Recent Comments

Your nipple actually looks very similar to mine, although you seem to be having more discharge etc. That's probably just your body though, it's a sign of regular healing. Do sea salt soaks for 10 minutes twice a day and they'll start to look better. Mine certainly do!

I have snakebites, got them December 27th 2011. My left side originally had this "thing" lol, I used to lick it all the time to feel if it was still there, then I discovered it didn't hurt so I found myself biting it, then it gradually went away. I noticed I had it and it was problematic, if you will, when I had rings in. Funny thing is today my left one is starting to do it, right side's fine. I had my jewelry out for like 10 hours- sleeping and being at work, but as I went to see if they closed, they didn't... So I put my rings back in and the little thing's back. Only weird part is that it's happening on the outside too lol, I pinched the visible part with my nail (slight bleeding no pain), and I have in my initial longer studs. I think it just goes away with time.

Sarah - those "ass hole doctors" are responsible for making sure you don't get hurt, you idiot. If they tell you an MRI is 100% fine and you end up with a magnet-responsive piece of metal ripped out of your skin, you're going to sue that "asshole" aren't you? And Jesus f'n Christ, Randi, see the damn doctor before you die of meningitis or something. Your head should not have any swelling unless you smacked it against something... And judging from your lack of common sense, an ER visit might be in store since you apparently have brain damage too. I can't believe I'm replying to years-old posts. >_< lmao

i have the same problem but had it done with the long stud and 3 weeks ago changed to the shorter one. my piercer keeps saying "coma back in a week" and im sick of it as i dont want to get any permanent scarring but looks like im on my way there. this puss pocket/ zit thing refills every 6-10 days and just doesnt seem to heal at all. it doesnt hurt but is leaking and wet all the time. is there anything i can do except taking the piercing out. if so.. would it be safe knowing there is the leakage? thanks!

I say definately not too old. I'm 42 and have many piercings. Ears ( traguses , conches, rooks, forward helixes, cartilage and lobes ) as well as a gauged triple loop coil, both nostrils double pierced, lip, navel and tongue. I also have 3 dermals on my wrist, 2 on the back of my neck, one on throat and one above cleavage. Planning on getting septum done this week. I love my piercings ! And oddly, I get a lot of compliments from all kinds of people and age groups. I think its great and don't think anyone is too old. It's funny because some people will do a double take but then ask questions about them and some have gone out and gotten pierced themselves. I say do it because it's something you want to do. What one may want is not necessarily what another may want. Its an idividual choice of expression. Therefore,I wouldn't pressure anyone into doing something they don't want.

Update, they have been there about 9/10 months. They were done on July 22nd, 2011. I don't know the size of the base, but they were done with a dermal punch.

okay. first cheek piercing experience was an ill-advised at home job by my ex who does some tat/piercing work on the side for spare cash... PLEASE DON'T DO THIS PIERCING YOURSELF!!! i had nothing but trouble with them from the start. labret studs, even the longer ones did'nt leave room for everything to drain. i KNEW i was allergic to surgical and react badly when i use it in my ears, but he'd never heard of that allergy and went ahead with the surgical steel jewelry. in less than 24 hours, the swelling and ulceration from a nasty combo of too small jewelry and metal i'm allergic to had caused my piercings to swallow BOTH ends, the ball and the stud. fortunately, i work in a machine shop and very small uage tools were easy to locate, sterilize and use to remove the labret studs... VERY PAINFUL! i already knew not to just pull the studs and leave them with that much of an issue going on, so i replaced them with acrylic tongue bars to get through the draining process. this is not a good material for healing a piercing though, as it is very porous and everything wants to stick to it, once my cheeks were back down to a semi-normal size, i removed them and let them heal for nearly 2 years before going to a shop with an experienced piercer who has done cheeks before and kept up on the healing information. it also helped me feel alot more comfortable to find that he sees the same homeopathic physician that i rely on to care for my family. we repierced through the old scars, the lumps were gone and i was left with 2 small pits that he only noticed when he was looking at my cheeks for placement. we used PTFE belly bars with acrylic balls on each end (for future reference, i reccomend metal balls as we have to resterilize a steel ball each time i have my bars trimmed, the acrylic is no good for threading the bars, but will go on nicely after the threads are cut). i've had my piercing for nearly a week and a half now, i've been in for 2 trims already, but the fistula is still rather large and so my bars are still rather roomy. i got that painful marble sized lump around the holes and made myself a nice cup of chamomile tea to try and soothe the area... hot to help increase bloodflow and allow for faster healing. when i finished with the tea, i put the used teabag over the piercing on the outside and used it as a compress. over night whatever it was opened up and drained without any force, i did have some extra crust around the bars the next day, but the pain was gone as well as the lump, not to mention the fistula has gone down by half since! i'm ready for another trim. since having such wonderful results, i am drinking/ rinsing with a cup of this tea every night for nearly a week now with no more issues and steady shrinkage of the fistula. i'd love to tell you i haven't given my poor cheeks any further abuse, but... thanks to my long posts for healing room, i have a hard time getting comfortable to sleep at night, i'm generally a tummy sleeper with my head turned to one side, the lower side seems to be bit more swollen in the morning but goes back down once i'm up and moving for the day. yesterday my daughter and i were wrestling and she snagged the ball on the outside of my left cheek. i've felt some pain as if the inside of the piercing has torn, but i've not noticed any additional swelling, sensitivity or other sign of infection, so i've got my fingers crossed it will repair without issue given a couple more days i think that those impatient with these lumps need to bear in mind that they've just pulled a core sample of sorts from an area with MANY different types of tissue, likely opening/blocking several glands and ducts as well as removal of muscle and nerve tissue. there is alot more going on in the cheek than with most other body piercings. you know have ducts for dispersing saliva interrupted, there are various cavities throughout the entire cheek for holding and transporting various fluids that can be nicked, impaled or simply crowded by swelling and scar tissue, you've also removed a bit of muscle and connective tissue as well as many nerve cells, swelling will crowd some of those nerves to the point that they are pinched off until it goes back down. the important things to remember with cheeks is to not change jewelry any more often than necessary, expect LOTS of swelling and drainage and even crusts on your posts, find a cleaning routine you're comfortable with and stick to it! don't poke, squeeze, pop or otherwise add insult to injury. heat, ice, tea tree oil, saline, possibly herbal teas and compresses if you understand their effects or get guidance from another who does... my routine is as follows, mix about 12 drops tea tree oil into a bottle of sterile eye was solution ( i find this to be milder than sea salt mixtures and was having a problem with dryness from the sea salt) carry this bottle and qtips EVERYWHERE to gently clean crusts and outside of piercing. i don't BRUSH my teeth, but use a water pic, i mix a capful of yellow listerine into the water reservior every morning and clean my teeth as normal... note my listerine use is highly dilluted and still only once daily! i've given up sugar-y and acidic drinks for the time being. if i drink anything other than tea or water, i treat it just like food and immediately rinse with either the water or tea that i always have with me. i rinse with/drink a cup of chamomile tea every night before bed and if there's ANY swelling or irritation, i use the teabag as a compress overnight. for the time being, the tea i'm using is an herbal blend called sleepytime with sinus relief. the herbs give it a pleasant sweet taste without any sugars and the herbs listed in the contents are all familiar to me as good for wound care and draining. good luck! these piercings are absolutely NOT for the inexperienced, the impatient, or anyone else not dedicated to waiting out some SERIOUS ugliness for long term beauty... could someone please post a pic of the nasty day 3 jowls that seem to hit everyone? i'm thinking of doing a series of photos so everyone can see what they're setting themselves up for before hand, but i really think i'm past the worst of it and failed to get any early photos

Thank you! That's pretty much what I thought, though my idea is that the tension in the back of my tongue could be relieved if I were able to move the front more freely. Though I definitely plan on having a dialogue with an artist about it who can actually inspect my tongue. Thank you for the prompt and honest answer; this whole "ask" section of BME is fantastic and extremely helpful. You're all awesome.

Hmmm. I don't actually have a piercer in town. I've had all my piercings for more than 10 years and have moved continents since they were done, so I'll have to investigate around here and see who can help me out.

It could be some hypertropic scar tissue forming from taking it in/out, I say leave it in (with a good light titanium barbell) and focus more on getting rid of that redness before you worry about the little lump. Warm chamomile herbal tea soaks will relieve that bump and allow your body to absorb it back in.

I have had my cheeks pierced for almost three years now, haven't change the jewelry much since I've gotten them done, but they still aren't completely healed. I googled how long it would take them to close because my new job requires associates to be "facial piercing free", and last night my retainer sank completely into my cheek... My piercer told me we can "train" them to remain open for a period of time, which I've been trying so today. He said to take them out for ten minutes and put them back in for ten, etc. honestly I love all my piercings more than anything, but my cheeks are the iffy-est piercing I have ever had, and trust me, I've had many piercings. My cheeks at first became infected three times the first year, so I stopped using all mouth wash which for some reason really helped. I also switched tooth paste... That only kind of helped. Cheeks are apparently very tempermental piercings to have... My right cheek is barely ever acting up, secreting gross stuff, getting crusty, etc but the left side barely gives me a day without it. They're pierced EXACTLY the same way, so I know that's not the problem. I sat on the table for over two hours so we could make sure they were perfectly even and in the correct spot. I don't recommend having them done, especially after all the issues I've had. Even with long barbells, the left side still managed to sink in and at a few points in time it sank completely in with a large ball on the barbell. I'm terrifed to take them out for work, but after the episode with the retainer yesterday, I'm not sure what I can do. But I know for certain if they close up on me, my piercer will do everything in his power to fix them for me. If you want an awesome piercing that isn't tempermental, but is still oral, get your tongue webbing done. My webbing is by far my favorite piercing out of the twenty that I've had. ;3

4-2g was my easiest stretch as well, on both ears. Now my left ear is still a 2g, but I've attempted to stretch my right ear with a 0g taper. I've had literally no problems up until now, the 0g taper just won't slide in smoothly no matter how I prep my earlobe. Therefore I'm keeping it in my ear a little more than halfway(like, three quarters of it's whole length?) through and I'm soaking my ear in seasalt soaks daily. I don't have a blowout, but I can feel the soreness. This might sound stupid, but I'm not sure if it's okay to be keeping the taper like, three quarters through my ear? because the taper isn't an even size there yet.

#44: Faith: That is actually an issue involving improper placement. The fact that its flexible is mainly what is aiding you right now, due to the improper placement on the tongue. Hence what I said in reference to its great for troubleshooting/fixing mistakes.

Brian, Nope will not correct at all. For ten years (2001-2010) all materials posted to their websites related to this type of product has referenced Udel Polysulfone. So unless they changed their material make-up within the past two years, the reference to Udel Polysulfone, as of when I answered this question in 2008, is accurate. The "certificate" on the BioPlast website is new compared to the one they originally posted up from at least 2001-2009(2010). and if we're going to discuss olefinic polymers Brian. Do you know of ISO or ASTM specifications for Bio-Compatibility for insertion into the body? Any medical application uses for olefinic polymers have been plastic barriers, plastic test tubes,etc. NOTHING in my cursory check online shops any application for long-term insertion into or through the body. Not only that but the production of olefinic polymers uses ethylene gases which has been known for YEARS to be harmful to human contact. This is why majority of hospitals are switching their low temp sterilization from EO gases to Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide based sterilization, ie: Sterrad. And furthermore Sterrad processes are not to include any implants or medical devices that are meant to be placed into the body for long term usage. Also in regards to the APP's stance on this subject matter. Although I fully support the APP as a means to organize and promote a unified union of Body Piercing professionals. Having only supported and never been an APP member, nor am I one right now. I am allowed to have my own informed opinion. And my PERSONAL opinion is as stated in the above. Teflon, Tygon, BioPlast/BioFlex have great potential for usages in the Body Piercing profession. However as stated, my personal opinion is they do not belong for use in initial body piercings. You know me. I might be a bit controversial at times as well as VERY opinionated ;)

thanks sara and ella ! i am scheduled for an mri tomorrow and have a dermal on my sternum. i was a bit worried about it! my piercer told me to just remove the jewel part and it'd be ok but i was still double checking and you guys made me feel a ton better !

Ok, I'll try a new barbell :) Do you have any idea as to what a lump inside the piercing could be? It is directly under the discolouration and the raised skin appears to be shiny? I left the barbell out over night and the bottom hole began to close, so I had to quickly get the barbell back in - ouchies! But it's because of that I noticed that there is a lump in the skin regardless of whether I'm wearing jewellery or not :\ Any help?

i have inverted nipples and the same thing with ice happens to me too all you have to do is pull the skin back on your breast till the nipple is at the level of your skin and play with it a bit then apply the ice it will rise enough to pierce it and kez312 who ever did yours probably didnt do it far enough down tattoo shops will usually know what to do with inverted nipples so dont worry much about it

This is what this is! http://exodontia.info/FEPs.html

I have followed the rainbow and found the pot of gold, thanks for reading/contacting :)

I don't think that's a valid concern. I started with a 14 gauge and done it myself. I'm a perfectionist and did not trust the people at the local shops. When I look back at those sizes they seem so small now but I never had a problem with them at the time I wore them. I then moved to a 12 after a 4 month healing period. I wore the 12 for a while and then went to a ten which I wore for a couple years. For the last 5 or so years I've been at an 8 which I like the best for everyday but I do have some 6's I can put in when in the mood. 8-6 is where I'm happy with the feel and look. I've never had any migration trouble, my foreskin covers it and the ring just stays pointing forward in the same position as retracted. There is no pressure so I'm not sure what they are talking about unless there is a type of skin out there I'm not familiar with! I've always wore cbrs and like black or pink titanium ones the best.

hi ive had my snake bites for awhile now ad i have rings in i dryed my face after a shower and ripped it on the inside its fine on the outside but its really sore on the inside i cant take it out as it is swollen how do i reduced the swelling

I'm sure if you keep looking through the correct paths, you will be able to find one. Most body mod artists will not publicly say that they do procedures online, unless you have a direct referral from a trusted source.

I think that wrist piercings ARE a bad idea because, not everyone is gonna know that you have a piercing and they're gonna grab your wrist and it WILL hurt. Plus if you're one of those people who like to get into fights, that's the first thing the other person is gonna go for. Chances are, it's gonna bleed alot because you move your hands alot throughout the day and you're moving your wrist alot.

Cheers for that but the problem lies right there, I'm not really friends with too many 'modified' people, tattoos yes, many afew puercings here n there but when I left piercing I left the whole thing behind. I've been searching for afew weeks now and haven't been able to find anything or anyone as yet...

You've got to be kidding me? Don't think about getting a homemade tattoo, what are you going to use? A dirty safety pin? There is no true way of sterilizing it. Boiling it, bleaching it, dipping it in alcohol, or putting it under a flame. That still won't sterilizing it, you don't know if your body will be allergic to the pen ink? That could kill you, who knows what is in pen ink. If you are underage, I recommend you to wait a few years to get a real tattoo. You don't know what kind of infections you can be facing by doing it yourself. When I was younger, I tried doing the pen ink and safety pin method, the ink ended up fully pushing out, and it thankfully healed up without infection. So please, it's the best idea to wait till you are old enough to get one professionally done, or start saving up if you are of age.

Sorry, I did not realize how difficult it was to see in the picture. I did forget to mention that the jewelry is a very dark purple almost black colour in the smallest size. I have continued to clean and the redness seems to be subsiding. Thanks!

I said EXACTLY where it is. Needless to say I focused more on computing at school than geology.

You don't know where Scotland is on a map? good lord

Oh thanks for the advice, but as it turns out my Apadravya is actually a 10 gauge already.I'm not sure if he intended to do that or if it was a mistake,so I think once it heals completely I'll just go up on the Ampallang and see what happens from there.

all good advice but how does it actually go? or will it ever go??

Just got this memorial tattoo done of my mothers portrait with tiny amount of her cremains mixed in black ink. 3 hour tattoo done by my niece Talina of her grandmother! Its beautiful and I'm so proud to have it! There were no problems at all, I washed it twice a day with clean hand using antibacterial soap and kept it covered with aqua-for lotion for about a week. I love it, she is now a part of me forever, literally!

Talk to her explain why you want it so bad. Have her explain her worries. Your married so She Is your other half.listen and address her fears. I would not get it done if it really makes her unhappy. However i wouldnt stop you from being happy either. Also take her to newton the person splitting your tounge. Have then explain How its done.

I got my nipples done for my 35th birthday and a tattoo for my 42nd birthday, featuring my 3 kids' names in ogham runes around a blue moon eclipsed down to a crescent. My kids love the mods and my youngest calls my tattoo the "Mommy Moon." I will get multiple CBRs in my ear lobes for Mother's Day.

Thank you for the tips! I like the idea of going just slightly darker and still being able to keep the subtlety I'm looking for. Thanks again, this was helpful!

Just what I needed to hear! Thanks so much!

Kyle at Old Town Tattoo, Edinburgh!

Thanks so much! That was exactly the info I needed, and I'm now certain where I want them too!

I definitely didn't plan on showing up drunk. Unfortunately, the trip was postponed and the day has come and gone, but I plan to go the morning before leaving. So I would likely have something later that day or that night. I'd read it was advisable to not drink for a few weeks during healing, which was the concern really. Didn't know if it would be irritating or have a greater chance of infection or really what the risks were. Appreciate the answer.

Thanks for replying! Actually, since I submitted the ask, my ear is at 0g right now, and the other piercing that I never used DID curl inside my stretched earlobe. It's given me no problem, and it didn't rip my ear like I thought it would.

got minedone today i love it !!!! it took seconds to do but it keeps randomly bleeding is that normal ????

i've been a professional body piercer for four years. I wouold have always taken the side of the micro dermals and was deadset againest using skin divers, because of reasons stated. Over a year ago to prove a point to my boss (who wanted to use only skindivers) that skindivers were no good. so i put two micros in my arm and two skindivers in the other. i lost....i still have the skin divers in and have had no problems at all with them...the micros are gone the first one went four mths after being done the second just a week short of 6mths. yup i ate humble pie.

I had my nipples pierced about six months ago and recently went to my Piercer to have the cbrs switched to barbells. The first few days they were tender as I figured they would be but on the fourth day they started to embed into my nipple so I went back and had him switch them to longer barbells. I ended up with tongue rings in my nipples because mine are pierced a little farther back then most and I have larger breasts hence bigger nipples. I barely have a millimeter of post showing on either side of the nipple and it's been about a week and they are much happier with me now lol my Piercer told me not to be self concious that they are bigger jewelry if you need the length you need it. Also it opens up alot of options for jewelry especially since I am mostly interested in colored balls instead of the nipple Shields

I have snakebites that I did myself when I was 16. I know, I know, stupid me blah blah blah. They're actually pretty straight and even though. So, now i'm 22 and actually being smart here. I have rings in about 90% of the time. I've had nothing in my holes for about 4 days now and I noticed I had a little scar tissue thing on the inside of one of my holes. I just iced it and cut it off with nail clippers. Hurts a bunch, but we'll see if it goes away.

1st of all, Necrothreading FTW! Second, I don't agree with the original response at all when it comes to the jewelry choice. Just because a ring is able to move freely doesn't mean it's going to harbor bacteria. On the contrary, it makes it easier for the healing fluids to drain rather than build up into crusties which can tear healing progress during cleanings, and also allows the healing would to breath more easily than with a nostril screw. The ability to minimize irritation and keep a piercing dry is crucial to healing. Additionally, rings are significantly less likely to get caught on towels, clothing, etc while washing your face, drying your face, or getting dressed so this reduced risk is beneficial to preventing the dreaded bump which is caused by irritation. Thirdly, I have no clue why anyone says it's okay to clean a wound (yes, a piercing is a WOUND) with regular old soap and water. It's not. There's a reason why wound care supplies are sterile and specially formulated with a specific pH so as not to damage the living tissues and promote healing. If you can't afford actual piercing cleansers, 7-10 minute salt soaks are perfectly good and sufficient enough so long as they're done routinely and no less than twice daily. NO TABLE SALT! Sea salt only! The packets of salt used for nasal rinse solutions are a great pre-packaged option for those of you on the go as they mix with 8oz of warm water to create the perfect solution. Finally, I've had The Dreaded Bump before, too. Multiple times. With various piercings. They usually take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months to fully disappear with a routine of 3 sea salt soaks a day and gentle application of hydro-cortisone cream to the bump itself using a qtip. The bumps are granulomas, which are build ups of scar tissue created by the body in an attempt to repair damaged areas (ie, your piercing). The jewelry displaces the tissue cells, so they end up next to your piercing instead and will stay there until your body reabsorbs them. It cannot reabsorb it until the cause of the irritation ceases. Whenever one of the bumps appeared for me, it was a direct result of some sort of trauma-- getting bumped by a kid's errant limb, running into something and slapping the piercing up against it, etc. It will heal and the bumps will go away. Just keep your chin up and keep it clean and dry!

I have that same bump on my Monroe piercing and it also happened when i accidentally hit my piercing, i've had my piercing over 7 months and i recently got that same exact bump like a few days ago, does this mean i need a bigger piercing for this or do i need to take it off ? i really love my piercing and wouldn't want to take it off .

The size it actually 10 mm I went to the tattoo shop and thats what the tattoist told me

The size that will shrink back is size 0 but I believe you can go to size 00 but any bigger it will not shrink back :/

A round of applause for your post.Thanks Again.

Got my braces off on Thursday the 5th and pierced my Smiley on the 6th, had it in for nearly 2 weeks and it's healing nicely. I have a rather big Smiley so i doubt it will reject. I absolutely love it!

Cutting the web under your tongue isnt as big a deal as some might tell you. I cut mine yeaterday, no anisthetics. Clamp n cut. Little bleeding. Felt like a hot knife under the tongue. I cut about an inch back using a sterile scalpel. (the forcep hurt more than the blade) Talking fine, there is still some pain this morning but nothing serious. I did my own tongue center split too. Be very careful. Im sure there is some serious risk down the line somewhere since ever since I cut the web last night the left tip of my tongue on top feels like its numb and on fire.