I had my navel pierced 3 days ago which looks fabulous. However i work as a lifeguard and often teach therefore i'll need to be in the pool at some point.
Ive taken a week off work for my piercing to heal - is this long enough before hitting the water?
Our concern about swimming was more about lake or ocean water than chlorinated pools.
We generally tell our clients to stay out the pools for 3 days but one month out of lake or ocean water.
So, you can return to swimming right now!
Many thanks for the info.
Its been nearly two weeks now since i had my piercing and since having it done it has never swollen up become scabby or leaked like some of the problems I have read on this site, it just looks like its been there forever.
However the skin around the barbell has become pretty itchy and I can feel the post (in between the two ends) under my skin really easily. I have been following the aftercare instructions religiously. Is this a sign of migration of am i just being paranoid?
You have not told us what the aftercare is. Has the piercing appeared to be shrinking? Has anything changed since the last week? Any information you can give us will help us determine a course of action.
Do you have any puss at all?
I use Savlon Woundwash spray (chlorohexidine) once twice a day and use detol medicated soap around the piercing when showering (dont know if you guys have these products in the US, im from the UK).
These were the directions given to me by the piercer.
Ive no puss as such yet, im just a little concerned that its really easy to feel the bar under my skin and I fear the piercing may be shrinking.
Yes, we have knowledge of Savlon and Dettol but they are extremely harsh products in North America, and are not to be used for any piercings.
Researching the dettol.co.uk site, there are many products now being manufactured. The active ingredient is Chloroxylenol which is able to kill many bacteria. These products are comparable to our Lysol products which do the same thing. But there was not a complete list of ingredients so we are unable to give you more assistance.
If you use Dettol on a daily basis and it has not bothered you, then continue using. We recommend using a mild antibiotic soap like SoftSoap (name brand)because it is less likely to irritate delicate skin as its used as part of a person's daily hygiene routine.
As well as for Savlon products, it was difficult to find a site that gave the complete list of ingredients but we did find that some of these products contain alcohol which is a product that does dry out the tissues. We do not recommend using anything that contains alcohol.
We found some interesting information here: home.intekom.com pharm pharmedica savlnsol.html.
From all that you are telling us, you are overcleaning and this is probably starting the migration process since you have noticed that the piercing is shrinking. These products used excessive will irritate the delicate tissues as well.
Please STOP using all products and leave your piercing alone, even in the shower. See if this stops the shrinkage, if not, we recommend removing the jewellery and having it done again 'behind the original', in about 4 weeks time.
Many thanks for the help!
Glad to have helped.
