I just had my lip pierced several days ago, left side with a 16g ring. The piercer used a ring with a larger diameter to leave room for swelling, so the ring naturally leans towards the center. The piercer said that i could let the ring tilt whichever way i prefered, and that i may find it easier to eat and drink with it tilted to the side. So my concerns are:
-Should i be able to confortably tilt the ring either way? It is not comfortable now, but the piercing is only a few days old.
-Or should I just leave it tilted towards the center?
I am concerned about the effect this could have on the positioning of rings in the future, once I am able to change it to a smaller diameter...
There is also a white substance that has formed on one side of the hole that could possibly be hindering the movement of the ring...
any advise would be greatly appreciated
The popularity of 16g rings in soft tissue piercings has created a whole new set of problems in the piercing world! The old rule of 14g in any soft tissue piercing should never be ignored. The thinner the wire, the more pressure it exerts on the supporting tissue, and the more damage it does.
A 16g labret stud does not put significant pressure on the sides of the piercing. A 16g ring does. The white 'substance' is what is known as hypertrophic growth, and is you body's response to a localized chronic injury. Your body is attempting to grow additional tissue to help prevent further injury, much like you would build up callouses with a lot of manual labor. Left uncorrected, it will become a hypertrophic scar, better known as a keloid.
You do not want the ring to be too large, and the 16g ring is not right for a soft tissue piercing. Find a piercer who knows what he is doing, and get the ring changed to a 14g with a diameter that you are comfortable with.
_____________________
Blackstar Forum Moderator
