Wednesday January 6th, 2010 @ 4:09 PM
Hello,
About 2.5 years ago, I had the bridge of my nose pierced. Healing went well and the bruising and soreness healed quickly. However, after about a year of having it, I got a new job which didn’t allow facial piercings, so I switched the barbell to a PTFE barbell and simple wore no balls on the ends. I tried not to change it very often, and kept the PTFE barbell in most of the time. However I love my piercing and wanted to show it off when I got a chance, so I did change it occasionally, which would make it sore. Anyways, I eventually quit that job and again my piercing went back to being fine. Finally, to my question: my piercing still gets crusties, after having it for almost 3 years, and I experience discomfort when I touch it sometimes. I am deathly afraid that the piercing is rejecting, and want to catch it and remove it before I end up with hideous scars. Is it rejecting or simply migrating? It has already migrated slightly from the original placement, but nothing too drastic as I write this.
Thanks,
Blake (US)
Like so many questions we get here at AskBME, this is a hard one to answer with certainty without being able to see your piercing. My suggestion would be to go see a piercer in your area who you trust. They should be able to let you know if your piercing seems to be rejecting or migrating.
While many people find that their bridge piercing heals quickly and doesn’t act up, it’s also not uncommon to have the experience you are having. So, the soreness and crusties could be a sign of rejection, but they could also just be a sign of your particular bridge piercing being being finicky.
Let a professional check it out and give you an opinion based upon what they can actually see.
+2 / 4 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Tuesday December 15th, 2009 @ 7:35 PM
Im about to get a microdermal where a madison piercing would be placed. I know that there are skin toned heads I can use, but somehow I cant seem to find them on the internet. Does anyone know of a place that I could get (a preferably cheap) one? Also I have a very pale skintone, so Im wondering if that matters at all…? Thanks!!
The cheapest option and one that I often advise is simply taking a band aid that is a close color to your skin tone and putting a piece of it (trimmed to shape) over the flat disc end that likely came with your micro. Cheap, effective and far less chance of allergic reaction than most of the flesh tone ends.
+12 / 18 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 3 Comments
Friday December 11th, 2009 @ 7:02 PM
I had my divers removed and replaced them with archors… Well the piercer was changing it the archor droped and we couldnt find it in my hand… my question is should I worry about infection or it bothering me or go to the er and have it removed?
I had a client come in who had lost the foot of her jewelry into her sternum and never found it again.
Luckily it was an anchor she got from my studio and at least it was of implant grade, anodized titanium from a reputable company like Anatometal. I could at least assure it was a biocompatible piece.
She is looking into x-rays to see where it ended up, but it should probably be alright. A doctor could remove it no problem.
That being said, if you don’t know exactly what the metal lost in your hand is made of, it could cause you problems down the road as it starts to break down.
+12 / 12 votes 
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
Sunday October 18th, 2009 @ 2:14 PM
I want to get microdremals but I don’t know how much they cost and if they can be done on minors. I really need to find a place in Eastern NC. My main questions:
Are they really permenant? and which is better the needle or punch and taper method?
&& what would be a possible cost for 4 hip microdermals to give the appearance of surface piercings?
I don’t believe there is a real difference in a punch or needle technique for the piercing.
Surface anchors are not permanent, but it’s important to realize that they do not come out with ease. They’re not really something you could remove safely at home and they are prone to migrating and rejecting like any surface piercing.
As far as price and age go, that would completely depend on the piercer you seek out to do them.
Regardless of your age, it’s most important to find a piercer who is experienced in the procedure and removal and who is using implant grade materials.
+2 / 2 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
Sunday October 18th, 2009 @ 2:03 PM
So I’ve been wanting to get a corset piercing for years, but couldn’t stand the idea of having surface bars that would reject before they ever had a chance to heal. But recently I thought that if I had microdermal anchors put in instead of surface bars, then maybe it would be able to heal properly. I could leave the flat discs on them 90% of the time.
I was planning on getting the top 2 done first, and waiting a month or more to see how my body handles microdermals before getting the rest. I’ve had 9 piercings, but no microdermals yet, and I know everyone’s body heals things differently.
I was just wondering what you thought of this?
If there was ever a way that corset design piercings could be worn “permanently” it would be with surface anchors.
Wearing flat discs all the time would definitely be a must. However, with the placement on your back, those piercings would be subject to a LOT of trauma. Sitting in chairs/vehicles, laying on your back, etc. You’d have to take a lot of care.
Even switching the ends off the anchors can be irritating to them, so I’d use caution.
+2 / 2 votes
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Posted by Lexci Million | Permalink | Comments
Wednesday October 7th, 2009 @ 5:52 PM
I have been very interested in getting a piercing on my neck, above the collarbone. I believe it is called a madison. I also want the size to be very large and be a heavy ring, around a 2-00g. I know they have a high rejection rate to begin with. I was wondering if I could utilize scarification in such a way that the keloid might prevent migration, make a small vertical cut in the neck, allow it to heal and then pierce behind it. If this sounds plausible to you, then my next question would be, should I start with a large needle or a small one and then stretch? I would also like to know how deep into my neck is TOO deep. Thanks a lot in advance!
-Zoe
What you are referring to is called scar and brace piercing. It was commonly attempted years ago, before the advent of surface bars, unfortunately, it was rarely successful. Here’s BME’s encyclopedia entry on the subject for more info.
I am not one to call any sort of piercing as “impossible”, because I have seen more than a fair share of EXTREMELY unlikely piercings heal. However, the odd’s of having this piercing heal are VERY slim. If you insist on trying it and are accepting of the fact it will most likely reject, try using the lightest and smallest gauge jewelry acceptable, I’d probably go for glass myself. One method that had some success in the past was scalpelled madisons. I believe Tom Brazda did some of these successfully, but I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong on that. This involved scalpelling the piercing, so that the jewelry could rest in a more natural state than if it had been pierced by traditional needle methods. I severely doubt this will heal, but I am all for educated experimentation by trained professionals.
The best bet is also the most difficult to perform and that would be creating a bipedicle flap and then wearing the jewelry in that after it heals (assuming it heals).
As to your question “how deep…is too deep”, I’d have to say if you hit your jugular or esophagus you probably went too deep! In all seriousness though, this question leads me to believe you plan to attempt this yourself and that you are not all that knowledgeable on the subject. While I generally support DIY piercings, I must say that attempting this on yourself is a horrible idea and I can’t forsee a good outcome.
If you really want this and consult an experienced professional, know your risk, realize the odds are against you for healing it and still want it done (and have an reputable practitioner willing to attempt it for you), I 100% support your decision and respect your willingness to attempt the unlikely.
+11 / 11 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 1 Comment
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 @ 10:39 PM
I got two microdermals in my hips about a week ago,my family has just told me we’re going on holidays to asia in a few months.I was wondering if it’s guaranteed that I won’t be stopped boarding in the airport security place because of the dermals? Because they’ll probably have healed by the time of the holidays,and I’m seriously considering getting them removed,please help,they’re looking very well and I wouldn’t like to remove them for no reason.
I travel by plane quite frequently and have never had a metal detector go off due to any of my implants or body jewellery. Even my neodymium magnet implant hasn’t set them off.
I’ve asked security why this is and have received mixed answers. I’ve been told that this is due to the grade of metals the jewellery is made with and also that the amount of metal by volume is not enough to set them off. None of these security sources have seemed to really know for sure.
Expect that your belt buckle, coins and lighter will set off the sensor, but not your microdermals (assuming that they are made with implant grade titanium).
+7 / 7 votes
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Posted by Russ Foxx | Permalink | 2 Comments
Sunday August 16th, 2009 @ 8:35 AM
I have been considering getting nape microdermal piercings, and I have been trying to find somewhere that sells flesh colored or clear colored disks/balls or anything that would make a microdermal less noticeable. I have short hair and I am also an actor so I may be required to hide the piercings if I get them. I have had zero luck finding anything like this, and I have been searching everywhere online. I’ve only found clear retainers for other types of piercings.
The easiest way to hide HEALED micros is simply removing the end, if they were done flush to begin with, the post will be hardly noticeable. For hiding a healing micro, or if you aren’t comfortable with wearing no ends a good DIY fix is putting a flesh colored band aid on a flat disc end and cutting it to the same shape and size as the end.
+23 / 25 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 3 Comments
Tuesday August 11th, 2009 @ 7:32 PM
Hello there, I am a fairly new piercer, been piercing (post year long apprenticeship) for about 1 1/2 years. I have done plenty of small scale surface piercings like the horizontal eyebrow, the “sideburns” (surface in front of tragus), anti-eyrbows, etc with great success and now I would like to move on to larger scale surface piercings. My thing is, it seems like most spots don’t really heal well at all, and most of the rest have a fairly high rejection rate, although some piercers seem to, or at least claim to have high healing rates on the surface piercings they do. On the other hand it seems as though microdermals have advanced quite a bit and heal pretty well, as well as being more easily removed now and even having microdermals with no holes, i assume to be removed easily.
My question is basically, do you think it is worth it to get into surface piercings? Do you believe microdermals are a better alternative to the surface piercing? If not, what are the best and worst spots as far as healing for surface piercings?
Okay, the way I see things, there are three main factors that influence the viability of surface work - placement, technique and jewellery. There are other factors too, such as lifestyle, general health etc. With placement, areas with the least amount of movement stand a better chance of healing. You should also consider a persons clothing (is it likely to rub?), how they sleep (think of this one in relation to breasts and cleavage piercings), occupation, hobbies - anything that might knock, catch or move the piercing. Technique-wise, we all have our ways. I prefer the punch and taper method (I prefer punches for microdermals too). Do some research. Read experiences. See how other artists do things. Compare the results, practice on friends and find whichever suits you best. Jewellery plays a crucial part, too. The trick is to have the post exiting with a 90 degree angle between the post and the skin, that way there is no undue pressure on the wound edges from the jewellery. This means that curved barbells are unsuitable for nearly all types of surface work. I am also not a fan of PTFE for the same reason. I really, really dig Anatometals flat-bottomed surface bars. They seem less intrusive, sit nicely and are finished wonderfully.
So that’s my take on it. I think that both microdermals and surface bars both have a place in the wonderful world of surface work. As to whether it’s worth getting into surface piercings? Well, I certainly think so.
+13 / 15 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 1 Comment
Tuesday August 4th, 2009 @ 11:46 AM
I really want my wrist pierced. (surface) I went to go get it pierced today but they really tried talking me out of it and told me to do some more research! should i still get it ? I have a lot of piercings and never had a problem with any of them. I just want to know if there is any pros or cons with this piercing? Is it even worth getting? What is the healing process like?
- Alicia
It sounds to me like you went to a really intelligent, ethical piercer, and you might consider actually listening to their advice on this one, eh? No, I don’t think wrist surface placement are worth bothering with - they rarely heal and are a difficult placement to live with. You will knock it a million times a day, it is impossible to keep that area clean, and odds are good that it will be red and crusty and weepy right up until the day it rejects out. The pros? Hack piercers make loads of money off of whacking them into everyone who asks for them without a concern in the world. The cons? That you won’t heal it, will regret doing it, and will be out however much it costs you and be scarred for life.
+20 / 24 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 7 Comments
