Q:Hi, can you describe (and if you can, provide pictures) the difference between an infected pierced and an irritated piercing? And how long irritation symptoms can last? My navel has been irritated since I got it, and I'm afraid it might be an infection instead.

weirdtits

Irritated piercings:

Symptoms: Sore, red, swollen, itchy, bumps developing, maybe warm. White or barely off-white colored discharge is normal. Crusties are normal, but might increase if the piercing is irritated.

Duration: Potentially indefinitely as far as I’m aware. A piercing will stay irritated until it is either removed, the jewelry is changed to a different material, length, or size, or something is done (like sea salt soaks, chamomile soaks) to reduce irritation. Things like hair products, make-up, everyday dust and dirt, clothing, smoking, you name it can irritate a new piercing.

Frankly, a piercing is going to be irritated for ___ amount of time after you got it (dependent on piercing, difficulty of healing, your body etc.). You just had someone create a wound and put something in that wound and are trying to get your body to heal around it. Your body’s natural reaction is “no, get this out of me, what is this foreign object”. Also it takes time to heal wounds. Stop touching it, be patient.


Infected piercings:

Symptoms: Very red, very swollen, painful to the touch, warm to the touch, smelling funny, oozing pus (green, yellow, or gray gunk/liquid), or even bleeding. (New piercings are prone to bleeding as they are wounds, don’t worry if you see blood the few days after getting a new piercing.)

Treatment: Go to your doctor, the ER, walk in clinic, whatever you have access to ASAP and get anti-biotics. Do not remove the jewelry (until on anti-biotics) as that might trap the infection and make it WORSE. A true infection will not go away with soaks, oils, or soap.

-Kat

“Hello, sorry to be a pain sending more than one ask today, but I want to nitpick Kat’s infection vs irritation post. It isn’t actually possible to tell the difference between a *mild* infection and irritation for sure without taking a swab and culturing it. Infections *can* go away with soaks and time if they are not too severe and if they are draining. If you think you have an infection, you should *also* continue soaking and can even apply light pressure around the wound to aid drainage.” - imperfect-illusions

This is a good point. It’s generally difficult to tell the difference between the beginnings of an infection or a very mild infection from regular irritation. However, if symptoms are getting worse instead of better OR you are debating going to the ER/your doctor/whatever, chances are YOU SHOULD GO ASAP.

logic on tumblr

  • kid 1: i pierced my own ears at home, but i sterilised the needle with ~boiled water~ so it's okay xoxo
  • awful mods: this is not ~sterile~ or ~safe~
  • friends: wow your piercings are c00l, fuq da haterz! omg why are awful mods such dicks about everything?!
  • kid 2: i had an operation at home, but le surgeon sterilised the equipment with ~boiled water~ so it's okay xoxo
  • everyone: OMG THAT'S FUCKED UP! WHY WOULD SOMEONE DO THAT?! YOU'LL GET INFECTIONS OR SOMETHING OMG REPORT HIM
kestrelringrat: Gauging up! From a 6 to a 4. Hurts like hell…haven’t managed to jam these 4’s in all the way, really not sure whether I should jam them all the way all at once or leave them like this for a while and then jam them the rest of the way later. Last time, I gauged them over a period of a day (going from a 10 to a 6 - long story short, bought the wrong jewelry and thought I was going to an 8 - not so). Like I said, hurts like hell, but BEAUTY IS PAIN especially in the world of body mods. Whenever gauging hurts, I think to myself “I have tattoos on my fucking ankle bones, I can handle this shit.” Because that hurt more than anything in the world (and I do hope I go to my grave never having to say anything hurt MORE than those, because DAMN).  Just jammed them in a little farther. Okay…breathe…I can handle this… lol I am so bad with my piercings, I’m always like “BAH IT AIN’T THAT BAD” and just jam the jewelry in. I love pain. What’s Awful: Stretching with spirals, then wearing as jewellery. She’s obviously in pain which stretching should never, ever be.  I mean, seriously, going by the amount of pain that’s being described is maddening.  And no, beauty is not pain in the world of body modification. Pain has nothing to do with stretching. It should never hurt, sting, or burn. It should feel like a light pressure is being applied. Nothing more.  Please, have a read of this and seriously re-evaluate your stretching methods before you ruin your lobes!: http://awfulmodifications.tumblr.com/post/13774613790/the-in-depth-stretching-guide (Also, nothing should ever be jammed in during stretching…)
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kestrelringrat:

Gauging up! From a 6 to a 4. Hurts like hell…haven’t managed to jam these 4’s in all the way, really not sure whether I should jam them all the way all at once or leave them like this for a while and then jam them the rest of the way later. Last time, I gauged them over a period of a day (going from a 10 to a 6 - long story short, bought the wrong jewelry and thought I was going to an 8 - not so).

Like I said, hurts like hell, but BEAUTY IS PAIN especially in the world of body mods.

Whenever gauging hurts, I think to myself “I have tattoos on my fucking ankle bones, I can handle this shit.” Because that hurt more than anything in the world (and I do hope I go to my grave never having to say anything hurt MORE than those, because DAMN). 

Just jammed them in a little farther. Okay…breathe…I can handle this…

lol I am so bad with my piercings, I’m always like “BAH IT AIN’T THAT BAD” and just jam the jewelry in. I love pain.

What’s Awful: Stretching with spirals, then wearing as jewellery. She’s obviously in pain which stretching should never, ever be. 

I mean, seriously, going by the amount of pain that’s being described is maddening. 

And no, beauty is not pain in the world of body modification. Pain has nothing to do with stretching. It should never hurt, sting, or burn. It should feel like a light pressure is being applied. Nothing more. 

Please, have a read of this and seriously re-evaluate your stretching methods before you ruin your lobes!: http://awfulmodifications.tumblr.com/post/13774613790/the-in-depth-stretching-guide

(Also, nothing should ever be jammed in during stretching…)

Friends don’t let friends get pierced with guns!

flaccid-cack:

When I was 7 I really wanted to get my ears pierced. My sister, being 13 at the time, was getting hers done, so my mom decided she might as well bring me. We went to this little place in the middle of the mall. It was pretty much one of those stands in the middle of the mall where they sell you shit, not even Claire’s. If I ever saw it today I’d walk away as fast as possible. Anyways, the lady working there pierced me with a gun. Not only was it incredibly painful, but she didn’t even warn me when she was going to pierce me. On top of that, my ears got infected about 2 or 3 weeks later. They eventually healed, and I still had my earrings in, but once they were COMPLETELY healed and I could take my earrings out to change them, we noticed the holes were crooked. 
And that is my terrible modification story~ Not much, but it’s still something. 

Every time I meet someone who plans on bringing their kid to get a piercing, or plans on getting a piercing I always tell them about how bad guns are. I’ve had several parents in Claire’s get mad at me for trying to TELL THEM HOW BAD A GUN IS, AND THAT THEY SHOULD ACTUALLY GO TO A WELL TRAINED PROFESSIONAL. Okay, your kid’s ears your ruining, not my problem, I was only trying to help. NBD.

(via stalkaz-be-stalkin-deactivated2)