Keloid or Piercing Bump?
What is a keloid?
a keloid is a type of scar
the body may respond to a piercing by producing too much collagen, leading to an overgrowth of fibrous tissue
They can start as raised scars that appear anywhere from three months to a year after the piercing
The color of the scar can vary widely depending on your skin tone
Their growth rate can vary from slow to very fast, and they can become very large
They may feel soft and doughy or hard and rubbery
They may itch or hurt, which is part of why people might confuse them with an irritation bump
What is a piercing bump (a.k.a. Irritation bump)?
a small bump, most frequently found on cartilage piercings
They can be caused by a direct injury, such as snagging your piercing on something, or if a piercing is done at an improper angle which causes the jewelry to press down harder on one side of the tissue
They may have a crusty appearance or ooze fluid- They may also itch or, if caused by injury, may hurt.
What’s the difference?
A keloid may begin to extend past the immediate area around the piercing, while an irritation bump will be directly around the area of the piercing.
An irritation bump will generally show up during the healing period (unless there is an injury to the piercing) while a keloid can take three months to a year to show up. This is well past the healing time for many piercings.Irritation bumps will stay roughly the same size while a keloid will increase in size.
An irritation bump will tend to ooze and create crusties on the jewelry while a keloid will do neither.
How to proceed?
Irritation bump: your best bet is to pay a visit to your piercer. If you did snag your jewelry on something, they can help you heal the piercing. (Please do not apply things like crushed aspirin, tea tree oil, or other home remedies. Continue to clean your piercing as instructed with sterile saline.) If the bump showed up for no apparent reason, you may have an issue with your piercing, and they can help you with that as well.
Keloid: it requires a doctor’s treatment, specifically a dermatologist. There are multiple treatment options for keloids, so you have a few choices for getting rid of it. Unfortunately, once you develop keloids, you are more prone to developing them in the future. This shouldn’t put you off piercings entirely, but it is a risk that must be taken into consideration.
