treating a bump or infection
- I have a bump on my piercing! Help!
AND/OR
- I think my piercing is infected! What should I do?
DON’T PANIC! Bumps are quite common! A bump doesn’t necessarily mean infection! There are a few types of “bumps” that may form on a piercing, and multiple reasons as to how they got there. Most of the time they appear after trauma (bumping, switching jewelry too soon, excessive handling/cleaning), improper technique, incorrect jewelry style or a sensitivity to the material. If you are sensitive to certain materials let us know! We can use titanium to prevent reactions such as bumps or excessive sensitivity! There are follicular cysts, keloids and abscesses. If you can figure out what caused that little friend to appear you can decide on the best route to take to get rid of it! We have done quite a bit of research on the “best” way to get rid of them – there is no definite answer. Since everyone reacts to treatments differently, we can only suggest the methods we feel have worked the best for us and our clients and leave the treatment decision up to you!
Rules for treating a bump or infection:
1. BE PATIENT.
2. Do not remove the jewelry. Leaving the jewelry in will allow your body to drain and your form of treatment to penetrate the bump deeper and be more effective. If you remove the jewelry your skin will seal the wound and everything inside making it insanely more difficult to heal and prolong the tenderness you are experiencing.
3. Wash your hands. Always wash your hands before handling a piercing, especially when dealing with irritation/infection. Germs people!
4. Do not try and pop it. This will just irritate the bump even more than it already is and cause it to scab and look much worse. Or if done incorrectly with dirty tools or hands could actually cause an infection! If the bump wasn’t caused by an infection popping it won't even help because it doesn't contain infected materials and fluid.
5. Only try one treatment at a time. If you try multiple types of remedies at once your poor angry piercing will only become more irritated! Try one treatment for a week. We always recommend taking photos of your bump every morning and night to track it’s progress – sometimes if it’s only changing a little (which bumps usually do) it’s hard to tell without having something to directly compare it to! If you feel like the treatment has done nothing after a week, switch to the next one!
6. Always start with the gentlest method first. Sometimes your body might just need a little help rather than calling in the big guns right away!
7. If you are seriously worried about infection – see your doctor! If your piercing truly is infected you will notice excessive dark redness, yellow/green pus, warmth to the touch, fever, chills, nausea etc. There are some remedies for infection – one of the most popular being tea tree oil because of it’s antiseptic, antimicrobial/antibiotic properties! I’ll explain below how to use it! However if you’ve been through a few home remedy treatments and you feel as though they haven’t helped at all or the bump/infection has gotten worse your doctor will be able to give you antibiotics that may do the trick!
TREATMENTS
(Remember, try one at a time!)
The first treatment we always recommend is a warm sea salt soak. You can mix 8 ounces of warm (as warm as you can stand it without burning yourself) distilled water with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Soak a clean cotton ball with your mixture and hold it on your bump for 5-10 minutes at a time 2-3 times a day. You may gently turn the jewelry to coax out fluid - this will help to draw out waste.
You may also try a chamomile tea soak as another gentle method, and this one is actually okay to do along with the sea salt soak alternating between the two because it is so soothing!
Lemon juice may be diluted with water and applied 1-3 times a day (depending on your sensitivity level) by a q-tip.
Tea tree oil is a very popular treatment, especially for infection. We always suggest diluting it with a carrier oil such as jojoba, emu or vitamin e. Only apply a couple times a day and do this every other day for a week. Some people will apply the tea tree oil without diluting which will cause the bump to dry out quickly. Applying the tea tree oil without diluting it is very intense and should not be done more than once a day a 2 or 3 times a week.
Hydrogen peroxide can be used to remove dead skin cells and wash out fluids but should only be used 2-3 times a week.
Aspirin is most commonly used for keloids. Take a regular uncoated aspirin tablet, you may crush it into a powder or just wet the tablet directly, mix it with distilled water to create a paste and apply it to the bump. Allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes and then rinse it off. This is a pretty intense method and should only be done once a day 3 days a week.
With the more intense treatments start slowly and see what works for you! If you feel like your skin is becoming more irritated or “chapped” return to a gentler method. Always feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help!
As with any body modification done at Revolution Ink, we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure a quick easy healing process for you. However you are in charge of following the provided aftercare instructions and taking care of your new piercing. There are no written or implied guarantees if you do not take care of your piercing. And remember – everyone heals differently. Be patient and listen to your body!
AND/OR
- I think my piercing is infected! What should I do?
DON’T PANIC! Bumps are quite common! A bump doesn’t necessarily mean infection! There are a few types of “bumps” that may form on a piercing, and multiple reasons as to how they got there. Most of the time they appear after trauma (bumping, switching jewelry too soon, excessive handling/cleaning), improper technique, incorrect jewelry style or a sensitivity to the material. If you are sensitive to certain materials let us know! We can use titanium to prevent reactions such as bumps or excessive sensitivity! There are follicular cysts, keloids and abscesses. If you can figure out what caused that little friend to appear you can decide on the best route to take to get rid of it! We have done quite a bit of research on the “best” way to get rid of them – there is no definite answer. Since everyone reacts to treatments differently, we can only suggest the methods we feel have worked the best for us and our clients and leave the treatment decision up to you!
Rules for treating a bump or infection:
1. BE PATIENT.
2. Do not remove the jewelry. Leaving the jewelry in will allow your body to drain and your form of treatment to penetrate the bump deeper and be more effective. If you remove the jewelry your skin will seal the wound and everything inside making it insanely more difficult to heal and prolong the tenderness you are experiencing.
3. Wash your hands. Always wash your hands before handling a piercing, especially when dealing with irritation/infection. Germs people!
4. Do not try and pop it. This will just irritate the bump even more than it already is and cause it to scab and look much worse. Or if done incorrectly with dirty tools or hands could actually cause an infection! If the bump wasn’t caused by an infection popping it won't even help because it doesn't contain infected materials and fluid.
5. Only try one treatment at a time. If you try multiple types of remedies at once your poor angry piercing will only become more irritated! Try one treatment for a week. We always recommend taking photos of your bump every morning and night to track it’s progress – sometimes if it’s only changing a little (which bumps usually do) it’s hard to tell without having something to directly compare it to! If you feel like the treatment has done nothing after a week, switch to the next one!
6. Always start with the gentlest method first. Sometimes your body might just need a little help rather than calling in the big guns right away!
7. If you are seriously worried about infection – see your doctor! If your piercing truly is infected you will notice excessive dark redness, yellow/green pus, warmth to the touch, fever, chills, nausea etc. There are some remedies for infection – one of the most popular being tea tree oil because of it’s antiseptic, antimicrobial/antibiotic properties! I’ll explain below how to use it! However if you’ve been through a few home remedy treatments and you feel as though they haven’t helped at all or the bump/infection has gotten worse your doctor will be able to give you antibiotics that may do the trick!
TREATMENTS
(Remember, try one at a time!)
The first treatment we always recommend is a warm sea salt soak. You can mix 8 ounces of warm (as warm as you can stand it without burning yourself) distilled water with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Soak a clean cotton ball with your mixture and hold it on your bump for 5-10 minutes at a time 2-3 times a day. You may gently turn the jewelry to coax out fluid - this will help to draw out waste.
You may also try a chamomile tea soak as another gentle method, and this one is actually okay to do along with the sea salt soak alternating between the two because it is so soothing!
Lemon juice may be diluted with water and applied 1-3 times a day (depending on your sensitivity level) by a q-tip.
Tea tree oil is a very popular treatment, especially for infection. We always suggest diluting it with a carrier oil such as jojoba, emu or vitamin e. Only apply a couple times a day and do this every other day for a week. Some people will apply the tea tree oil without diluting which will cause the bump to dry out quickly. Applying the tea tree oil without diluting it is very intense and should not be done more than once a day a 2 or 3 times a week.
Hydrogen peroxide can be used to remove dead skin cells and wash out fluids but should only be used 2-3 times a week.
Aspirin is most commonly used for keloids. Take a regular uncoated aspirin tablet, you may crush it into a powder or just wet the tablet directly, mix it with distilled water to create a paste and apply it to the bump. Allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes and then rinse it off. This is a pretty intense method and should only be done once a day 3 days a week.
With the more intense treatments start slowly and see what works for you! If you feel like your skin is becoming more irritated or “chapped” return to a gentler method. Always feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help!
As with any body modification done at Revolution Ink, we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure a quick easy healing process for you. However you are in charge of following the provided aftercare instructions and taking care of your new piercing. There are no written or implied guarantees if you do not take care of your piercing. And remember – everyone heals differently. Be patient and listen to your body!