases whereby lifestyle conspires against healing. Unfortunately, you have chosen a piercing that has a lengthy healing time (12-18 months). All I can suggest is experiment with different methods of binding to try and find the most comfortable with regards to the piercing and if it looks like your piercing is becoming irritated, it may be a case of having to decide between the piercing and the performance.
+12 / 20 votes 
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 4 Comments
Tuesday October 14th, 2008 @ 9:02 AM
Filed under: Nipple
I have been reading through your wealth of information on nipple piercings this afternoon. I got mine pierced yesterday- and the studio chose 16 gauge. I have read several times on your site that it should be 14 ga. or larger… does this mean I have a larger chance of rejection/migration? I’m a bit worried now..
It’s less to do with migration and more to do with tearing. I’m sure I’ve mentioned cheesewires in a previous post! If you catch a 16g piercing you are more likely to tear the piercing which is why 16g is never used on soft tissue in an area that either sees a lot of action or is likely to get caught. Unfortunately, with your piercing being over a day old and no doubt a little inflamed, having it tapered up to the appropriate size is not viable so your best best is to give it at least a year and in that time take great care that you do not catch it, then have it tapered up to 14g. Alternatively, if you don’t want to take the risk, remove the jewellery now and give it three months and have it pierced again at the right size.
+7 / 7 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 6 Comments
Saturday October 11th, 2008 @ 7:20 AM
Filed under: Nipple
I have a ring and I was wondering is it alright to turn the nipple piercing, even if it’s stuck by itself. I’m just afraid it will heal and then not be able to turn. My piercer said not to turn it, but I just think if I don’t, I will never be able too.
Your piercer is right. Do not turn the jewellery. Think about it logically. If you turn the jewellery you will not only pull bacteria into the wound but also damage new cells that will eventually mature to form tissue. The skin will not adhere to the metal. If this were the case then medical science would have come on in leaps and bounds with regards to the development of prosthetics for amputees.
I’m totally with your piercer on this one.
+24 / 26 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday August 27th, 2008 @ 3:52 AM
Filed under: Nipple
I had my right nipple pierced about ten years ago. It did not heal well, became infected and after about a month I took it out and let it close up, which it did quite nicely. There were two tiny little marks where the openings had been that were almost non-discernible. As I have little points for nipples the original piercing was placed wider, further out as opposed to tightly spaced toward the tip nipple itself. About three weeks ago I had a spur of the moment brainstorm to get my nipple re-pierced, so I ran out and did it. I showed the piercer my prior spot and asked if we should use or avoid it, as perhaps scar tissue from the old piercing, should there be any, could cause a problem. She thought it better safe than sorry and went further out as opposed to closer in onto the actual nipple. I have uploaded a photo of the piercing so that you can see. She had trouble getting the needle out the other side once she began and she also pierced freehand, without a clamp to guide the needle. This resulted in a slightly lopsided piercing. I am not too happy about this. With that said… my questions are:
Was this done correctly or is there no right vs. wrong for placement? Ideally I want my piercing to enhance my already sensitive nipple as well as look good and heal properly. I have the sense that because it is placed wider and not right into the tip, it may not have maximized the sensitivity and might take longer to heal as well. Is that wrong? I am now considering having my left nipple pierced and want the two to match symmetrically. One is already not perfectly horizontal. I would also prefer that my piercings be closer in, on or near the actual nipple itself. Can you please speak to the situation and my concerns and suggest what to do? Thank you very much!
Based on what I read and with that picture, in my eyes it appears that the piercer was not quite experienced/knowledgeable as she should be.
You do not want to be piercing deeper into the areola as many complications can occur. One of them is what I am seeing in that picture where through scar tissue, deep placement,etc your nipple is rather distorted from what it ideally should be. Also this can be a result as well from the type of jewelry you have in your nipple, ie: small diameter circular barbell. As it will pull down and apply stress on a straight pathway thus increasing scar tissue and irritation. Not only that but she didn’t even pierce it in line with your nipple.
So realistically when it comes to piercing your other nipple, I implore you to actually get it done properly and with a straight barbell, at least for the initial healing time. Symmetry with these piercings is going to be very hard now. Even with normal paired nipple piercings its hard to keep symmetry due to different developments/angles of the nipple/pectoral muscles,etc.
But like I said if you came to see me with this nipple piercing, with great frustration and concern with what happened to you. I would explain specifically why what you had done is not the ideal situation and that realistically I would not want to compromise your well-being as well as the quality of the piercing, in order to make it symmetrical with a botched piercing job. If anything I would encourage you to remove the jewelry, provided it was problem free and could be removed. And then from there I would advise you on how to care for it and see how it heals, and if it was suitable re-pierce it properly the next time around.
*sighs* I’m still looking at that picture you posted and it makes me cringe and want to cry. We really gotta find a way to get all piercers on the same page of knowledge so that things like this, never happen again.
+20 / 22 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 5 Comments
Friday August 22nd, 2008 @ 8:14 PM
Filed under: Nipple
I got my nipples pierced about 3 weeks ago. I haven’t had any problems or signs of infection, but for the past few days, I’ve been having trouble turning the rings. It almost feels like it’s healing too tightly or something. They don’t want to move when I try to turn them, and it’s starting to hurt to do so. I’m just wondering if this is normal or if I should be concerned about it.
Why are you trying to turn the rings? Please tell me this wasn’t the advice you were given by your piercer? Piercings heal from the outside inwards so moving the jewellery in a healing piercing only serves to damage the tissue, cause irritation and lengthen the healing process - hence the pain - you bodys way of saying ’stop it, you’re harming me’. The key to healing trouble-free piercings is more a case of what you don’t do to them, rather than what you do do to them. My advice - leave them alone, don’t turn them, don’t play with them.. whatever, and continue with nothing more than your twice-daily seasalt soaks.
+23 / 23 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 6 Comments
Friday August 1st, 2008 @ 9:35 PM
Filed under: Nipple
So i took my nipple piercing out about three weeks ago because they never quite healed and were constantly irritated. I did everything right, I saw my piercer before hand to get the OK and make sure he thought i was alright to take the jewelry out. I soaked them in salt water for a couple days after to make sure and flush out any bacteria or puss in the hole. They closed and i thought everything was fine.
except now my areola is scaly and irritated on the right breast and when i squeeze the area hard enough a clear liquid comes out of textured bumps that are around the nipple. it itches constantly and though i have heard of similar symptoms being connected to a rare form of breast cancer, i am certain this is directly related to my piercings.
PLEASE PLEASE i am very worried. i plan to see a doctor ASAP but if anyone has ever heard of this or experienced it i would desperately like to know!
Do see a doctor as soon as possible.
And STOP squeezing your poor nipples! It’s abnormal that three weeks after you removed the jewlery and stopped soaking with sea salt that you’re having some sort of reaction be it allergic, bacterial or something else.
+12 / 12 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | 1 Comment
Sunday July 27th, 2008 @ 1:24 AM
Filed under: Nipple
Hi. I got my (female) right nipple pierced 2 months ago. My nipples are very flat, and the balls from the straight barbell (14ga) press against my skin and leave indentations. I read somewhere that this is not supposed to happen. The piercer obviously didn’t pierce them when they were “flat” and perhaps I should have mentioned it to him. They are otherwise healing well, (I think) but I was wondering if switching to curved barbells would be a better choice, as it could prevent the balls from pressing against my skin if the barbell was positioned correctly, right? Wrong? I read on here that a lot of piercers recommend straight barbells, but when it comes to this situation, would it be beneficial? Please don’t say I need to get it re-pierced 
Thanks a lot!
There’s a difference between “Flat” nipples and “inverted nipples.”
With inverted nipples, depending on the severity of the inward pull of the nipple, I’ll use a curved barbell. (Some inverted nipples just can’t be pierced successfully)
Otherwise, I always use a straight barbell - even on the softer, flatter nipples.
With the pressure of bras and shirts and the forward weight of the breast, it’s normal for the balls to slightly indent into the areola. If you’re having trouble with the balls sinking into both the nipple and the areola, or if it’s causing discomfort outside of the actual healing piercing site, you may need a longer barbell.
Some people find that smaller or larger balls will help the barbell sit more comfortably as well.
Worst case scenario is that your nipple piercing was pierced too deep and into the areola (in which case you should remove them and have them re-pierced …sorry!)
+5 / 5 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
Tuesday July 15th, 2008 @ 10:04 AM
Filed under: Nipple
Hi,
my girlfriend got her nipples pierced 2 weeks ago and she’s having issues with both of her nipples.
You can actually see a very red area around the end of the jewelry. The jewelry is a 12G barbel with pink sapphirs on both ends. The sapphirs seems to create a pressure on the skin of the breast (not the nipples) and seems to enter the hole of the piercing. This is why we are thinking that the jewelry is too short.
My girlfriend is experiencing pain randomly. If there is a pressure on her nipples, the jewelry will tend to create a pressure on her breast and until she actually moves the jewelry outide the breast, she will experience random pain. When she moves the jewelry, there’s a pain but the pain goes quickly away, until she puts her t-shirt, bras or whatever can create a pressure on the nipple/breast.
You guys are more experienced than we are, could you give us some advices ? She cleans her piercings 3 times a day, as told by the piercer.
The piercing shop is closed until Thursday so this is why we are asking here.
Thank you for your time and concerns,
Guillaume & Emilie
If the balls are actually sinking into the nipple then yes, the jewellery is too short. There should be a little room to allow any exudate to drain during the healing time otherwise you are asking for trouble. I would go back to the studio at the earliest opportunity and have them pop some longer, sterile bars in there. She will notice immediate relief if this is the case. Twice daily seasalt soaks should suffice with regards to aftercare.
+5 / 7 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 5 Comments
Monday July 14th, 2008 @ 4:11 AM
Filed under: Nipple
I am somewhat metal allergic I can get by with surgical steel or titanium in my ears but I had a bad reaction when I had my nose pierced and ended up needing to get it re-pierced with quartz
I want to get my nipples pierced with something non metal do you know if an internally threaded barbell made of pyrex or quartz exists and where i could get them.
I know titanium is an option but Id hate to have a reaction
Thank you
So you’re basing your allergic reaction on your single nostril piercing that went “bad”?
For everyone reading this I ENCOURAGE you most desperately to not self-diagnose any potential allergies. If you feel you are having an allergic reaction to ANYTHING, I urge you to seek out a dermatologist to conduct an allergy test. That way you can EXACTLY figure out what you are allergic to.
Know that the issue you had might have been a result of poor quality jewelry. Know that any jewelry that’s marked “Surgical” has to be viewed very skeptically. As the reality is in the medical field they do not leave Surgical Instruments inside the body. Only IMPLANT grade materials are to be left inside the body, this includes even a body piercing.
Implant Grade Steel or Implant Grade Titanium (do a AskBME search on these topics for more info) with a mirrored polish and that’s internally threaded SHOULD not provide any complications such as what you were describing. As these metals have been confirmed safe for long term wearing inside the body and are the exact same metals they use in implant procedures such as screws, bolts, pins, plates,etc.
There is currently no “internally threaded quartz glass” jewelry on the market. The most you can get is a Quartz Glass Tongue retainer and wear an o-ring on one side, the other side has a balled end.
However as I said your best option is to actually get yourself educated/informed on the basic jewelry material criteria so that you can be prepared to investigate to find who’s using the best quality jewelry…and who’s simply using the cheap bicycle spoke that was broken off a poor indonesian, and converted into a barbell to make some cash.
So as I said if you think you got allergies, get those thoughts confirmed, don’t just assume you have said allergies. As it could have most likely been from the low quality of the metal or even the buffing compound that was left on the jewelry due to improper processing within the piercing studio.
+10 / 16 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment
