Tuesday July 22nd, 2008 @ 8:08 PM
Filed under: Navel
I had surgery April 11th of this year. I have always wanted my navel pierced, but never got it done. Now I have had surgery and am dealing with this scar that is on top of my navel going down to below my navel.
Are my dreams of having my navel pierced gone for good or can I still pierce it?
What are the risks, issues with doing so and how long should I wait to do it? It’s been 3 months so far
Thanks so much
I always hate to have to say this when answering a question…but your best bet is to visit a local piercer who you trust/hear good things about and have them look at the scarring. They will (should) be able to give you much more precise information about what is and isn’t possible if they can see/feel the scarring.
In general, I would say that your hopes of having a navel piercings don’t need to be abandoned. Piercings can very often be done through scar tissue. In some cases, a slight adjustment of the placement might be necessary to avoid large sections of scarring. Piercing through scarring can sometimes increase the likelihood of migration or rejection. If you were my client, I would likely suggest starting off with 12ga curved barbell. The slightly thicker jewelry should put less pressure on the tissue, reducing the likelihood of rejection. While scar tissue is harder than normal tissue, it is also more “brittle”, so the less pressure/irritation on it, the better.
A piercer who can see the scarring in person will be better able to advise you in terms of how long to wait. Based upon what I can see (size and color of the scar), I would probably suggest waiting about a year. It might not be easy to wait that long, but you obviously want to give yourself the best chance of success when you finally decide to do it.
Best of luck!
+8 / 12 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 4 Comments
Tuesday July 22nd, 2008 @ 7:49 PM
Filed under: Ear
So I recently discovered the wonderfullness that is silicone jewlery(kaos ear skins) and they’ve made my ears super happy and I swear some scar tissue even subsided.
So yay me for that.
But my question(s) is/are:
Are there any negative effects to long term wearing of silicone?
Does parybln(sp) coating matter?
And why exactly is silicone bad for stretching when its generally a body friendly material?
Because silicone is a very biocompatible material, there shouldn’t be any long-term effects of wearing silicone. However, keep in mind that silicone has caused some people problems even when worn in healed piercings. My personal theory is that it has little/nothing to do with a reaction to the material and is mostly a result of a physical problem…the “tackiness” of the material. (see below).
The parylene coating on the silicone can make a difference. I don’t know much about it from a biocompatibility point of view, but as I understand it, it reduces the “tackiness” of the material. From what I have seen, problems with silicone seem to occur where the skin sticks to the material, resulting in tears and/or ulcers of the tissue. So, if the parylene coating reduces the chance of the skin sticking to the jewelry, it could make a very important difference. Having said that, I’ve never had a problem with the non-parylene eyelets myself.
The problem with silicone and stretching really doesn’t have anything to do with the biocompatibility of the material. It has to do with, as I said, the potential for sticking. When stretching, the silicone is forced against the skin even more than when not used for stretching, increasing the likelihood of tearing or ulceration of the tissue. Add to this the fact that the material is soft, and can therefore “seal off” those tears or ulcers, and you have a recipe for very unhappy earlobes. Once sealed off, the lymph and blood that want to come out of the tears/ulcers can’t, making a bad situation even worse. If the length of the eyelet is very close to the width of the lobe, the eyelet doesn’t move side-to-side either, adding another complicating factor.
I personally really like the silicone eyelets. However, I think using them for stretching is asking for a world of trouble. Also, even when not stretching, you have to pay attention to what your body is telling you. If wearing them starts to make your ears sore, remove the jewelry. While silicone should work great for just about everyone, not everyone can where everything…it’s no different than other materials body jewelry is made from in that regard.
+7 / 9 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 5 Comments
Monday July 21st, 2008 @ 5:15 PM
i was wondering how important it is to have a black outline on your tattoo? If there is a black outline will it age better then one without a black outline? im getting a tattoo soon of a flower and i wasnt sure if it was important to get an outline in black. thanks so much!
This will depend upon the artist who does your tattoo.
There are artists who absolutely insist on a black outline for every tattoo. There are artists who will happily do tattoos without black outlines. There are also artists who prefer to put black outlines on tattoos, but if you don’t want one, they won’t make you get one.
I’ve worked in a few shops over the years, and most of the artists I’ve worked with have been of the “a black outline is a must” philosophy. The theory/belief is that black will tend to soften/blur less than man other colors. As a result, your tattoo will look “crisper” for longer with a black outline.
In my experience, most of the tattoos I’ve seen without black outlines do tend to look a little “fuzzy” at the edges if they don’t have a black outline. I’m talking about tattoos done by experienced, talented artists…not some hack. At the same time, if you’re aware of that ahead of time, and it’s a “risk” you’re willing to take, not having a black outline certainly isn’t the end of the world.
If you feel that a black outline is going to really not jive with the aesthetic of your design, you definitely need to fine an artists who isn’t insistent upon putting a black outline on it. Those artists are out there..they may just be a little harder to find.
+15 / 15 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 2 Comments
Monday July 21st, 2008 @ 4:58 PM
I have been gauging my ears for about 4 years now. I recently reached the size 7/8. I have always taken very good care of my years and try to take my time gauging so that I do not mess up my ears or get any blow outs. When I was at size 8 in my right year I got hit at work and became infected. I immediately removed it, cleaned it, kept any jewelry out of it and let it heal completely. I had to re-pierce it and re-gauge it. Knowing that my ear now had scar-tissue I was very careful when gauging that ear. Instead of tapering them I would get gauges that were double flared and simply wrap a layer of tape around them every so often allowing me to stretch it slowly and without much pain.
When I reached 3/4 I did the same thing. I rapped tape around them until they were about the size of 7/8. Here was my first mistake. The 7/8 I put in was silicon. The measurements of the taped gauge to 7/8 was larger then I had expected. After putting in the 7/8 my ear got very swollen and red. After a little less than a week the swelling went down so I decided to keep them in. My ear then started getting very dry and flaky and started to puss. The back of my ear was also so swollen that it was going over the back lip of the gauge. My ear constantly was pussing and had a very small amount of blood coming out whenever I touched the back. I had to actually cut the gauge out of my ear because it was so tight. Once I got the gauge out I discovered I had a pretty bad rip and my ear was a little blown out. I took out my jewelry, washed all the shit out, washed it with saline solution and put some neuo-sporn on it. I’m not sure what I should do next. I definitely want to re-gauge them when I am able to, but until I would like to know the best way to take care of them and get them back into a better condition.
I realize this is a “losing battle”, and most of the time I just let it go…just can’t do it this time. And please…don’t take it personally…because you’re far from the only person doing this.
1) It isn’t called gauging. It is called stretching. You stretch your piercings, you don’t gauge them. While “gauging” can be a verb, there is no definition that refers to making something bigger by “gauging it”. Much to my dismay, there probably will be one day because the word is mis-used with such regularity now.
2) They aren’t called gauges. They are called plugs or eyelets or hell…even spacers if you must. But not “gauges”. Gauges, in this context, refer to a unit of measurement. 8 gauge. 6 gauge. 00 gauge. Not, “Hey, I really dig your gauges.”
Now…on to the question at hand. First of all, I’m sorry you are having trouble with your ears, especially if you’ve taken so much care with them over the years. Unfortunately, this stuff happens from time-to-time.
The best thing you can do for your lobes right now is to leave them be. Don’t wear any jewelry in them…even if it’s significantly smaller than what you were wearing. Your ears need absolutely no trauma right now. They need to be treated with care and gentleness. You shouldn’t try to do a bunch of stuff to them or put a bunch of stuff on them. Your body knows exactly what it needs to do to heal them…so let it do its thing.
You should be able to re-gauge re-stretch them at a later time. However, you need to give them lots of time before you start this process again. Without seeing exactly what is going on with your ears, I can’t say for sure…but I would imagine you need at least a month before you put something back in. From there, you will need to take the process VERY slowly.
Silicone can be a wonderful material for many people. I personally wear it without any problems. However, it also has the potential to do some serious damage when used for stretching.
Best of luck.
+31 / 35 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 13 Comments
Monday July 21st, 2008 @ 4:50 PM
I have a 2 ga. helix punch, it’s all healed from being pierced this past november. There are some beautiful dichoric plugs on glasswearstudios.com, but they start at 0 ga. and I’m wondering how traumatized my ear would be if I got the 0’s. Is stretching a dermal punch a bad idea (will it cause damage, excessive scarring, or blow outs?) Would my ear still freak out if I just wore it for a short period of time, like a day or vs. for a couple months? If you don’t recommend this plan, could you guide me towards other websites or stores in D.C./NYC areas that have as many foil style options for smaller gauges?
It is quite possible to stretch cartilage piercings. I’ve met people over the years that have stretched various cartilage piercings from standard earring size to 0ga, or even bigger. So, in theory, you should be able to stretch your piercing without much issue.
The stretching shouldn’t cause “damage, excessive scarring, or blow outs”, assume that you take some care when doing it. If the jewelry is very resistant to going in, don’t force it too much. If you force it too much, you will tear the piercing, and potential crush the cartilage, making it very likely all of your aforementioned concerns will come true.
If you are considering ordering jewelry anyway, you may want to contact the company and see if they can make you a 1ga plug/eyelet. Glass companies are typically very good about doing in-between-sized jewelry. When it comes to cartilage, the in-between sizes can make stretching much easier.
+3 / 5 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | Comments
Monday July 21st, 2008 @ 4:43 PM
Which, if any, female genital piercings would be suitable for me as a horse-rider? I’m considering getting a Christina (if it’s a viable option), but would like to know if I could consider any other piercings too. Also, would the piercing require any special care because of my riding?
If you are an avid/consistent horse rider, you may want to consider something that heals fairly quickly (2-6 weeks typically)…such as a vertical/horizontal hood or inner labia piercings. Piercings such as outer labia and Christinas tend to have a longer healing time (3-4 months). If the healing time is short, if you find the piercing does interfere with your riding, or perhaps the other way around, it shouldn’t be an issue for very long.
It’s possible that a Christina might not be affected by riding too much, given it’s more “upward” placement. Having never ridden a horse, I don’t have personal experience to draw from…not to mention the lack of the other vital parts in question. 
Obviously, your particular “build” is going to play a part as well.
You aren’t going to know how things are going to work out until you actually try it, unfortunately. If you find that there is an issue, at that point you can try different things (such as use of padding, adjusting riding position etc) to alleviate the issue you are having.
Best of luck.
+9 / 11 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 6 Comments
Monday July 21st, 2008 @ 3:13 AM
Filed under: Navel
I had my navel pierced about a month ago and today it fell out–The top of it came loose and I dont know if this was because of things brushing against it or water?). Anyways, the whole piercing came out and I was told not to put it back in (risks infection) and to just let it heal. I was wondering if I would be able to get it done again if I wait until it fully heals? Also, should I put anything on the area while it heals? Will there be any bumps or scars after its healed? And do you know approx. how long it will take to heal? Thanx.
Who told you to leave the jewelry out and not put it back in, for fear of increased chance of infection?
The reality is if you actually walked into a studio, with the jewelry in a bag, they could have processed and autoclaved (Sterilized) the jewelry for you and then proceeded to re-insert the jewelry using a taper.
This is why you should NEVER listen to any friends, family or misc. person as they all have their own piece of information to get. If a studio actually told you not to put it in, then I say who was spaced out and forgot they had an autoclave to sterilize said jewelry in question.
If it’s been out now for more than a couple days your best bet is to let it heal up now. As for treating it you should still be doing sea salt soaks at least once a day. Personally I’d suggest waiting roughly 2 months or even a bit longer before attempting to consider re-piercing it again. And when you think its ok to re-pierce visit a studio and get their opinion on if its suitable to re-pierce yet or not.
+16 / 20 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments
Monday July 21st, 2008 @ 3:02 AM
Filed under: Ear
Hi There,
I had my tragus pierced a week ago at a professional piercing place with a bar. It has healed really well, no puss etc etc and I have been cleaning it twice a day with ‘protat’ (the Australian version of ear solution) and salt water bath.
I have noticed however that I have excruciating dental pain on the right side of my face (same side as piercing) in the upper two back teeth in my jaw. I saw the dentist three days later who confirmed I have an impacted wisdom tooth however it is on the BOTTOM jaw and not the TOP. I havent been to see the specialist yet however I find it hard to believe that an impacted wisdom tooth on my bottom teeth could be causing pain in the top two back teeth - so close to my piercing.
To touch the piercing itself (which i do not do often) is not too bad. It is not red and i have no problems with using a cue tip to massage the solution or salt in. I can sleep on it (probably shouldnt) and do not feel pain, though sometimes a dull ache. I have also had my belly button and tongue pierced (took tongue out) and two piercings in each of my lobes. I also have two tattoos.
On a pain scale - getting it done didn’t hurt that much at all (supposed to be the worst - though..i did fall asleep getting my tattoo done! hehe) - it is the dental pain that is KILLING me! Can’t get in to see the specialist for another two weeks. In the meantime I am drinking heaps of water, keeping the piercing clean, and taking a crap load of pain killers for my teeth. My dentist also put me on antibiotics for the wisdom tooth and said it wouldnt hurt my piercing either (i mentioned the pain to her - and she didn’t think that it would be from my piercing - though she was a dentist and not a dental surgeon).
Thoughts/suggestions/ideas? Have you ever heard of a Tragus piercing causing severe dental pain? I have heard of headaches for the first two to three weeks - but agonising dental pain? I don’t want to have my wisdom teeth ripped out for nothing! Hehe. I would appreciate if you could email
First thing first: throw out the Protat
Protat contains a harsh chemical additive that’s very dehydrating and damaging to newly forming skin cells. It should not be used at all, or even the amount of times most Australian piercers are suggesting.
The only thing you should be doing is the salt water soaks and even then, that requires a precise measurement of water and salt. Or visit a chemist and obtain 0.9% Wound Irrigation Sterile Saline.
As for the pain you’re feeling, welcome to the world of impacted Wisdom Teeth. The pain will vary from individual to individual, but personally, my wisdom teeth made me feel like my head was going to explode. I had shooting pains and serious migraines and I do not recommend anyone go through what I had to go through, I was side-lined for almost 4 weeks after my wisdom teeth removal.
If you need your wisdom teeth removed, they have to be removed…And its very unlikely that getting your tragus pierced is what’s causing the dental pain, if you’ve had an actual dentist,etc confirm your wisdom teeth need removing.
+6 / 12 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 3 Comments
Sunday July 20th, 2008 @ 1:51 AM
How permanent is lip stretching, and what size does it become irreversible without surgery?
There is no stock answer for this given the amount of data available.
+2 / 42 votes 
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 1 Comment
Sunday July 20th, 2008 @ 1:04 AM
Filed under: Ear
A friend of mine went to a studio about a month ago and had the her outer conch dermal punched at a 0 gauge. It was punch at a 0 and 0 jewelry inserted, with no stretching. It’s been a month so far and there seems to be very little healing, and in fact the jewelry, though it is flared, has been sinking into the hole. (I know a picture would help right about now, sorry) I’m just wondering if not stretching the hole after punching it is causing these problems, or if it’s normal for a large gauge cartilage punch to take this long before showing signs of healing.
Stretching a punched hole after punching is a good way to reduce bleeding. However, if anything it would be the source of more problems, not prevent them. From what you describe it sounds like the piercer used too small a piece of jewelry. It could be caused by something else altogether, but I assure you it is not a result of NOT stretching after the punch.
+5 / 9 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 1 Comment
