AboutBrian Skellie Expertise I can answer questions in regards to and not limited to: jewelry safety, specifically material, shape, proportion, and related issues; aseptic technique and sterilization as it applies to piercing safety; ethical issues of technique and bedside manner; the aftercare and recovery process for piercings.
Experience
Past/Present clients
Tens of thousands of one on one client experiences. http://www.piercing.org/ Body jewelry design and safety expert: Member ASTM committee F04(www.astm.org)
Member AAMI (www.aami.org)
Research advisor and educator for the APP for over a decade(www.safepiercing.org) teaching advanced studio setup, sterilization and equipment management, freehand piercing, aseptic/sterile technique and much more.
Distributor for SciCan StatIM sterilization and cleaning products. http://www.piercing.org/statim/
Expert: Brian Skellie Date: 7/11/2008 Subject: Monroe peircing swelling
Question I got a monroe peircing a month and a half ago when I got the peircing about 4 days later I had some serious swelling to the point where the bottom of the post was digging into the peircing and it was painful . Because the place I received the peircing was closed I couldn't purchase a longer post for the peircing my freind came up with the bright idea of taking a paperclip . Clipping it and putting it in the place of the peircing after she sterilized it she put it in and within an hour the swelling went completly away but I still have a small not inside the peircing im not sure why. I would like to know if putting the paper clip in was a good or bad idea and what's size post is long enough ...
Answer Clearly a paper clip is not intended to be inside the human body, as the material and surface will likely cause your tissue to form a thick discolored scar. In this situation I would have suggested ice and massage, and switching to an autoclave sterilized longer piece of jewelry that is made for the lip such as the examples at http://piercing.org/shop in titanium with an anodized surface finish. We can send you what you need to change it to something safe.
If that was not available, removal of the piercing, then revisiting your piercer for reinsertion of a longer post would have been the second best option.
What size is long enough will be determined by the thickness of your lip when the muscles are tightened. I commonly find 7/16 or 3/8 inch long enough, but for full lips 1/2 inch may be needed.
