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MistresssAria -> RE: Calling All Piercing Experts... (4/6/2008 9:23:39 PM)
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*does this for a living lol*
..........ick, I'd stay away from H2Ocean, it's glorified saline solution (just extremely over-priced and highly debated by piercers). Have you ever used Lidocaine before? People can have SEVERE reactions from that stuff, be careful. I think barbells are better than hoops, they don't get messed with as badly, and it's probably the metal that's causing the problem. Symptoms of irritation tend to be simple - a rash around the area mainly, maybe a little bit of puss/soreness. Symptoms of a MINOR localized infection can include the area being very red/warm or hot to the touch, tenderness/pain (like you described), greenish or yellowish puss, possibly fever/chills/swollen lymph nodes.
It's really best to be safe rather than sorry and see a doctor if you're having a deep pain - BUT a lot of doctors don't understand piercing infections, and if it is an infection, permanently taking out the jewelry tends to be a bad idea because it traps the infection in your body leaving an abscess & doesn't allow it to drain out. If it is an infection, REFUSE to take out the jewelry!
What I would suggest is to go to a tat shop & have a piercer switch out the jewelry for you to APP (Association of Proffessional Piercers) jewelry standards - which would be implant-grade 316LVM surgical stainless steel (if you want to look at the site, it's safepiercing.org).
NEVER clean a piercing with alcohol/hydrogen peroxide - they will kill bad bacteria, but also the healthy cells your body needs to heal. You also want to avoid vaseline-textured products like Neosporin - these are for scratches and such - if put on the ends of a piercing, it's going to prevent oxygen from getting to the inside to help heal it.
If you want to try to see if you can get the infection to go away without seeing a doctor (if you wouldn't consider it "severe"), you can try this (I'm referencing a paper from a board member of the APP here):
-ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help to relieve swelling, pain, fever
-keep the area clean & wash it twice daily with a fragrance-free soap, rinse well, and dry with clean, disposable paper products
-apply a moist warm to hot (not scalding) compress of distilled or bottled water with a disposable, clean washcloth/paper towel/etc. until it cools off, then re-heat & re-apply. Repeat for 15-30 minutes, 4-6 times daily. This can be beneficial to relieve discomfort and encourage drainage
-*this is the ONLY instance hydrogen peroxide should ever be used on a piercing* topically apply household (3%) hydrogen peroxide twice daily, OR topical over-the-counter antibiotic cream or gel (rather than ointment - which has a vaseline texture) according to package instructions
-if symptoms of infection don't dissipate in a few days, or if they worsen, a visit to a physician is necessary. For topical treatment of localized infection, Bactroban cream or gel (prescription only) has shown to be highly effective - if a doctor isn't sure what to recomment, you can suggest this - or if you get an oral antibiotic, finish the whole prescription even if sypmtoms go away
Hopefully that helps! Message me if you need anything else.
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