I got my nose pierced a little over 3 weeks ago, I have a surgical steel screw. My piercer said he would change it to a smaller one if I wanted after 4 weeks. My boss told me I could keep it in for those 4 weeks, but after that I needed to be able to take it out for work. I thought I had found the solution in a clear plastic retainer for daytime. But now I have developed the bump, it is small, but it's there. I think I was overzealous w the cleaning, and was using saline solution. All I am doing now is the warm compresses, which seem to be shrinking the bump already, and I try to not touch it or move it at all otherwise. But next week I need to be able to change it to the retainer, and I'm afraid changing it will irritate it again. If I do change it, I know I need to leave the retainer in for a while and not mess with it, but my ultimate goal is to one day be able to wear the retainer during the day and put something else in at night or on weekends. What is your advice? Is it even ok for me to use a plastic this early?
The problem is that you cleaned this piercing with a harsh product and the body responded with the bump. Now that you are doing the warm water compresses, the bump should shrink quickly.
We do not know what the shape of the retainer is to comment about it. But if it is a nostril screw type of retainer, then you can have a professional piercer insert it to reduce irritating it. Leave it in for some time in order for the body to heal itself. When you are comfortable with changing it later on, you can change from the retainer to fancier one. You should remember that it takes any piercing a year to fully heal itself.
So if you remove the jewellery and do not insert something, you could lose your piercing.
Good luck
