new piercing concerns

Glad that your experience at Blackstar was great.

Yes, it is normal what you are experiencing with respect to the oozing and itchiness.

You do not have an infection, you would notice greenish, foul smelling puss coming from your piercing and it will be hot to touch.

The symptoms of migration are difficult because most of the time, by the time it is noticable, its already too late.  But there are things that can irritate and cause migration, yes, overcleaning is the main one.  Too much moving the ring breaksdown the tissues in front of the ring.  If continued, the body is unable to main the tissues and the jewellery becomes heavier against these delicate tissues and it moves to the least path of resistance.  Eventually the ring just falls out from the skin.

Since you are following our aftercare, you have reduced your risk of all these problems.  There is always a risk, for example getting hit on your piercing, could cause migration.

If you need further assistance, we recommend coming to Blackstar and getting personal service.

hello again. thanks so much for the last answer, it was really helpful, and the pus went away.

however, my piercing is now quite itchy and there seems to be a bit of white skin and redness around the base of the top hole, but not the bottom. could this be because it is the exit wound, maybe? i've now had the piercing for 8 days, and i backed off cleaning twice daily a bit earlier than normal because i was worried about migration. i'm now cleaning it once daily, and applying water based moisturizer around the area.

this sounds like migration, and i'm really worried. i don't want to lose the piercing, but i live too far away to visit any time soon. could you please tell me what you think i should do? should i cut back my cleaning even further?

i was also wondering about how long it should take for the ring to lie flat. mine has not yet, and, as i mentioned earlier, i've had it for 8 days. is this normal?

thank you so much for all your help, i really appreciate it and i always recommend Blackstar to my friends who ask where i went to get my piercing

No, its not migrating.  Its just dry.  Yes, reduce your cleaning even more, like skip a day altogether so that by the end of the second week, you are no longer cleaning it.

For the dryness, take a Q-tip and a moisturizer (we use St Ives) and rub into the tissues until absorbed.  Do not get it into the piercing, you will get a stingy feeling.

Its probably not lying flat because of the dryness.  As the tissues become moisturized, you should start to see a difference.

Keep in touch and again, thanks for the wonderful compliments.

hello again

thanks for all the information so far, i really appreciate it. i do have a new concern, though. i'm a little paranoid.

i've had my eyebrow pierced for 2 weeks now, and i'm down to cleaning once every other day. I'm also moisturizing the area morning and night after washing my face, because it had been dry.

but now the piercing is oozing gross puss and was sore and red for about a day, but now it's not. however, it is still oozing the green puss when i clean it. i have a feeling this is an infection, but i can't seem to find instructions for caring for it.

i know you don't believe in salt soultions, but that's what a friend recommended to me for treating infections. should i clean more or stop cleaning entirely? or am i moisturizing too often? i know i should not be cleaning now but since it's pussing i have been.

also, the ring still has not lain down. is this because of the possible infection? what do you think i should do?

thanks so much and it's such a relief to have a reliable place to get trustworthy answers from.

If the colour of the puss is definitely green and is hot to the touch, you have a definite infection.  It could have been caused by many things, you could have come into contact with someone who was ill, your piercing being still fresh, was suseptable to the illness of the person.

Please seek medical attention.  When you see the doctor, do not let him her bully you into removing the jewellery, it is actually helpful in expressing the puss so that healing can take place.

Salt soaks are not effective for infections, only antibiotics or an ointment will help.

Hello again

I'm still having problems with my piercing. I never went to the doctor as you suggested because my piercing is not hot to the touch, red, or swollen. The only problem I have is that it is oozing white pus, and the ring has not lied down yet. I have had the piercing for almost 5 weeks, and its been oozing for around 3, I think. And I know that it is not normal for the ring not to have gone down yet.

Also, I know that I am not supposed to be cleaning my piercing at all, but I have been, usually once every two or three days. Because I find that the pus builds up around the edges, I clean it with soap to get the pus out. Usually quite a bit comes out when I clean it, so I wipe it up with a Q-Tip. Am I doing the right thing by cleaning it? Or could I been damaging it more?

As I said, the pus is white, not green, and the piercing is not red or swollen. What should I do? Why has it not lied down yet, and how can I get it to? If you can't answer without seeing it, I am hoping to get into Blackstar soon so I can get a barbell, but that probably won't be for another two weeks or longer.

Thank you so much for your help, it's great to have someone to rely on when I'm worried.

If you had green puss at any point, then you have an infection and should see medical attention.

If the puss is drying out on your piercing, then we recommend not cleaning it but putting a warm compress on it to soften the crusties (put on for about 5 minutes).  Then take a Q-tip and remove them without moving the ring.  If the tissues look dry or chapped, take another Q-tip and apply a moisturizer and rub into the skin until absorbed.

As long as you are cleaning and moving the jewellery, you are irritating the piercing.  There is the possibility that you are bumping the piercing when you sleep.  This will also irritate the piercing and cause the pussing.

If you cannot get into Blackstar for a piercer to see your piercing, please call and speak to one and get more detail answers.