How to Identify and Treat Infected Piercings

When your piercing isn't looking or feeling right, it's natural to worry about infection. However, many symptoms that seem alarming are actually normal parts of the healing process or simple irritation rather than true infection. Understanding the difference is crucial for appropriate response and avoiding unnecessary panic.

Normal Healing vs. Infection: Know the Difference

New piercings go through a series of stages as they heal, and many normal symptoms can appear concerning to someone unfamiliar with the process. Understanding what's normal helps you recognise when something actually requires attention.

Normal Healing Symptoms

During the first days and weeks after getting pierced, you can expect to experience some or all of the following symptoms. These are signs your body is healing normally:

• Initial redness: Some redness around the piercing site is normal for the first week or so. It should gradually decrease rather than worsen.
• Swelling: Mild to moderate swelling is expected, especially with cartilage piercings. This typically peaks at 48-72 hours and then subsides.
• Tenderness: The area will be sensitive to touch and may throb slightly for several days.
• Clear or pale yellow discharge: This is lymph fluid, not pus. It's your body's natural cleaning mechanism and is completely normal.
• Crusties: Dried lymph fluid around the jewellery, which forms as the discharge dries.
• Minor bleeding: A small amount of bleeding in the first few days is normal.

Signs of Irritation

Irritation is not infection but can look similar and, if left unaddressed, can potentially lead to infection. Common causes include touching the piercing, sleeping on it, snagging the jewellery, using harsh cleaning products, or wearing low-quality jewellery. Signs of irritation include:

• Increased redness that comes and goes
• Bumps around the piercing (often called irritation bumps)
• Renewed tenderness after initial improvement
• Clear discharge that increases temporarily

Recognising True Infection

Genuine piercing infections are less common than many people think, especially when proper aftercare is followed. However, they can occur and require appropriate treatment. True infection symptoms include:

Progressive Worsening

While normal healing symptoms improve over time, infection symptoms get worse. If redness, swelling, or pain increases rather than decreases over several days, this is a warning sign.

Spreading Redness

One of the most telling signs of infection is redness that spreads beyond the immediate piercing site. If you notice red streaks extending from the piercing or a large area of redness developing, seek medical attention.

Thick, Coloured Discharge

Unlike the thin, clear or slightly yellowish lymph fluid of normal healing, infected piercings often produce thick discharge that is bright yellow, green, grey, or has a foul odour. This is pus, which indicates your body is fighting a bacterial infection.

Systemic Symptoms

If an infection is severe or spreading, you may experience symptoms beyond the local area:

• Fever or chills
• Body aches
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes (the glands in your neck may become tender and enlarged)

Managing Minor Irritation at Home

If your symptoms suggest irritation rather than infection, there are steps you can take to address the issue. The goal is to identify and remove the source of irritation while supporting your body's natural healing process.

Return to Basics

Often, irritation develops when people stray from proper aftercare. Return to the fundamentals: clean twice daily with sterile saline only, don't touch the piercing, and ensure you're sleeping on the opposite side from the piercing.

Assess Your Jewellery

If you've recently changed your jewellery or are wearing pieces of unknown quality, this could be the source of irritation. Consider visiting your piercer to have your jewellery assessed or replaced with implant-grade titanium.

Leave It Alone

Resist the urge to over-clean or constantly check on the piercing. Excessive attention often makes things worse. Trust the process and give your body time to heal.

Consider Lifestyle Factors

Are you exercising heavily and sweating around the piercing? Have you been swimming? Using new hair products? Any of these could contribute to irritation. Adjust your routine as needed.

When to See Your Piercer

Your piercer is an excellent first point of contact for piercing concerns that don't require medical attention. They can assess whether your symptoms are normal, identify sources of irritation, check your jewellery fit, and provide personalised aftercare advice. Most reputable piercers offer free check-ups and are happy to help troubleshoot healing issues.

See your piercer if you notice irritation bumps that aren't resolving, your jewellery seems too tight or too long, you're unsure whether your symptoms are normal, or you need help with proper cleaning technique.

When to See a Doctor

While piercers are experts in body modification, they are not medical professionals and cannot diagnose or treat infections. You should see a doctor if you experience any of the severe symptoms listed earlier in this article, if symptoms don't improve after 3-5 days of proper care, if you're immunocompromised or have diabetes, or if you're unsure and worried.

What to Expect at the Doctor

A doctor will examine your piercing and may take a swab to identify the bacteria causing the infection. Treatment typically involves oral antibiotics. In most cases, you can keep your jewellery in during treatment. In fact, removing the jewellery can trap the infection inside if the hole closes over.

The Importance of Not Removing Jewellery

If you suspect infection, do not remove your jewellery without consulting a professional. This is a common mistake that can make things worse. When the jewellery is removed from an infected piercing, the hole can close quickly, trapping bacteria and pus inside the tissue. This can lead to an abscess, which is a more serious condition requiring medical drainage.

Keep the jewellery in place to allow the piercing to drain and to facilitate any treatment applied to the area. Only remove jewellery on the advice of a medical professional or your piercer.

Preventing Piercing Problems

The best approach to piercing complications is prevention. Following proper aftercare, choosing quality jewellery, and selecting a reputable piercer significantly reduce your risk of problems. Key prevention strategies include:

• Get pierced by a professional using sterile, single-use needles
• Use only implant-grade jewellery in healing piercings
• Follow proper saline cleaning twice daily
• Avoid touching your piercing
• Don't change jewellery before the piercing is fully healed
• Avoid submerging healing piercings in pools, spas, or natural water
• Keep hair products, makeup, and skincare away from the piercing