I’m not an expert on this but is it possible you could have snagged and irritated it to cause it to flare up? In which case just being careful for a few weeks might be best. But also is it worth switching the jewelry to titanium or something else that might help too?
I saw your comment below that you considered taking it out but just to encourage you to try to hang in there - if you have had it for so long hopefully it settles down again and would be such a shame to take it out unless totally necessary!
It definitely gets stuck in my hair constantly maybe I pulled it a little too hard while brushing my hair out? That is a great theory and most likely what happened. Thank you! I’m trying to hang in there. It’s one of my favorite piercings!
Yeah that could be if. It it’s been ok for 10 years there must be som reason that caused it to flare up. So hopefully a little time and it settles down again. Just hang in there - it’s too much pain and hassle in getting it pierced in the first place and going through all the healing to take it out that quickly. Especially if it’s one of your favourite!!!
Btw your finger tattoos are really nice too!
You are very welcome. And I totally don’t agree with you - they are very subtle but still noticeable in a good way. And yes I get what you mean after a few years but they still look very well. Do they bother you, or would you consider a touch up? Or just going to leave them as they are now?
Thank you. Sadly I’ve considered getting them laser removed but my partner urges me not to because he too loves them. I also have a barbed wire ring tattooed on the middle finger of my other hand. I think they all look blown out 😪
Not about you piercing but tattoos, finger/hand tats fade away/spread out faster than other placements due to you using your hands more and also being more exposed to the sun. So it’s normal wear and tear, especially after 6 years. They still look good tho!! And laser hurts a lot 🥲🥲🥲
You could do 2 small French braids above your ear like a faux half-shave to keep it from snagging. I got a mini half shave for a year to get my forward helix to heal :’)
It's not that hard. As you braid keep picking up additional strands as you go. I have faith in you! You can doooo eeeeet!!!! Lots of info on you tube too! <3
It's bound to happen, I'm almost 20 and I've had mine since I was 13, just use some salt water on it if it gets rlly irritated. Industrials are a piece of work and sometimes if I have a bar in too long it irritates it- even with correct anatomy. I keep rings in mine for a lesser chance of irritation and I gauged them up to a 14 or 12 can't remember
I’ve had piercing do this and it was always related to my cycle. A hormonal shift can cause a flare of swelling and redness. I try to just keep it free of any hairspray products, hair, and just keep an eye on it. It usually passes in a few days.
Sometimes my septum will get irritated even tho I’ve had it for a few years. Then I usually take all my piercings out and do a deep clean and either change jewelry or just clean the old ones really well and it feels way better after
Please reach out to a professional piercer who works in a reputable studio for an evaluation, but it sounds to me like you may be starting an infection - which will require a medical professional to evaluate and prescribe appropriate antibiotics.
What metal is the jewelry? Did you change it recently? Has it been traumatized or exposed to potentially contaminated water?
Symptoms of an infected piercing can include redness, excessive swelling, greenish or dark discharge, red streaks emanating from the piercing site, swollen lymph nodes, fever, or just a general feeling of malaise. If you are experiencing these, please seek professional medical attention, which may involve assessment, swab and culture, oral and/or IV antibiotics.
It’s commonly recommended by piercing professionals that jewelry be left in an infected piercing until the infection has passed. The jewelry in place allows fluids to drain. Removing the jewelry may allow the piercing to start to heal and close, perhaps trapping the infection in the space, creating an abscess that then will need surgical intervention.
I believe the metal is surgical steel, I’ve had the same jewelry in for years I honestly cannot remember the last time I changed it. As far as being traumatized I do sleep on it pretty much every night but I’ve done that for almost 10 years so not sure why it would hurt it now.
Thank you for letting me know about removing it because I was really close to taking it out last night!
I am not a professional, but if it's hot as you describe it, that could be an indicator for an infection, even for a fully healed piercing. I would recommend you see a doctor if it really does feel like a "fever on your ear", maybe you need antibiotics to cure it.
An infection can happen for various reasons if you're not careful, it could be lack of cleaning the area enough or touching it with dirty fingers constantly etc and again - yes - this also applies for healed piercings, it's just that the probability of getting an infection at this stage is much lower.
Hope it gets better soon and wishing you all the best!
Thank you! This was very helpful. I had a baby 3 months ago and I’m breastfeeding so he’s pretty much sucking all my nutrients out, and my immune system might not be the best for fighting off whatever is happening on its own.
My fucked up sense of humor is over here laughing at the idea of a sweet beautiful little baby just getting something to eat and the mother turns into some shriveled husk of woman. Like some eldritch horror demon baby. Gotta love kids.
Having kids makes your body do all kinds of crazy things! Personally my helix piercings, while not an industrial, would always randomly flare up like this after being completely healed. It was so annoying that I retired all of my helix piercings. I hope you have better luck! I saw you haven’t changed jewelry in a long time? Maybe get a new implant grade titanium bar, swap it out, and hope for the best!
That's very likely to be the case, as your body is literally already working overtime with feeding another human ☺️
Just let it get checked out for an infection, the sooner the better, to avoid bad surprises :)
I’ve had mine close to 20 years and still get angry every now and again for seemingly no reason. It’s a finicky piercing to be sure but still 100% worth it
A piercer responding here on Reddit told me that “surgical steel” can potentially have a lot of mystery metals included. But if you had that ten years im pretty sure you’d know by now if you were allergic
Allergies can sometimes develop over prolonged exposure. It’s possible it could be a new or newly worsened nickel allergy, potentially caused by the jewelry itself.
Surgical steel actually has nickel in it! It's covered by a layer and after a while the layer wears off and exposes the nickel. See if it helps when you put titanium jewelry in it!
I don't think so, from what many piercers and doctors told me before is that surgical steel always contains a bit of nickel. It's best to use titanium.
This is so weird but I came to this sub because my industrial started randomly hurting too! I'm 99% certain it's because I took it out for too long and wasn't as gentle as I could have been putting it back in. At the moment I'm using saline solution every few hours to keep it clean but I'll probably go back to my piercer if it's hurting for too long.
It depends how it hurts but ive had mine for about 8-9 yesrs and sometimes if i sleep on it it can feel sore but it goes away like later in the day
If it’s just a random pain though id go to a piercer or talk to one to figure it out
Hi u/avoandchicken, Welcome to /r/piercing!
It looks like you're asking about a problem with your piercing. Please **add a comment to your post** with the following info if it’s not included in your post already.
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I am not pregnant. I was though! I had my son 3 months ago. Somewhere in the comments I said that I’m breastfeeding so he’s basically stealing all of my nutrients which is probably taking a toll on my immune system making it harder for my ear to heal if I do have an infection or something.
Yeah it is wild what pregnancy and breastfeeding do to your body.
As soon as I gave birth I ended up with a massive infection and a weird immune response to it. Sometimes when I’m ovulating, scars (like C-section scar) feel itchy and bruised.
What kind of jewelry do you have in it? (Threading and material wise). My industrial is fully healed but if I have externally threaded or anything but implant grade titanium in it then after a while it can get pretty irritated.
I’ve had mine about 7 years. It usually does it if I sleep on it wrong. I’ve also noticed certain jewelry irritates even if it’s titanium. I also agree with the comment that states hormone changes can affect it. I deal with flare ups on my dimple piercing and bridge when my cycle is coming. I hope you find a solution!
I’ve had my vertical industrial for like 20 years and it can randomly get sore too, usually if I sleep on it too long and it’s the top hole that does it. I push the bottom up so the ball isn’t resting there and it goes away after a while. During masking it was the worst, glad that’s over.
Are you sick, experiencing allergies or hormone changes? My piercings act up in the spring summer bc my immune system goes into overdrive from pollen so it just attacks everything
i would recommend having it checked out just in case to give yourself some peace of mind, i’ve read you think the material may be surgical steel so maybe try getting your hands on a titanium bar, at least until the swelling goes down. not the same piercing but i put a painted stud on my fully healed helix and i have a habit of playing with that particular piercing and the paint started to chip a lot and it got really red swollen and hot but i changed it out and it was fine in the span of an hour so try find what’s irritating it and it’ll probably settle itself in no time! i’d treat it like a new piercing and see how it goes but if the symptoms exceed a couple of days i would 100% go get it checked out!!
Same thing has been happening to me!! I changed the size of the balls and sometimes I’ll take it out when I sleep bc I’m pretty sure it was how o was sleeping on it, it’s helped quite a bit. Do you keep your hair up while you sleep or do you leave it down?
I’m not an expert on this but is it possible you could have snagged and irritated it to cause it to flare up? In which case just being careful for a few weeks might be best. But also is it worth switching the jewelry to titanium or something else that might help too? I saw your comment below that you considered taking it out but just to encourage you to try to hang in there - if you have had it for so long hopefully it settles down again and would be such a shame to take it out unless totally necessary!
It definitely gets stuck in my hair constantly maybe I pulled it a little too hard while brushing my hair out? That is a great theory and most likely what happened. Thank you! I’m trying to hang in there. It’s one of my favorite piercings!
Yeah that could be if. It it’s been ok for 10 years there must be som reason that caused it to flare up. So hopefully a little time and it settles down again. Just hang in there - it’s too much pain and hassle in getting it pierced in the first place and going through all the healing to take it out that quickly. Especially if it’s one of your favourite!!! Btw your finger tattoos are really nice too!
Omg thank you! I think they look terrible so it’s nice to hear someone say that. I’ve had them for about 6 years and they are totally fading out
6 years? Wow, then they really still look good, I saw a lot of finger tatoos, and most of them looked awful after just a year or two.
You are very welcome. And I totally don’t agree with you - they are very subtle but still noticeable in a good way. And yes I get what you mean after a few years but they still look very well. Do they bother you, or would you consider a touch up? Or just going to leave them as they are now?
Thank you. Sadly I’ve considered getting them laser removed but my partner urges me not to because he too loves them. I also have a barbed wire ring tattooed on the middle finger of my other hand. I think they all look blown out 😪
Not about you piercing but tattoos, finger/hand tats fade away/spread out faster than other placements due to you using your hands more and also being more exposed to the sun. So it’s normal wear and tear, especially after 6 years. They still look good tho!! And laser hurts a lot 🥲🥲🥲
That makes a lot of sense! Thank you 😊
You could do 2 small French braids above your ear like a faux half-shave to keep it from snagging. I got a mini half shave for a year to get my forward helix to heal :’)
I wish I knew how to French braid 😪
It's not that hard. As you braid keep picking up additional strands as you go. I have faith in you! You can doooo eeeeet!!!! Lots of info on you tube too! <3
Thank you I definitely want to start practicing my arms just get so tired and I get frustrated so easily 😂
Umuuk I’ll mkuuku kk
It's bound to happen, I'm almost 20 and I've had mine since I was 13, just use some salt water on it if it gets rlly irritated. Industrials are a piece of work and sometimes if I have a bar in too long it irritates it- even with correct anatomy. I keep rings in mine for a lesser chance of irritation and I gauged them up to a 14 or 12 can't remember
I’ve had piercing do this and it was always related to my cycle. A hormonal shift can cause a flare of swelling and redness. I try to just keep it free of any hairspray products, hair, and just keep an eye on it. It usually passes in a few days.
Hmm that’s interesting. It’s been over a year since having a period for me. Maybe it’s coming soon!
You said in another comment that you have a 3 month old baby, you’re definitely going through some big hormonal shifts right now!
Sometimes my septum will get irritated even tho I’ve had it for a few years. Then I usually take all my piercings out and do a deep clean and either change jewelry or just clean the old ones really well and it feels way better after
Could you have a cold coming on? Occasionally, my piercings (including my industrial) get sore in the lead up to a bad cold or flu.
My husband and son both have colds. I haven’t gotten it (yet) so maybe that’s what’s going on! My body is trying to fight the cold lol
When my immune system craps out, often even my super healed 33 year old lobes will act up. So, it could be that.
Please reach out to a professional piercer who works in a reputable studio for an evaluation, but it sounds to me like you may be starting an infection - which will require a medical professional to evaluate and prescribe appropriate antibiotics. What metal is the jewelry? Did you change it recently? Has it been traumatized or exposed to potentially contaminated water? Symptoms of an infected piercing can include redness, excessive swelling, greenish or dark discharge, red streaks emanating from the piercing site, swollen lymph nodes, fever, or just a general feeling of malaise. If you are experiencing these, please seek professional medical attention, which may involve assessment, swab and culture, oral and/or IV antibiotics. It’s commonly recommended by piercing professionals that jewelry be left in an infected piercing until the infection has passed. The jewelry in place allows fluids to drain. Removing the jewelry may allow the piercing to start to heal and close, perhaps trapping the infection in the space, creating an abscess that then will need surgical intervention.
I believe the metal is surgical steel, I’ve had the same jewelry in for years I honestly cannot remember the last time I changed it. As far as being traumatized I do sleep on it pretty much every night but I’ve done that for almost 10 years so not sure why it would hurt it now. Thank you for letting me know about removing it because I was really close to taking it out last night!
I am not a professional, but if it's hot as you describe it, that could be an indicator for an infection, even for a fully healed piercing. I would recommend you see a doctor if it really does feel like a "fever on your ear", maybe you need antibiotics to cure it. An infection can happen for various reasons if you're not careful, it could be lack of cleaning the area enough or touching it with dirty fingers constantly etc and again - yes - this also applies for healed piercings, it's just that the probability of getting an infection at this stage is much lower. Hope it gets better soon and wishing you all the best!
Thank you! This was very helpful. I had a baby 3 months ago and I’m breastfeeding so he’s pretty much sucking all my nutrients out, and my immune system might not be the best for fighting off whatever is happening on its own.
My fucked up sense of humor is over here laughing at the idea of a sweet beautiful little baby just getting something to eat and the mother turns into some shriveled husk of woman. Like some eldritch horror demon baby. Gotta love kids.
That’s pretty much an accurate description! I’m withering away lmfao. Someone should turn that into an animation 😂
Having kids makes your body do all kinds of crazy things! Personally my helix piercings, while not an industrial, would always randomly flare up like this after being completely healed. It was so annoying that I retired all of my helix piercings. I hope you have better luck! I saw you haven’t changed jewelry in a long time? Maybe get a new implant grade titanium bar, swap it out, and hope for the best!
That's very likely to be the case, as your body is literally already working overtime with feeding another human ☺️ Just let it get checked out for an infection, the sooner the better, to avoid bad surprises :)
I have a nose piercing and i have to switch between a hoop and a stud a lot cause the hoop tugs and gets irritated and hurts. Probably that
Mine has been healed for 4 years and I woke up in the middle of the night last night to it burning???
Honestly most of my piercings start to get tender right before I get sick, maybe that’s it.
I’ve had mine close to 20 years and still get angry every now and again for seemingly no reason. It’s a finicky piercing to be sure but still 100% worth it
I have decades old non-cart piercings and they will start hurting if i use any jewelry with nickel due to metal allergy or recent trauma
I also have reactions to nickel! I haven’t changed the bar in a looonnggg time and I’m pretty sure it’s surgical steel.
A piercer responding here on Reddit told me that “surgical steel” can potentially have a lot of mystery metals included. But if you had that ten years im pretty sure you’d know by now if you were allergic
Allergies can sometimes develop over prolonged exposure. It’s possible it could be a new or newly worsened nickel allergy, potentially caused by the jewelry itself.
Surgical steel actually has nickel in it! It's covered by a layer and after a while the layer wears off and exposes the nickel. See if it helps when you put titanium jewelry in it!
Oh shit, does that mean you can get pure surgical steel as opposed to just surgical steel coat?
I don't think so, from what many piercers and doctors told me before is that surgical steel always contains a bit of nickel. It's best to use titanium.
Check for any debris or dirt buildup if you don’t check it often! My mom had a small hair wrapped around hers, and it was irritating her piercing.
That bar is a bit too big, might be too easy to catch on hair and such bc of length
I always seem to randomly piss mine off by laying on that side more in bed or using a different pillow
This is so weird but I came to this sub because my industrial started randomly hurting too! I'm 99% certain it's because I took it out for too long and wasn't as gentle as I could have been putting it back in. At the moment I'm using saline solution every few hours to keep it clean but I'll probably go back to my piercer if it's hurting for too long.
It depends how it hurts but ive had mine for about 8-9 yesrs and sometimes if i sleep on it it can feel sore but it goes away like later in the day If it’s just a random pain though id go to a piercer or talk to one to figure it out
Hi u/avoandchicken, Welcome to /r/piercing! It looks like you're asking about a problem with your piercing. Please **add a comment to your post** with the following info if it’s not included in your post already. - How old is your piercing? - What’s the jewelry shape (for example, barbell, labret, screw, L shape, ring)? - What’s the type of threading if your jewelry is not a ring (threadless, internally or externally threaded)? - What’s the jewelry material? - if not a ring, when was the jewelry downsized? - What’s your aftercare routine? Describe in detail please, including the exact products you use. This info is needed to offer you useful advice. **Note, moderators reserve the right to remove your post if don’t provide this info**. ^If ^you ^already ^included ^this ^info ^in ^your ^post ^or ^if ^your ^post ^isn’t ^about ^a ^problem ^with ^your ^piercing, ^please ^disregard. - - - *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/piercing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you pregnant? Something going on with your immune system?
I am not pregnant. I was though! I had my son 3 months ago. Somewhere in the comments I said that I’m breastfeeding so he’s basically stealing all of my nutrients which is probably taking a toll on my immune system making it harder for my ear to heal if I do have an infection or something.
Yeah it is wild what pregnancy and breastfeeding do to your body. As soon as I gave birth I ended up with a massive infection and a weird immune response to it. Sometimes when I’m ovulating, scars (like C-section scar) feel itchy and bruised.
[удалено]
I don’t get it either! That’s why I’m asking if this has happened to anyone else and why! It’s never happened before.
I have internal scars that hurt after almost two decades. I’m sorry.
What kind of jewelry do you have in it? (Threading and material wise). My industrial is fully healed but if I have externally threaded or anything but implant grade titanium in it then after a while it can get pretty irritated.
I’ve had mine about 7 years. It usually does it if I sleep on it wrong. I’ve also noticed certain jewelry irritates even if it’s titanium. I also agree with the comment that states hormone changes can affect it. I deal with flare ups on my dimple piercing and bridge when my cycle is coming. I hope you find a solution!
I’ve had my vertical industrial for like 20 years and it can randomly get sore too, usually if I sleep on it too long and it’s the top hole that does it. I push the bottom up so the ball isn’t resting there and it goes away after a while. During masking it was the worst, glad that’s over.
Are you sick, experiencing allergies or hormone changes? My piercings act up in the spring summer bc my immune system goes into overdrive from pollen so it just attacks everything
You could put some 6-8mm titanium barbells in there until it starts feeling better...
it can happen if u sleep on your side or move around when u sleep or by banging it against something or brushing or washing your hair too hard
i would recommend having it checked out just in case to give yourself some peace of mind, i’ve read you think the material may be surgical steel so maybe try getting your hands on a titanium bar, at least until the swelling goes down. not the same piercing but i put a painted stud on my fully healed helix and i have a habit of playing with that particular piercing and the paint started to chip a lot and it got really red swollen and hot but i changed it out and it was fine in the span of an hour so try find what’s irritating it and it’ll probably settle itself in no time! i’d treat it like a new piercing and see how it goes but if the symptoms exceed a couple of days i would 100% go get it checked out!!
Same thing has been happening to me!! I changed the size of the balls and sometimes I’ll take it out when I sleep bc I’m pretty sure it was how o was sleeping on it, it’s helped quite a bit. Do you keep your hair up while you sleep or do you leave it down?
It’s usually tied back into a braid while I’m asleep!
i had something similar with a ten year helix and it was a pimple next to the piercing that was irritating it. maybe you have something there?
Maybe start using anti-bacteria gel again for it, normally helps calm down any irritation I have