New Piercing Itching, Bleeding, Crusty: Allergy or Just Healing?

I've received a lot of questions from people telling me that they're new piercing is itchy and crusty or bleeding. Some of them have asked whether it was due to an allergic reaction or if it was normal during healing. Here's my answer:

While there is a possibility that your piercer may have used a type of jewelry that you might be allergic to, it's extremely uncommon for a professional piercer to use jewelry types that are not hypoallergenic (extremely unlikely to cause an allergic reaction), particularly in new piercings. Generally, a professional piercer will use stainless steel as it will not deteriorate in your piercing socket or cause an allergic reaction. Itching in and around a new piercing site is not highly uncommon unless it come in combination with a rash, in which case I recommend immediately consulting your piercer about having the jewelry switched as the one used on you is likely nickel-containing and is causing you an allergic reaction. If there is NO rash present, your issue is probably quite simple but can be caused by a few different things:

In general, itching is usually sign of healing. Often, it doesn't start until a few days after your body suffers the trauma of the new wound (in this case a piercing) but as your body attempts to heal itself it can cause the sensation of itchiness that can sometimes be difficult to resist scratching. There are ways to lessen the discomfort though.

First of all, avoid overcleaning it as this can cause the site to dry out, causing the skin to crack and sometimes itch or bleed. Don't use harsh cleaning solutions, especially ones with alcohol. If using a sea salt solution for cleaning, consider using slightly less sea salt in the solution. Don't clean more than twice or so per day unless you absolutely have to (ie: if your day consists of spending time in a dirty environment that can't be avoided). As long as the site is staying clean and healthy, there's no need to excessively mess with or clean it.

Crusties are also common during healing as your body excretes fluid in order to help it heal. As long as the fluid is primarily clear in color with no heavy bleeding or greenish or yellowish pus, don't worry! Just try not to pick the crusties off as this can cause bleeding, scarring, delayed healing, and potentially lead to infection as well. If you must remove the crusties, make sure you do it when the area is moist, the crusties are soft, and your hands are clean. You don't want to tear your new skin! In the shower, when the crusties are softened from the moisture, is the best time to gently wipe them away if you must remove them. Be sure not to touch the piercing site with dirty hands and don't move the piercing excessively when it's healing, especially when it's dry.

As for the blood, as long as it stays to a minimum and you're not noticing signs of infection such as fever, extreme pain, excessive redness or swelling that doesn't go down, or green or yellow pus, just keep treating the piercing normally, cleaning a couple of times per day as instructed, avoiding excessive contact with the piercing, and keeping an eye on it. As the piercing heals, the itching, crusties, and bleeding should all decrease and eventually go away completely!

Intense Swelling around New Septum Piercing

It's not uncommon to experience a lot of swelling in the area of this particular piercing, especially within the first few days of having it done, however there are things you can do and things you should look out for in this situation. The intensity of swelling and length of time it lasts varies greatly from person to person but heavy swelling usually doesn't last beyond the first few days of receiving a new septum piercing. In the meantime, there are methods you can use to bring the swelling down yourself if necessary such as applying ice or taking an anti-inflammatory pain killer. If within the next few days you haven't been able to get the swelling to go down significantly, I would definitely have it looked at as it could then be a sign of infection. Keep an eye on it and look out for any other signs of infection such as fever, yellow or green pus, or unbearable pain that makes the piercing site hurt to touch. Of course, that is worst case scenario. During the first few days after getting your piercing done, I'd chalk the swelling up to the fact that the piercing is still very new. Don't worry yourself just yet! Just try the solutions mentioned for getting the swelling down and keep on your aftercare program to keep the site clean. After that, consult your piercer or healthcare professional if the swelling has not decreased within a few more days. Hope this helps and best of luck to you with your piercing!

New Septum Piercing in PAIN?!

First of all, congratulations on your new piercing! Okay, so as far as the pain you're suffering, I want to say that it is completely normal. Of course, you should always heed all warning signs and keep an eye out for any possible signs of infection such as unusually excessive swelling or redness that does not go down, yellow or green pus secreting from the piercing site, a hotter than normal piercing site (where the piercing and/or surrounding area is hotter than other areas of your nose and face), fever, or unbearable pain. On the other hand, keep in mind that many people who have had numerous piercings on all parts of their body report that their septum piercings were some of the most painful, both at the time they got them done and during the healing process. I've even read posts by people who have never had an issue getting their belly or brow pierced but suffered such intense pain during the healing process of their septum piercing that they had to remove the piercing altogether, though they'd had the piercing done professionally and did not have an infection or any other complications at the time. My best guess is that the pain you're experiencing is simply due to the location of the piercing. The tissue from which the septum piercing hangs is very tough and, when pierced, causes the body more trauma than many other piercings do so it's understandable that more pain would come with the territory. The tissue in the area also varies a lot in thickness so if your piercing is sitting a little crooked it's possible that the jewelry is going through more or a different area of tissue on one side, causing that side to hurt more. That said, it's impossible to know without examining in person just what's going on with your particular piercing so if once you've read this you still have any doubt about whether your piercing is infected or if it's healing properly, please consider consulting your piercer to have it looked at. Hope this helps and thank you very much for reading!