Rejection usually happens in the weeks and months following a new piercing, but it can also happen years, even decades, later. If you bump your old piercing in an odd way or have an infection that kicks your immune system into overdrive, you might suddenly see signs of migration and rejection.
Any piercing has the potential to be rejected. Rejection depends on the person's immune system and how well the piercing heals. But, the body tends to reject some types of piercings more often than others.
If the skin is looking thinner or tighter around the piercing, or above the jewellery, it's a possible sign of rejection. As well, the colour of your skin changing around the hole is another potential sign. Transparent/near-transparent skin is a very likely sign of rejection.
Belly button piercing rejections can happen at any point – even months or years after you've had the piercing done. Due to the fact that they can happen so slowly, you might think you're out of the woods, even if you're not.
The most common body piercings that reject are navel piercings and eyebrow piercings. The surface piercings most likely to reject are those that reside more closely to the skin's surface such as the sternum or nape (back of the neck) and Madison piercings.
Some fear that if their body rejected one piercing, it might reject all of them, which is not a crazy theory but also not necessarily the case. "You can attempt to re-pierce in the same area, but make sure your artist either goes deeper, uses a larger gauge, or chooses a less reactive metal," advises Cheung.
Rejection occurs when skin tissues expand in the dermis until the jewelry is completely pushed out. Although it's common with anchor displacement, your body may simply register it as an unwelcome foreign object and reject it. Tissue damage.
According to Thompson, the telltale signs of an infection are simple: “The area around the piercing is warm to the touch, you notice extreme redness or red streaks protruding from it, and it has discolored pus, normally with a green or brown tint,” Thompson says.
Because the tissue grows back — albeit scarred — it can easily be pierced again. However, it's important to make sure the area is fully done healing before going back in with another needle. “If there's an abundance of scar tissue present, your piercer will evaluate how safe it is to re-pierce,” says Lynn.
Your piercing may get infected if it is done poorly or without unclean tools. An infected cartilage piercing will hurt and can ooze a thick or smelly discharge that's gray, yellow, or green. The pierced area may feel hot to the touch. It may also turn bright red or pink.
An infected ear piercing can also develop years after a person got the original piercing. Usually, the infections are minor, and people can treat them at home without complications. Touching the piercing too often with dirty hands or not cleaning the area can lead to infections.
A piercing can also get infected if there's too much handling of the piercing or the post of the earring is rough. An infection can also occur if unsterile instruments were used, if the person piercing your ears didn't use gloves, or if the posts themselves weren't sterile.
Intense pain, redness, bleeding, swelling, and a fever are a few of the most common signs. You may also experience puss or oozing, a bad smell, and a rash around the infected area.
Downsizing is the process of switching jewelry to a shorter post after the initial swelling has gone down after you get pierced. It's important to downsize your jewelry in order to avoid potential complications, such as irritations, bumps, or odd angles as your piercing heals up.
'Piercings don't heal overnight. Ear lobes may take 8-10 weeks but cartilage takes 3-5 months to full heal. 'Even if it looks good, it's still healing. Cartilage heals from the outside in, making a tunnel all the way through your ear which takes time.
There can be many reasons why your piercing is rejecting! Personal factors such as stress, genetics, weight changes, and the tightness of your skin can all play a role. External factors such as incorrectly sized jewelry, and inferior jewelry material also contribute to a piercing rejecting!
Pain. Some people find that getting their piercings re-done is more painful than when they had the initial piercing, though others report a virtually painless experience. It's worth bearing in mind that everyone experiences pain differently, so this evidence is purely anecdotal.
You need to have your professional piercer examine the place where you want to be repierced. Sometimes the hole may not be completely healed in the inside- if the outsides of the hole are just closed it may be easy for your piercer to repierce you in the same place with little complication.
Once your piercing heals fully, it's less likely to get infected, but that doesn't mean you're totally in the clear. You still need to clean your earrings frequently to prevent an infection. “Earrings can accumulate buildup from soap and shampoo, and sometimes hair products.
An infected ear piercing may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes the piercing oozes blood or white, yellow or greenish pus. A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria (germs) that enter the wound can lead to infection.
Keloids are particularly hard to get rid of. Even when they're successfully removed, they tend to reappear eventually. Most dermatologists recommend a combination of different treatments for long-lasting results.
It's hard to predict how quickly your body will attempt to close a piercing, but as a general rule, the newer it is, the more likely it will close up. For instance: If your piercing is less than a year old, it can close in a few days, and if your piercing is several years old, it can take several weeks.
Crusting after body piercing is normal—this might just be the result of your body trying to heal itself. While perfectly normal, these crusties should be cleaned carefully and thoroughly whenever you notice them.