i got my navel pierced in march of this year and i've been cleaning it for 3 months i guess two times a day. the piercing lady never told me how long i should have cleaned it for, so i kept cleaning it until the whole bottle of bactine was gone. one night when i was sleeping the ring fell out and ripped the hole. now i have a little scar on it. its like slightly reddish.
do you think i can get it repierced? will the redness go away if its repierced? i put some vitamin E on the scar because i heard that there wont be as much scar tissue. is it true? i sort of peeled open the scar and put that in, will it help? and i've been cleaning it with alcohol ever since it ripped out in june and applying medicine.
i talked to another piercer who i saw on faq.com and i told her my piercer told me to use bactine and she said i shouldnt use that. she told me to use sea salt soak because that helps my redness and bump. is she right?
if i do get it repierced, what should i do afterward? what should i clean it with besides bactine?
i read most of your replies but i dont know what you mean by antibiotic ointment and St. Ives water based moisterizer. is it the lotion st. ives? and what is antibiotic ointment? is there suppose to be a little bump on the navel after its torn? and redness?
please help. i really want to get it repierced but first i need some advice.. really appreciate it.
First, you cleaned your piercing for too long. We do not recommend using Bactine or salt water for cleaning any piercing. These products are harsh on a fresh piercing and will dry out the tissues. This can cause the redness and bump you have been describing. The redness will go away once you start leaving the navel area alone. The more you do to it, the longer the redness will remain. The body will heal itself and using vitamin E can help reduce scarring.
Second, yes, you can get it repierced. A good piercer would know to pierce behind the scar tissue. This will help stablize the piercing a little better and will help reduce the odds of losing it. You may experience a little more discomfort during the piercing because of the scar tissue.
Third, the aftercare you were given was too aggressive and harmful to your piercing. For most piercings, we only recommend using liquid soap and water for about 2 weeks of cleaning then you stop and allow the body to do its job. We also recommend using an antibiotic ointment for the first few days to create a barrier to protect the fresh tissues. You asked what this product is, another name for it is Neosporin (US) or Polysporin (Canada). It is a product that is used to protect the skin from bacteria when you get a cut that you can purchase at your local pharmacy.
Generally when a piercing becomes dry and chapped, we recommend using a moisturizer to moisten the tissues. The product we recommend is St Ives, its a hand lotion again available at a pharmacy. If you washed your hands 20 times a day, what would you use on them to stop the dryness? A hand lotion! The tissues in your navel are the same as your hands just a different location.
Please look to BlackStar's aftercare section for information about our aftercare and its specifics.
thanks for the advice. i've been using vitamin E Skin oil everyday and twice a day. just gentling applying it on the scar. and i've also been using St. Ives lotion as you said to do. well i think it still looks the same, no differences really.
so in your reply, you mean that after i get it repierced, it might still be a little reddish? im thinking of geting it repierced in late november because i thought i should let the wound heal a little longer.
when you say a good piercer would pierce it behind the scar tissues does that mean i can still get it pierced in the same spot? i want to hide the scar.
i will keep you updated on how it is. this is a really great site and forum.
You should either use the vitamin E lotion or the St Ives lotion, not both!Too much moisturizing will not make the scar go away any faster, if anything, it will slow it down.
You will not see much of a difference yet, it takes more time to completely heal.
The longer you wait to get it repierced the better it will be for your tissues. If you want to have the piercing in the exact spot, you should let the piercer know before hand. You may want to think a little bit about that decision especially if the piercing was shallow or slanted.
Glad you like the forum, good luck.
well im using this thing called scar zone now and its suppose to help the scar fade and make it softer and less noticeble.
is it okay if i use it with vitamin E also? if i want to get it repierced, can i do it in late november? i mean the piercing ripped in june and is 5 months enough to let it heal?
is the redness and the little bump going to go away if i get it repierced?
sorry if i ask to many questions or if im bothering you.
If you are using scar zone, then do not use the vitamin E.
You should have no problem getting it repierced in November. The redness and bump should become less noticable by that time. Just remember not to do too much because it will cancel itself out and possibly become worse.
Don't over do it and allow your body to do its job of healing.
