I got pierced about 9 weeks ago and it is still tender. I have a 12 gauge curved barbell in and the problem I have is that I guess my pubis 'pushes' on the top ball of the piercing.
This has made a little mound of tender skin on the hood. I was wondering if I had to take out the piercing or leave it in (Id rather leave it in) I was also thinking of getting a smaller barbell 'head' to fit on it. In the meanwhile I clean it daily with mild soap and have heard lots of conflicting stories to help speed healing, from diluted tea tree oil, sea salt soaks, rubbing vitamin E on it...lol. Its confusing!
Part of your problem is that you are over cleaning your piercing. This piercing is completely healed in 7 days and if you are still cleaning it after 9 weeks, you are severely irritating your delicate piercing.
Please STOP cleaning your piercing, even in the shower. Just let warm water run over the area and soap around the it.
We would rather you not remove the jewellery but stop irritating it so that the tissues can heal properly. All the products that you mention are harsh or oily and not appropriate for any piercing. So please DO NOT use any of them.
We have a natural ecology on our skin and if you were to wash your entire body with these products, what do you think would happen to your skin? It would be damaged and irritated. So why should it be any different for just one part of your body.
At this point, just leave the piercing alone and allow the body to take care of it. You may notice the bump get a little worse before it gets better but if the irritation is gone, the body will heal itself.
Let us know how you are doing.
