Wednesday October 15th, 2008 @ 10:35 AM
Filed under: Navel
I got my navel pierced (on the top) in the first week of may and I haven’t been having any problems. But recently in the past month I’ve been noticing that the skin covering the bar has been getting thinner and thinner, and I’m worried about it getting ripped out or falling out. I tried looking it up online, and what I figured was that it’s a migrating piercing. What should I do about it? If I take it out, would the scar tissue left over after it healed let me get it pierced again?
Thanks!
I’d say it is rejecting - a defence mechanism the body has for ridding itself of foreign objects, which is what a piercing is. If you leave it your body will eventually push the jewellery right out and you will be left with a scar. If this happens it is unadvisable to get it pierced again as scar tissue lacks the properties of normal skin and the same will most likely happen again. However, if you remove the jewellery now and give it at least three months before considering having it pierced again, then you may well heal the future piercing.
Also, you need to understand why it rejected. It could be poor placement, not having the right shaped navel to support the piercing, poor aftercare, irritation from clothes etc or you could just be unlucky.
+13 / 13 votes 
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | Comments
Wednesday October 15th, 2008 @ 12:32 AM
Micros are a bit easier to heal than traditional surface piercings in most cases. The hips can be a viable place for them, however care must be taken during healing to avoid, mmm how to put this delicately, rough bang-em-up sex. I’d recommend low profile disc ends for healing and for wear with any clothes that may put pressure on the dermals as well. I’d definitely do the tattoo first and if you want to be extra cautious leave a little space around the dermals location so if you did have to remove them the potential scar wouldn’t affect the design.
I know that surface peircings aren’t the best of ideas, since the reject and scar so easily, but how good of an idea is it to get hip microdermals? Is that a wise place to get microdermals?
Also, I’m planning on getting a tattoo on my stomach that would most likely cover at least part of where two of the mirodermals would be (I want two on each hip, similar to the look of surface ones); what is the chance of this messing my tattoo up? (Yes, I’d be planning on getting the microdermals sometime after the tattoo).
Thanks! ^_^
+7 / 7 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | Comments
Tuesday October 14th, 2008 @ 9:09 AM
Filed under: Ear
About two and a half months ago, I got my ear pierced. Nothing crazy, just a conch with a CBR. Even though I’ve followed all the rules (no touching, washing with Satin, sea salt soaks) it still hasn’t healed. I can’t sleep on that side, it’s tender to the touch, and the skin around the area is redder than I think it should be (it’s definitely redder than my other, non-pierced, ear).
I’ve always had a sensitivity to base metals. All my earrings are gold, sterling silver, or surgical steel, and I usually don’t wear them for longer than one day. Is it possible that the metal of my CBR is causing my problems? Could I switch to a gold/sterling CBR? Do gold/sterling CBRs even exist? Or should I just take it out, let it heal, and mourn it?
A conch piercing will be nowhere near healed in ten weeks. It can take up to a year to fully heal. My preferences for conch piercings is to heal with a bar rather than a ring as a bar is less likely to get knocked around. If you have been trying to sleep on that side then that will also account for the redness. So long as the exudate is not a greenish brown yellowy colour and that the pain is only tender rather than excruciating and your’e not running a fever then I would suggest being patient, staying off that side and continuing with the twice-daily seasalt soaks. If anything, have the jewellery switched out to a sterile bar by a piercer and see if that elleviates some of the tenderness.
+8 / 8 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 2 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 @ 7:25 AM
Filed under: Tongue
I’ve had my tongue pierced for almost three years, but recently (beginning 6 mo. ago) I’ve noticed a white, solid build up on the underside of my tongue ring, around where the acrylic ball hits my tongue. I am an oral hygiene freak, and I brush the underside of my tongue, but this is still happening with various balls I’ve tried. I can chip away the white stuff when I take it off, but I’ve found it eats away at the acrylic a little (or the force just chips it). Is this a health problem or am I just being too cheap with the quality of my jewelry?
The calciform deposits on the jewellery you describe are quite normal in tongue piercings. Acrylic isn’t the best quality and as you’ve discovered isn’t that great to clean. It is also cheap so if you want to stick with it, just replace the balls with new ones at regular intervals. There is a suggestion that acrylic can leach toxins over time (I’m sure Warren can interject here) so replacing it frequently would be a good idea anyway. Other than that, with titanium or steel balls, you can drop them into a cup of vinegar which will make removing the depostis easier.
+12 / 14 votes 
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 1 Comment
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
Friday October 10th, 2008 @ 7:41 AM
I bought some piercing needles online the other day. When they arrived, the chemical sterilization packaging has an expiration date on it that is long over expired.
Are these safe to use?
I contacted the seller and they said they are fine but I wanted to check with someone I trust.
Thanks!
If the expiration date has expired then sterility cannot be guaranteed. It’s up to you whether or not you wish to take that risk.
+13 / 13 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | 7 Comments
Thursday October 9th, 2008 @ 7:41 AM
I got a monroe piercing almost 6weeks ago and I noticed the back of my lip(where the back end of the labret is) theres a circle like imprinted into skin/lip around the back part of my lip.Is that normal and will that go away? or should I take it out? btw I plan to switching to a bioplast labret soon from currently having a titanium labret(im pretty sure thats what it is)
It’s perfectly normal. So long as the skin doesn’t appear to be covering the disc (which implies the jewellery is too short) then you have nothing to worry about.
+13 / 13 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | Comments
Tuesday October 7th, 2008 @ 4:50 PM
I am looking for a scripture tattoo.. I just saw it on Army Wives. She said it was a scripture that meant a A beautiful mistake. Any Ideas as where i can find this?
Wait-
It was script that meant “a beautiful mistake” but it wasn’t in English?
Without knowing which language the piece was in… we can’t do much for you.
Even knowing, there’s little we could do.
If you want the words “A beautiful mistake” you can walk into a shop and ask.
If you’re looking to have that translated into another language, I’d say find someone who speaks/writes the specific language you want it in.
Or just get a tattoo of Amy Winehouse….
+16 / 20 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 12 Comments
Tuesday October 7th, 2008 @ 11:06 AM
I have a rook piercing which was pierced in metric jewelry in 1mm. I’d like to downsize to an anatometal curved barbell, which is in gauge, so that will be 16ga=1.2mm…
Would I be able to change the jewelry without ripping the fistula out, causing rejection? I’m sure my piercer doesn’t have a taper going to 1.2mm…
Thanks.
Have you asked your piercer if they have a 1.2mm taper? I know I carry several 1.2mm tapers both blunt-ended, threaded and with pins (for internally-threaded). In all honesty, though, we are talking a fifth of a millimeter and chances are, if it is a well-healed piercing (over a year old) and the jewellery moves quite freely then a warm soak and a bit of water-based lube like KY should do the trick. If you do find it is a bit of a struggle then seek out a piercer with a taper!
+7 / 7 votes
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | Comments
