Though relatively rare beyond when they exist in a localized manner, true (Major) infections are a potentially dangerous deal that comes at the risk of getting pierced. Luckily, what most individuals chalk up to an “infection” is merely an angry piercing.
*Before I delve in too deep, it is vital to note that piercers are NOT medical professionals. They may help you to spot the signs and symptoms of an objective infection, but ONLY a doctor can diagnose you with one. If you DO think you have an infection it is important that you allow your jewelry to remain in the piercing - this allows your piercing to continue to drain itself; in removing, you risk developing an abscess that can spread to the rest of your body!
After receiving a piercing, your body will start its first phases of wound healing. This may include slight bruising, swelling, bleeding, tenderness, and redness. During healing (which may be weeks to several months) you may experience tightness, itching, discoloration, and your piercing will often become “crusty.” — This crust is normal and forms as “serous exudate” dries outside of your body. This seepage may be clear or the color of hay - a pale yellow, and is a combination of dead blood cells, interstitial fluid, and lymph.
Sometimes, as a result of swelling due to initial inflammation or trauma that occurs during healing, a small amount of “pus” may also be present in your piercing. Warm saline soaks or compresses may help to draw this out.
This also differs from “sebum” which is natural and often occurs in fully healed piercings. Sebum has a solid, “cheese-like” consistency and smells rotten. (STANKY). Many folks with stretched ears or those with septum piercings will notice this discharge particularly. Sebum is produced from your oil glands and has a tendency to collect in your piercing channel. A quick wash with mild soap and warm water will clean this residue from your jewelry.
When an infection is present, you may notice a thick secretion of foul-smelling liquid that may be green, grey, or yellow in color. This pus is composed of bacteria, white blood cells, microbes, and dead cells. In addition, it may be accompanied by a fever, chills, red streaks, swollen lymph nodes, or nausea. A physician can prescribe antibiotics for treatment, but it is recommended you seek one out as soon as possible to mitigate the situation. Redness, swelling, and tenderness are also common during the first few weeks after being pierced, but if your piercing feels “hot to the touch,” you may want to pay the Doc a visit to rule out what may or may not be an infection.
Bumps on your piercing do not automatically equate to an infection, either. Many form as a result of irritation to your piercing which can come from a number of things - so it’s good to factor out what could be causing it. Generally, irritation bumps will go away on their own once the irritant is eliminated - typically in a matter of several weeks depending on the bump’s severity. However, if your irritation is due to an angle issue - most often your only option is to retire the piercing and potentially try again down the line. In cases like this, the longer you leave your jewelry in, the more difficult those bumps will be to eliminate themselves and may require a visit to a dermatologist.
Bumps can be small and blister-like, fleshy, have a fluid-filled or “wet” appearance, they may bleed easily, or look like raw hamburger meat. They are slightly raised, red or pink in color, and appear right next to the piercing.
The most common causes can include:
Jewelry that is an incorrect size, or style (e.g., switching to a small diameter hoop too soon in nostril or daith piercings)
Products such as makeup, lotion, ointment, hairspray, etc., that plug up the skin. Exercise caution when using these on surrounding skin (even if they aren’t applied to the piercing directly) - as oil and sweat from the body can carry these products into the channel!
Unnecessary trauma from twisting, rotating, playing with jewelry, accidental bumps, snags or sleeping on
Jewelry that is of poor quality - inferior polishes with scratches, surgical steel, plastics, silicone, or sterling silver. Some materials may elicit an allergic response, or “contact dermatitis” which can manifest itself as dry/flaking skin, rash, redness, and swelling
Prolonged exposure to moisture such as going to bed with damp hair, or allowing the underside of your jewelry to remain wet. This is especially common with earlobe, nostril, and navel piercings.
Erroneous cleaning frequency. Excess movement occurs as a result of over-cleaning. The converse would be under-cleaning - which may lead to an over abundance of crusties which can inhibit the piercing’s ability to drain itself.
Use of harsh products such as soaps, antibacterial products, alcohol, peroxide, Bactine, BZK, & other chemicals or antiseptics
Restrictive clothing (i.e., tight garments cause excess pressure on a piercing)
To squash the bump you must first squash whatever is causing it. DIY products or those concocted in a haphazardly recreational fashion may temporarily reduce the appearance of bumps, but if you don’t locate the root of the problem, the issue will cause said bump to return! (Plus, “miracle cures” like sea salt soaks, TTO, and aspirin paste are overly drying and cause your skin additional damage in the long run. (Welcome back bumps.)
Simplified, sterile saline and clean water should be the only substances that go inside of a piercing. Rule number one: never touch your piercings without first washing your hands thoroughly and be mindful of cross-contamination. Some bacteria have the ability to move on their own and even touching near the area with dirty hands may introduce pathogens into your open wound. A piercing is an open wound for as long as it is within its secondary healing phase - which, again, may be several months in length.
More information regarding healthy healing, infection, discharge, and irritation can be found at:
Www.safepiercing.org or www.piercingbible.com (informational content present within this blog post, credited to Elayne Angel)
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