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: 7/10/2008 Subject: what do i do
Question hey, well i had my ear lobe peircing for over 2 months now and everything was good up to now. about a week or so now, the back of my ear lobe, is really swollen, it hurts a lil bit when i touch it, but its like hard, and nothing is coming out of it. I went 2 different peircers, and both of them had different opinions, the one that did the peircing said that i looks like a build up of scar tissue. I would like to kno what it actually is and what do i need to do to get rid of it.
Answer It may now be infected, and part of that could be from damage to the piercing or from irritation from the shape, material or surface finish of the jewelry. Aftercare could be irritating as well. Rest assured that most scar tissue will minimize on it's own in time provided that you determine the source of the infection or irritation.
Often a piercing done with slightly irritating material like silver, steel or an alloy of gold (usually including copper, silver and trace metals) can cause irritation and prevent complete healing. Switch to an implant certified piece of titanium jewelry for better success. http://piercing.org/pexy/jewelry/jewelry.html can explain more about selecting a safe piece. http://piercing.org/shop has excellent examples of threadless titanium jewelry and more.
Other notable cofactors the irritation could be related to:
*cleaning products you use; chemical or particulate irritation
*the shape and size of the jewelry; a piece out of proportion to your body
*mechanical friction/motion of the jewelry; moving it around too much
*sleeping on the piercing; putting pressure on the jewelry
*tap water/moisture not dried off completely; fluid causing ulceration of the wound bed
Stop by for a free consultation if you are in the area.
I can send you an appropriate, attractive piece of jewelry if you can not make it in.
Some people in your situation have success with a judicious application of antiseptic or antibiotic products at this point. Others try to focus on great nutrition [like a balanced diet with additional garlic, vitamin C and minerals like zinc] and apply a dry hot compress [such as a cup of your favorite hot liquid, a heat pad set to medium or a hot washcloth in a Ziploc bag for ten-fifteen minutes once an hour up to bedtime] to increase circulation and build immune response. Make sure to put something absorbent such as a gauze pad or tissue in between you and the compress to keep it from getting sweaty. See your physician if symptoms get worse or do not clear up in the next few days.
