Q: I got my nipples pierced about 1.5 years ago, I have always worn barbells in them. I’ve never had a problem with them. I recently changed to a captured ball type piercing, now they are sore and slightly painful. There is no redness or swelling. Is it normal to experience this when changing types of piercings? - Diana
A: There are two reasons why you’re experiencing this. One is because you are changing from straight jewelry to circular, which is changing the shape of the piercing fistula from a straight line to a curve. This can be a bit uncomfortable but should be temporary. (Just make sure those rings are properly sized! If they’re too small, it can cause your piercing to reject!) The other reason you’re having discomfort is simply because you changed your jewelry. This can be uncomfortable even for well-healed, older piercings and cause them to act up just from the simple act of removing the old and then inserting the new jewelry. That too should be a temporary issue and since you aren’t seeing any redness or swelling you should be able to simply wait it out and your piercings will calm down on their own. If you do start seeing signs of something amiss or simply want some extra reassurance, having your trusted piercer take a look should put your mind at ease. Best of luck!
Q: I had my cartilage pierced on February 18th, it's now June and it is still tender at times.... How long before I don't have any tenderness at all? Some days I'll wake up and say finally this may be my lucky day because I feel no tenderness, then the next day it will be tender again, Ugh... Thank you for your time. - Jayne
A: Healing a piercing is often not a straight line. It’s more of a back-and-forth of flaring up, settling down, and flaring up again, until it’s fully healed. Sometimes even after it’s fully healed. That seems to be what you are experiencing as you’ve only had your piercing for about four months. Cartilage piercings are frequently slower healing than other parts of the body and depending on which piercing you got, you could be looking at a healing process of up to nine months. You don’t mention anything other than tenderness, so it doesn’t sound like you are experiencing an infection or metal allergy or other complications, just the normal healing process of a fresh piercing. The tenderness should continue to subside as your piercing heals over the next few months. You can aid this along by making sure you don’t sleep on it (travel neck pillows work well for sleeping on during this time because you can put your ear in the center hole) and following your aftercare regimen. And of course, if you do have reason to believe something abnormal is going on, you can always have your trusted piercer take a look at it. Best of luck!
Disclaimer: Body Candy is only here to give you fun and helpful advice and information when it comes to getting pierced. Always consult a professional piercer to make sure a new piercing is right for you!
