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.

letyour-troublesfade: Took a lovely trip to the ER yesterday. Forever in the ER \m/. My belly piercing is infected. It was looking so gross yesterday, it was oozing and the area around the hole was bright red, theres an abcess in it. The doctors wanted to take it out but I’ve read a thousand times to not do that because the infection will be harbored under the skin when the hole closes up and with the ring in, the infection can make its way to the outside of the skin through the pierced hole, so i said no lol. Now I have a million antibiotics and creams and ointments. The top hole is about triple the size it should be from the infection and all the bandages are pushing the ring up so the top ball doesnt sink into the hole, but its looking better today, thank god. I’m the cutest girl ever. P.S. The picture does not do any justice as to how red and nasty the top hole really is lol Seriously, well done for going to an ER and seeking medical attention. Piercing infections are rare, but can be very serious if not caught in time. You’re also doing the right thing to keep the jewellery in, as it allows an ‘exit’ for any draining fluid from the infected abscess, whereas removing jewellery seals off this all important exit for any nasty fluid. Kudos for not letting this get any worse! (AKA well done for seeking medical attention and preventing an awful modification!)
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letyour-troublesfade:

Took a lovely trip to the ER yesterday. Forever in the ER \m/. My belly piercing is infected. It was looking so gross yesterday, it was oozing and the area around the hole was bright red, theres an abcess in it. The doctors wanted to take it out but I’ve read a thousand times to not do that because the infection will be harbored under the skin when the hole closes up and with the ring in, the infection can make its way to the outside of the skin through the pierced hole, so i said no lol. Now I have a million antibiotics and creams and ointments. The top hole is about triple the size it should be from the infection and all the bandages are pushing the ring up so the top ball doesnt sink into the hole, but its looking better today, thank god. I’m the cutest girl ever.

P.S. The picture does not do any justice as to how red and nasty the top hole really is lol

Seriously, well done for going to an ER and seeking medical attention. Piercing infections are rare, but can be very serious if not caught in time. You’re also doing the right thing to keep the jewellery in, as it allows an ‘exit’ for any draining fluid from the infected abscess, whereas removing jewellery seals off this all important exit for any nasty fluid.

Kudos for not letting this get any worse!

(AKA well done for seeking medical attention and preventing an awful modification!)

coldustgirl: Got my bellybutton pierced at Next! in Vancouver that claims they, “haven’t had more than 1 infection per piercer!” Oh, then what’s this? This photo was taken the same day, a week after I got the piercing, when I went into Next! and had them take a look at it. The girl shrugs and tells me it’s not infected, but to get some antibiotics just in case.  First of all, she wouldn’t be telling me to get antibiotics if she didn’t think it was infected and secondly, you can’t get antibiotics without a prescription. So, I went to the clinic and instead of a course of antibiotics, the doctor says, “that needs to come out right away.” …she was also retired and volunteering at the clinic and had “never dealt with an infected piercing before.” Great. Worst pain of my life. She had her assistant hold me down as she used a pair of pliers to twist the ball off. Of course she has no idea which way to turn it and the pliers kept slipping so it took way longer than it should’ve. Afterwards, I was in shock and was crying uncontrollably and I had to call my mom to come and get me since I couldn’t walk without getting wobble legs. In about an hour I had regained control of myself and decided to sterilize the jewellery and put it back in for fear of sealing the infection into my stomach. Over the next week, I did many sea salt soaks a day, drawing the infection out. I even used a cream that literally sucked the pus out, it was awesome. ps, needless to say, I won’t be going back to Next! anymore due to their terrible customer service and risking my health just so they can claim their clients don’t get infections. Whilst this really sucked for the owner, it’s not their fault at all, it’s the fault of a poor sterilization technique employed by the piercing studio. 
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coldustgirl:

Got my bellybutton pierced at Next! in Vancouver that claims they, “haven’t had more than 1 infection per piercer!” Oh, then what’s this?

This photo was taken the same day, a week after I got the piercing, when I went into Next! and had them take a look at it. The girl shrugs and tells me it’s not infected, but to get some antibiotics just in case. 

First of all, she wouldn’t be telling me to get antibiotics if she didn’t think it was infected and secondly, you can’t get antibiotics without a prescription.

So, I went to the clinic and instead of a course of antibiotics, the doctor says, “that needs to come out right away.”

…she was also retired and volunteering at the clinic and had “never dealt with an infected piercing before.” Great.

Worst pain of my life. She had her assistant hold me down as she used a pair of pliers to twist the ball off. Of course she has no idea which way to turn it and the pliers kept slipping so it took way longer than it should’ve.

Afterwards, I was in shock and was crying uncontrollably and I had to call my mom to come and get me since I couldn’t walk without getting wobble legs.

In about an hour I had regained control of myself and decided to sterilize the jewellery and put it back in for fear of sealing the infection into my stomach.

Over the next week, I did many sea salt soaks a day, drawing the infection out. I even used a cream that literally sucked the pus out, it was awesome.

ps, needless to say, I won’t be going back to Next! anymore due to their terrible customer service and risking my health just so they can claim their clients don’t get infections.

Whilst this really sucked for the owner, it’s not their fault at all, it’s the fault of a poor sterilization technique employed by the piercing studio. 

killjoykerosenequeen: I stretched to 8mm last night, it seemed like there was a lot of pressure so I took it out for a second and it just kept pissing blood and pus… HELP ME?! That’s probably the angriest ear we’ve ever seen in real time. Take out the taper-of-death, and leave it out for 6 months. Then start again. Without mutilating you lobes.
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killjoykerosenequeen:

I stretched to 8mm last night, it seemed like there was a lot of pressure so I took it out for a second and it just kept pissing blood and pus… HELP ME?!

That’s probably the angriest ear we’ve ever seen in real time.

Take out the taper-of-death, and leave it out for 6 months. Then start again. Without mutilating you lobes.

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
coldustgirl: Got my bellybutton pierced at Next! in Vancouver that claims they, “haven’t had more than 1 infection per piercer!” Oh, then what’s this? This photo was taken the same day, a week after I got the piercing, when I went into Next! and had them take a look at it. The girl shrugs and tells me it’s not infected, but to get some antibiotics just in case.  First of all, she wouldn’t be telling me to get antibiotics if she didn’t think it was infected and secondly, you can’t get antibiotics without a prescription. So, I went to the clinic and instead of a course of antibiotics, the doctor says, “that needs to come out right away.” …she was also retired and volunteering at the clinic and had “never dealt with an infected piercing before.” Great. Worst pain of my life. She had her assistant hold me down as she used a pair of pliers to twist the ball off. Of course she has no idea which way to turn it and the pliers kept slipping so it took way longer than it should’ve. Afterwards, I was in shock and was crying uncontrollably and I had to call my mom to come and get me since I couldn’t walk without getting wobble legs. In about an hour I had regained control of myself and decided to sterilize the jewellery and put it back in for fear of sealing the infection into my stomach. Over the next week, I did many sea salt soaks a day, drawing the infection out. I even used a cream that literally sucked the pus out, it was awesome. ps, needless to say, I won’t be going back to Next! anymore due to their terrible customer service and risking my health just so they can claim their clients don’t get infections.
Pop-upView Separately

coldustgirl:

Got my bellybutton pierced at Next! in Vancouver that claims they, “haven’t had more than 1 infection per piercer!” Oh, then what’s this?

This photo was taken the same day, a week after I got the piercing, when I went into Next! and had them take a look at it. The girl shrugs and tells me it’s not infected, but to get some antibiotics just in case. 

First of all, she wouldn’t be telling me to get antibiotics if she didn’t think it was infected and secondly, you can’t get antibiotics without a prescription.

So, I went to the clinic and instead of a course of antibiotics, the doctor says, “that needs to come out right away.”

…she was also retired and volunteering at the clinic and had “never dealt with an infected piercing before.” Great.

Worst pain of my life. She had her assistant hold me down as she used a pair of pliers to twist the ball off. Of course she has no idea which way to turn it and the pliers kept slipping so it took way longer than it should’ve.

Afterwards, I was in shock and was crying uncontrollably and I had to call my mom to come and get me since I couldn’t walk without getting wobble legs.

In about an hour I had regained control of myself and decided to sterilize the jewellery and put it back in for fear of sealing the infection into my stomach.

Over the next week, I did many sea salt soaks a day, drawing the infection out. I even used a cream that literally sucked the pus out, it was awesome.

ps, needless to say, I won’t be going back to Next! anymore due to their terrible customer service and risking my health just so they can claim their clients don’t get infections.