Lumps and Bumps
Lumps and bumps on your piercings are the most common issue that I come across. This is a blog that I wrote a few years ago that many people seem to have found helpful.
I will be keeping it as simple and understandable as possible, starting with how to recognise different bumps, what not to use, and how to help them heal. If, at the end, you are still not sure how to proceed, message me and I will endeavour to help you fix your piercings!
Be warned, this might get disgusting.
What’s my lump?
Hypertrophic scarring
This is the most likely diagnosis. It is caused by your body reacting to the irritation of the foreign body within your skin. To protect itself, collagen is used to cushion any movement, and in the case of hypertrophic scarring, this could be excessive.
They are generally small, starting soft and getting firmer over time. If the piercing is removed, the lump will almost always disappear. They can be sore, itchy and bleed easily.
Keloid
While it is possible that you have a keloid, they are incredibly rare. Unless you have a family history of keloids, you can generally assume that you do not have a keloid. It is a term that is used incorrectly most of the time.
Keloids are also due to excessive collagen, but instead of disappearing when the piercing is removed, the are much more likely to be permanent. They can also spread significantly out from the fistula, and keep on growing.
Infected
While not really a lump or bump, you might well be diagnosed with an infection when you only have an irritated piercing. I will be writing another blog post soon to cover infected piercings, so I will just skim over it here. (Update - my infection blog post is here.)
Infections are caused by bacteria entering the wound, causing swelling, excessive discharge, increase in heat and possible flu-like symptoms.
While it may swell, there will not be a distinct bump. If you believe that you have an infection, you need medical assistance.
What not to use
First of all, let’s take a look at what not to use and why. There are a lot of home remedies which are ineffective, or possibly dangerous.
Tea tree oil
This is the most common remedy that you will come across. Due to the lack of regulation in oils, you can never be sure how strong the product is. Tea tree can be too harsh for the skin, and due to oil not dissolving in water, it is tricky to weaken.
It can cause burning and allergic reactions, and as the most common bumps form on cartilage piercings, if it gets inside your ear, it can cause hearing loss.
Hydrogen peroxide
A type of bleach. It can cause chemical burns, which might remove the bump, but will not fix the underlying issue.
Crushed aspirin paste
This forms salicylic acid, which can also burn bumps away, but will not fix the underlying issue. There is also a reasonable chance of reactions to this.
Using pharmaceuticals against their intended use is never recommended.
Silicone discs
You will find many examples of these fixing piercings across Instagram, and once again can help bumps, but will not fix the issue. If you look at the pictures posted on social media, you will notice the usually the have put higher quality jewellery into the piercings at the same time as attaching the discs. This is a much better way to help your piercings.
Anything else that seems weird or super easy
There are risks attached to everything. Use common sense and if it seems weird, there’s probably a reason.
What to actually do
Hypertrophic scarring
Removing the irritation is key.
Check the quality of your jewellery. If it isn’t high quality, mirror polished titanium, 14k and above gold, niobium or implant grade (not surgical) steel, invest in some better jewellery.
Check the fitting of your jewellery. You are looking to have your jewellery snug, but not pulling in. If it is too long, get it downsized. If it is too short and pulling in, get it upsized. The exception is when it is freshly pierced when you need some swell space. Once the initial swelling has gone down, talk to your piercer about a downsize.
Claw set jewellery can be pulled into the piercing, and can move around causing irritation. Consider changing it to something flat.
Rings in piercings can cause issues. It seems that some people can heal rings in piercings with no issues, others are prone to bumps with just the thought of putting a ring into a piercing. If you are struggling with a ring, get it changed to a straight bar. The exception to this is daiths, which are pretty much always happier with a ring, assuming that the diameter is large enough. A snug ring is not suitable for a daith.
Try to avoid unsuitable jewellery. For example, butterfly backed ear studs are not suitable due to the backs having sharp edges. Nose screws can fall out, causing irritation when putting them back in. Labrets are much better than both due to security and smoothness.
Sleeping on your piercing. Short answer, don’t sleep on a piercing, at least until it has healed. Travel pillows or plastic hair clips on the pierced side can help.
Don’t play with your piercing.
Watch out for any chemicals or hair products that might reach the piercing. For example, hair spray and hair dye are major irritants.
Cleansers that are too harsh. Sterile 0.9% saline solution is generally all that you should be using on your piercings to not upset the skin balance. After cleaning, always keep your piercings dry.
Check your general health. If you are not healthy enough, your body can cope with less. A vitamin tablet, especially one containing vitamin D, could really help your body deal with stress. If you are ill or overly stressed you also might find that you are more prone to lumps and bumps.
Facemasks have been a major bump cause recently for piercings. Be careful with your facemasks!
If all else fails, it might be that you have a badly pierced piercing. If the piercing is not perpendicular to the skin (with a few exceptions), or if your scaffolding is not pierced in a nice straight line with good angles, you are going to have bumpy issues. If you are not sure, try to find a different piercer to check it over.
The sooner that you deal with it, the easier it is to fix, so please don’t ignore your piercings!
At the end of the day, your piercer is not able to follow you around all day, so you will need to pay attention to your piercing and try to work out what is bothering it. Use these guidelines to help you work it out, remove the irritation and see if it helps your bumps!
Keloids
Keloids are a lot harder to deal with. If you believe that you have a keloid, which as mentioned above are very rare, you need to consult with a dermatologist. Often, a steroid injection will help, but sometimes this is not enough. You might require keloid removal surgery, so it is best to deal with it sooner rather than later.
