Nobody likes having to say goodbye to a piercing. It’s not just the financial cost of getting pierced in the first place. It’s the discomfort of getting it done, the work of trying to heal it, the lovestruck devotion to each new piece of jewelry that appears on one’s body. But some piercings are simply not meant to be, for a variety of reasons. So how do you know when to take it out for good?
Rejection
Some piercings, notably belly button and eyebrow as well as certain types of surface piercing, are simply prone to rejection. This can be because the area is in motion too much or because the anatomy needed to make it work simply wasn’t there. If the area is red and scaly and you can suddenly see a lot more of the barbell than you could when it was pierced, your piercing is rejecting, and it needs to come out. This prevents any scarring from being much worse than it would be later down the line.
Incorrectly Pierced
If the angle of the piercing isn’t correct, it places extra pressure on one side of the end of the jewelry. This results in an irritation bump which is frequently crescent-shaped. If you can see that your jewelry is placed crooked and you have a bump that you can’t get rid of, the piercing needs to come out. Not all crooked piercings require removal. It depends on how crooked the piercing is and how tolerant the body is.
Incorrect Jewelry
The good news is that you may be able to have the jewelry swapped out without losing the piercing entirely. You should not go back to the original piercer as clearly; they are not doing their homework. If you were pierced with anything other than ASTM F-136 titanium, if you were pierced with externally threaded jewelry, if you were pierced with the wrong type of jewelry (such as straight jewelry in a daith or circular jewelry in a conch or helix), you need to get your jewelry changed by a professional ASAP.
Infection
There is ONE time where should absolutely NOT remove your jewelry – if it’s infected. Yes, this seems slightly counterintuitive, but it actually makes a lot of sense. You definitely want to seek medical attention, but leave the jewelry in. If you take the jewelry out before the infection is fully cleared, you can allow the piercing to close at the surface. This can trap pockets of infection in the body with no way to get the nasty stuff out. So, if you should happen to get an infected piercing, make sure you keep the jewelry in until you get an “ok” from your treatment provider.
It’s never easy to retire a piercing, even if the piercing is still new and healing. In some ways, that’s even harder. But there are times where you have no choice but to take it out. It’s important to know the difference between what can be salvaged and what is simply a loss. Take heart though, because after a few weeks to months, you’ll be all healed up and ready to re-pierce. Hopefully armed with new information and better luck. Happy piercing!
