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Guaranteed Quality
As professionals interested in the good
health of people, we take care of the
piercings we do. We have both
researched and seen many of the
complications that can arise.
By following our suggestions, your
piercing(s) should heal in the time
estimated by your piercer on the day
you got it done.
If your piercing doesn’t seem
healing properly or something
feel or look right, contact us
immediately. We can usually
worries by talking to you and
changing your routine slightly.
The area around the piercing may be a little sore and red. These
symptoms will go away after a few days. You can speed up the
healing process with a 30 minute Sea Salt soak and a 15 minute
camomile tea soak complete with candles and Enya, by eating a
healthy diet to keep your immune system strong and by providing
your body with a good night’s sleep.
Remember-We are here to help you!
If you have any questions or concerns whatsoever, please visit us
in the studio, visit our website at www.nextbody.com, email us at
[email protected] or telephone us at 604-684-6398.
to be
doesn’t
calm your
possibly
Remember-We are here to help you!
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Irritation is caused by friction and pressure on the piercing; things
that will push or rub, clothes rubbing, sleeping on the piercing or
by trauma to the piercing from pulling, bumping, tearing,
catching the piercing on your clothing, changing jewellery too
often or prematurely, pets or children kicking or grabbing the
piercing, playing with the piercing, or too much movement.
Avoid all sources of irritation during the healing process.
If your piercing becomes irritated (Symptoms include redness,
soreness, bleeding, excessive discharge or scar tissue formation)
a 30 minute Sea Salt soak and a 15 minute camomile tea soak
will soothe the piercing. Bear in mind that the problem will only
worsen unless you eliminate the source of the irritation. If the
problem persists, please come into the studio for guidance.
This booklet should be kept as a
reference during your healing period. If
you have any additional questions or
concerns, come by and see us at
NEXT!, visit our web site at
www.nextbody.com, email us at
[email protected] (we WILL answer
your email!) or call us at 604-684-6398.
Inflammatory Response
Flare-ups
“Your boyfriend’s being a jerk,
isn’t he?
A piercing can exhibit certain symptoms of infection and not
necessarily be infected. Stress is the most common cause of flareups. Your piercing is the most vulnerable area of your body to
physically manifest life’s little ups and downs. Be glad it’s not
your brain that flares up. Your piercing will respond to a low
immune system, sickness, poor diet, lack of sleep, stress, PMS,
and hormonal changes, going on or off the pill, pregnancy,
lactation, falling in love or breaking up.
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This is what’s supposed to
happen!
When you first get a piercing, your body
does not realize that you have paid for it
so your body treats the piercing like a sliver. This process is
called inflammatory response. You can expect the piercing to be
a little red and a little swollen as blood rushes to the site of the
wound to help it heal, it may also be a little sore and produce pus
during the healing process. Pus is made up of dead white blood
cells which form a barrier between you and the jewellery, and
lymph that flushes out the wound and helps to keep it clean. This
is normal! Please remember that pus is not a sign of infection, it
is a sign of normal healing.
Eventually your body will replace the lymph and white blood
cells with scar tissue. This cylinder or tube of scar tissue that
forms around the jewellery is called a fistula and creates a
permanent barrier between your blood and the jewellery. Once a
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fistula has formed, your piercing is healed and you will normally
no longer see or feel any of the signs of inflammatory response.
Infection
This you want to
avoid!
Your body treats a fresh piercing
as though it were a sliver. Your
body’s reaction to a sliver is called
inflammatory response. Some pus
and a little redness are normal. Most people think pus is a sign of
infection. Most people think their piercing is either “healed” or “still
infected” and nothing in between. After more than a decade of proper
piercing at NEXT! we have seen about one infection per piercer; they
are extremely rare. If you think you are getting more than an
inflammatory response, come in to NEXT! and talk to us. We are here
to help you!
Infections are the result of bacteria being introduced into the piercing
by dirt, sweat or excessive handling and not being immediately cleaned
out. You should always clean a piercing that is dirty or has been
touched after dancing, exercise or work. Touching your piercing is the
most common cause of infection. Always wash your hands thoroughly
before and after touching your piercing. If you have access to soap and
water, clean hands, basic hygiene and common sense, there is no reason
to get an infected piercing.
To determine if the piercing is actually infected, check for the four
signs of infection: heat, swelling, redness and sensitivity. If you have
an infection, you will have all four signs. If there are only two or three
signs, then you do not have an infection. You can check for these signs
of infection yourself:
Heat
common cause of scar tissue formation is irritation of the piercing;
pushing, pulling, bumping, tearing, too much movement, playing with
your piercing too much, sleeping on your piercing or changing your
jewellery too often, prematurely or with unsuitable jewellery.
There are many things you can do to treat your scar tissue. We always
like to start with the mildest thing first and work your way up. Please
keep in mind that the bump usually forms in a day but takes several
weeks to go away so you shouldn’t expect immediate results.
The first and most important thing you must do is to eliminate all
sources of irritation. Failure to do so will result in persistent scarring
which may lead to permanent scarring. If you think you have scarring
on or near your piercing, please come into the studio for guidance.
Irritation
“You sleep on your stomach,
don’t you?”
At least once a week someone comes in and says that their navel
piercing is acting up. We go into a room, lift the shirt, take a look
and say, “You sleep on your stomach, don’t you?”
“How did you know?”
The ring is lying on its side and there is an impression of it in the
flesh.
Irritation is the most common problem we see with piercings and
is usually the cause of excess scar tissue formation (See Keloid
and Hypertrophic Scarring).
To check for heat, place the back of the middle joint of your middle
finger above the area for about two heartbeats. Check the surrounding
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pressure on the piercing, injury to the piercing, inappropriate jewellery
placement, inappropriate jewellery, or any combination of these factors.
Pay attention to your piercing. If it appears as though the jewellery is
moving from its original position, come by and see us and we’ll
determine if the piercing should be re-done. We will remove the
jewellery and schedule an appointment to re-pierce. Re-piercings due
to rejection are free because NEXT! guarantees you a healed piercing.
Keloid and Hypertrophic Scarring
The development of scar tissue through the length of
the piercing is normal and must occur in order to
successfully heal and maintain a piercing over the long term. This
scarring is supposed to take place inside the piercing. When it gets
aggressive and begins to form outside the piercing we have a case of
either Keloid or Hypertrophic Scarring.
There is much debate in the medical community and in the professional
piercing community regarding the cause and treatment of Keloid and
Hypertrophic scarring and even the difference between the two. The
two types of scar tissue cannot be differentiated under a microscope.
Our efforts therefore tend to focus on helping the client to eliminate the
scar tissue while maintaining the piercing rather than continuing the
debate. Who cares what it’s called; you want it gone and we
successfully help the majority of our clients to deal with this problem.
Keloid or Hypertrophic scars usually appear as a red bump or a
“pimple” by the entrance to the piercing. Individuals with more
melanin in their skin are more susceptible, Blacks, Asians and
Aboriginals. Some piercings are also more prone to excessive scarring
like cartilage piercings-because they involve multiple layers of tissue
that heal at different rates and navel piercings because they are located
in a area of the body which is often subjected to irritation. The most
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area using the same method. An infection will be noticeably hotter
than the surrounding area. If you had an infection, the temperature
difference would be 10-15 degrees and the area would be radiating
heat.
Swelling
It is normal for a piercing to exhibit some swelling during and after
healing. Your body is creating scar tissue around the jewellery and that
is going to create mass. Not a lot, but more than you had before, and
it’s a good thing. Swelling from an infection is quite different. A lump
beneath your skin develops that varies in size from a chick pea to a
walnut and is the result of excess pus trapped in the piercing. This lump
is called an abscess. It has one main cause: not cleaning it properly.
Depending on the severity of the abscess, a couple of options are
available none of which involve removing the jewellery. The jewellery
is not the problem. Taking it out can cause the holes to seal and block
drainage…so don’t take it out!
Redness
A little redness around the entry and exit of your piercing is normal.
That is blood flowing to the area to promote healing. If it is infected an
area at least the size of a Loonie will be very red and angry looking.
Sensitivity
Infected piercings will be quite painful. If you can pinch behind the
piercing and it doesn’t really hurt (Kill!), then it is not infected.
Infections are incapacitatingly painful; you’ll know it’s there every
time you move.
If you think you have an infection, the first thing you should do is come
into NEXT!. We can probably help you out by determining if you
really have an infection or if your piercing is just irritated. The next
thing you should do is relax. Getting upset about a piercing can only
make it worse. Any energy that you put into stress will not go into
healing. A long, hot Sea Salt bath will help to reduce stress and to
draw out the infection. Be patient and clean the piercing extra carefully
and be sure not to handle it with dirty hands. People tend to want to
touch their piercing if it is bothering them or is sore or even if it isn’t.
Your hands touch everything in your environment and are crawling
with bacteria. Resist the urge to touch.
Remember, infections are very rare. If we determine that you really do
have an infection, we will most likely advise you to see a doctor. A
doctor nowadays is likely to prescribe a course of antibiotics or lance it.
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Yes, that’s just like it sounds. If you take antibiotics, make sure that
you take the entire course of medication, even it appears healed, or you
run the risk of creating a bacteria that is immune to the antibiotic.
Best not to get one don’t you think? Soap and water are your friends!
Allergic Reactions
We already took care of
this for you (read it
anyway).
Most problems with a new piercing will
not be infection related. Many people have
allergies and in piercing we have to take
that into consideration. The metals and products we recommend are
chosen for their low rate of reaction, based on both experience and
medical information. If you were pierced at NEXT!, you will be
wearing jewellery made of 316LVM Implant Grade Stainless Steel, the
same metal used in dental surgery and pins in your knee after a bad day
on the ski hill.
In the 1950’s, cutlery manufacturers coined the phrase “Surgical
Stainless Steel” to make their kitchen knives sound like real tools. The
term has no metallurgical or legal definition. It just helped them sell
cutlery! Just before the millennium, Body Circle Design initiated the
use of 316lvm stainless steel for body jewellery and they can back that
claim up with a certificate from the steel mill. Legions of jewellery
manufacturers now make this claim for whatever bit of unpolished
metal they use to produce body jewellery out of. Emails for proof will
go unanswered. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.
Good body jewellery takes money to make and you should expect to
pay good money for it.
Allergic reactions do sometimes occur and can be caused by several
things. One allergic reaction, a metal reaction, is to the jewellery. It
will appear as if the skin around the entrance of your piercing is pulling
away from the jewellery creating a larger hole. This is corrected
simply be replacing the jewellery.
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Most allergic reactions are caused by cleaning solutions. If you are
sensitive to the cleaning solutions you are using, this is usually
indicated by itching and burning upon application of the product and
even the appearance of a rash of small bumps around the piercing. A
30 minute Sea Salt soak and a 15 minute camomile tea soak should
provide immediate relief and an alternative cleaning solution should be
chosen. Regardless of the aftercare product you are using, it is
important to rinse the piercing thoroughly with clean water after each
cleaning. Allowing soap to remain on the piercing will inevitably
cause irritation. Remember you are cleaning the jewellery and the
surface around it. All cleaning solutions are topical and should never be
left in the piercing.
If skin irritation problems persist any longer than a few days to a week,
come in and we will suggest something else for you or refer you to a
doctor or clinic.
Migration and Rejection
While uncommon, a
piercing may migrate
or reject. Let’s define
the terms first.
Rejection is indicated
by the two entrances
to the piercing moving
together. The piercing
will become shallower
over a period of time
and a line of scar tissue will extend from the sites of the original
piercing. If the jewellery is not removed, the piercing may reject
entirely. While there are many causes of rejection it is usually the
result of shallow piercing for the usual piercing or attempting a piercing
that is a little too unusual. There is simply not enough room between
the jewellery and the surface of the skin to form a fistula so scar tissue
only forms underneath it. The top layer dries up and flakes off.
Migration is apparent when the jewellery moves from where it was
pierced without necessarily coming closer to the surface, This can be
caused by gravity, high metabolism, hormonal changes, friction or
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