Piercing Rejection: Causes, Symptoms & Preventions

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Because your body's immune system is always on alert, piercing rejection is a risk with any piercing you get — after all, a piercing is technically a small wound in your body. Practicing good hygiene can prevent your piercing from getting infected or from migrating. Piercings rejected due to allergic reactions will usually need to be removed, but infections can heal over time. If your piercing shows signs of rejection or infection, talk to your piercer or a qualified doctor as soon as possible.

Section 1 of 5:

What is piercing rejection?

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  1. Basically, your body “rejects” the new piercing and tries its best to get rid of it. The piercing may start migrating to the surface or become large and inflamed. This can happen with any type of body piercing, like belly button piercings, septum piercings, and eyebrow piercings.
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Section 2 of 5:

Everyday Care

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  1. Keeping your hands clean will help prevent your piercing from getting infected. Avoid touching your piercing with dirty hands. [1]
  2. Use soap with water or a saline solution to clean your new piercing. Dip whatever solution you choose onto a cotton ball and dab it onto your piercing while rotating the piercing. If your piercing starts to bleed or dry out, use an oil-based soap. [2]
    • You can often purchase solutions at the same place where you got your ears pierced.
    • Avoid rubbing alcohol-based solutions, which can dry out your piercing.
  3. Oral piercings are especially prone to rejection and infection. If you've received a tongue, lip, or cheek piercing, rinse it out with an antiseptic mouthwash. [3]
    • Once your piercing has healed (which usually takes 3-4 weeks), take it out at night and brush the area with a soft-bristled toothbrush. [4]
  4. Without turning your piercing, your body may heal over the metal and develop an infection. Infections can make your piercing more prone to rejection. Always clean your piercing out before you rotate it to avoid pushing dirt or germs into the piercing. [5]
  5. [6] If your jewelry isn't sterilized, changing piercings before you've healed can irritate your immune system. You also may not be able to get your piercing back in after removing it. [7]
    • Signs that your piercing has healed vary depending on the body part. Ask the person piercing your body how to know when you can remove your piercing.
    • Piercings heal at different rates. Ask the person who pierced you how long to wait before swapping out piercings. [8]
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Section 3 of 5:

How to Treat Infections

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  1. In cases of mild infection, your body has not likely rejected the piercing and can still heal. Infection symptoms include red or swollen skin, tenderness or heat when touching the piercing, or yellow-green discharge. [9]
  2. If your piercing becomes seriously infected, you must get medical help right away. Signs of a serious infection include: [10]
    • High fever. 102 °F (38.9 °C) is high for children, and 104°F (40 °C) is high for adults.
    • Body chills
    • Nausea and Vomiting
    • Red streak around the piercing
    • Swollen lymph nodes
  3. Wash the piercings at least twice a day with antibacterial soap. Moisten a cotton ball with this solution and clean your piercing much like you used the soap or saline solution.
    • Ask the studio you received your piercing from for antibacterial solution recommendations.
  4. Cold compresses relieve swelling or aching. Never apply ice directly to the piercing; wrap it in a cloth or towel instead. Warm compresses can encourage blood flow to your piercing and heal your infection when used interchangeably with cold compresses.
    • If warm compresses cause swelling, stop using them.
    • For inflammation, apply a cold compress for at least 20 minutes every 2-3 hours. Once your piercing is no longer inflamed, alternate between hot and cold compresses every 10 minutes for as long as desired. [11]
    • Use a saline solution instead of water in warm compresses. Dampen a towel or cloth with the solution and warm it in a microwave for 30 seconds. Make sure it's not too hot before you put it on your piercing so you don't burn yourself.
  5. Piercing infections can take 4-6 weeks to heal, and in many cases, your body will not reject it. But if you haven't experienced relief from swelling or experience acute pain for over 6-24 hours, visit a medical clinic. Your doctor can prescribe antibiotics, advise additional treatment, or identify a potential allergy.
    • Serious infections can happen quickly, so you must seek medical attention right away if your piercing isn't healing.
    • A piercing should never cause serious pain. If you're experiencing serious pain, seek medical attention immediately.
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Section 4 of 5:

Dealing with Piercing Rejection

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  1. If your piercing has shifted from its original site, you may be experiencing migration. Your piercing might have migrated if you notice constant soreness, a loose-hanging piercing, or a larger hole around the piercing. Migration and rejection are connected. Usually, migration is a symptom of rejection. [12]
    • Although rejection usually happens to newer piercings, your body can still reject older piercings.
    • Once your piercing starts migrating, it usually cannot be treated. Rejection is irreversible.
  2. In many cases, once your piercing has been rejected, you need to have the piercing removed. Talk to the person who pierced your ears and ask for their opinion. They might remove the piercing, or they might diagnose you with an infection and advise treatment.
  3. If you do have to remove the piercing, you can get the area re-pierced after it has healed. Return to a professional piercer between six months to a year after removal. [13]
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Section 5 of 5:

Addressing Allergic Reactions

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  1. In some cases, your body might reject a piercing due to allergies. You can recognize an allergic reaction by a burning sensation, severe itching, gaping skin, a rash, or clear to yellowish discharge around your piercing.
  2. Doctors can recognize allergies by looking at your skin, but they cannot pinpoint specific allergies. Visit a dermatologist if you want a skin patch test to verify with certainty whether you're allergic to your piercing. [14]
  3. Metal allergies are usually lifelong and cannot be treated. If your body's rejecting the piercing due to allergy, you must remove the piercing. Avoid jewelry made of whatever metal your piercing was to avoid future rejection.
    • You may be able to use surgical steel piercings if you suffer from metal allergies. Surgical steel is designed to not cause allergic reactions.
  4. Wait 6-12 months before you get pierced again. Before you get another piercing, get a skin patch test to check which metals you're allergic to. Choose a hypoallergenic piercing made of a metal you know won't trigger a reaction. Tungsten, titanium, silver, platinum, and 14-karat gold are all hypoallergenic alloys. [15]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Should I twist my piercing?
    Karissa Sanford
    Body Piercing Specialist
    Karissa Sanford is the Co-owner of Make Me Holey Body Piercing, a piercing studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area that specializes in safe and friendly body piercing. Karissa has over 10 years of piercing experience and is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP).
    Karissa Sanford
    Body Piercing Specialist
    Expert Answer
    A piercing is affected by movement much more than you would think, so it's important to just leave it alone. Avoid touching or moving the piercing.
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  • Question
    How can I make my piercing heal faster?
    Karissa Sanford
    Body Piercing Specialist
    Karissa Sanford is the Co-owner of Make Me Holey Body Piercing, a piercing studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area that specializes in safe and friendly body piercing. Karissa has over 10 years of piercing experience and is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP).
    Karissa Sanford
    Body Piercing Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Rinse your piercing in the shower and use a sterile saline wound wash once or twice a day. Another important part of taking care of any piercing is that you don't touch or move it unnecessarily. You should also remember to treat your body well. Your body is doing the work when it comes to the healing process, and if you're treating your body poorly, there's a chance that your healing could be compromised.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    I got my belly button pierced, and my body rejected it. How can I pierce it without it being rejected again?
    Community Answer
    Wait for it to completely heal! Then go to your piercer and get it done again. Wear no tight clothing over it, avoid touching it, and wash it regularly. This should help, but there's never a 100% chance it won't reject.
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      Warnings

      • Avoid wearing tight clothing over infected piercings. Excessive rubbing can cause irritation.
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      • Severe rejection, if not removed early, can cause scarring. Contact your piercer when you notice early signs.
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      • If you notice a thick scar growing over where your piercing is, you may be prone to keloids. If that's the case, you may not be able to have piercings. Talk to your doctor if you think you might have keloids.
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      • The navel and eyebrow areas are more vulnerable to rejection than other areas. [17]
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      References

      1. ↑ Karissa Sanford. Body Piercing Specialist. Expert Interview. 29 October 2019.
      2. ↑ http://www.elle.com/beauty/tips/a26954/piercing-after-care-tips/
      3. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/piercings/art-20047317?pg=2
      4. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/oral-piercing#2
      5. ↑ https://www.liveabout.com/piercing-healing-to-rotate-or-not-3189296
      6. ↑ Karissa Sanford. Body Piercing Specialist. Expert Interview. 29 October 2019.
      7. ↑ http://coveteur.com/2016/10/05/proper-piercing-care-reactions-healing/
      8. ↑ Karissa Sanford. Body Piercing Specialist. Expert Interview. 29 October 2019.
      9. ↑ http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Body-piercing/Pages/Introduction.aspx
      1. ↑ http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fever_in_adults/article_em.htm
      2. ↑ https://www.physioroom.com/info/hot-or-cold-when-to-use-the-right-compress-for-your-injury/
      3. ↑ https://www.liveabout.com/body-piercing-rejection-and-migration-3187308
      4. ↑ Karissa Sanford. Body Piercing Specialist. Expert Interview. 29 October 2019.
      5. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/allergies/nickel-jewelry-allergy#1
      6. ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Buy-the-Right-Jewelry-When-You-Have-a-Metal-Allergy-/10000000177633096/g.html
      7. ↑ https://uhs.berkeley.edu/health-topics/body-piercings
      8. ↑ https://www.liveabout.com/body-piercing-rejection-and-migration-3187308

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