How to Treat Piercing Rejection

It can be frustrating when your body rejects a piercing, but there’s no danger other than scarring (unless there’s a severe infection). The best thing to do is prevent the jewelry from pushing itself through the skin’s surface.

If the jewelry cracks open your skin’s surface, it’ll cause more damage, which means more scar tissue. Excessive scar tissue at the piercing site makes re-piercing difficult.

Here are a few tips for dealing with piercing migration and rejection:

• Take out the jewelry if you see it migrating toward the surface.
• Try a new piece of jewelry in a different size, gauge, shape, or material.
• Speak with a qualified piercer for advice.
• Opt for a nonirritating plastic ring or bar.
• Try a larger piece of jewelry if your ring won’t lie flat or your barbell looks like it’s getting swallowed up.
• Wait about a year before re-piercing.
• Apply a topical vitamin E oil to reduce the appearance of scars.
• Preventing piercing rejection
• The most important thing you can do before getting a new piercing is to research the best piercers in your area. If you’re getting a surface piercing, make sure to talk to the piercer about their experience. It’s a good idea to ask about rejection rates for the area you’d like to pierce.

Keep in mind that piercings may leave visible scars.

Here are a few tips to reduce the likelihood of rejection:

• Getting a larger gauge, or width, may reduce your chance of rejection.
• Speak with your piercer about the depth of the piercing and the best size for jewelry to wear while you’re healing.
• Follow all aftercare instructions. Keep the site very clean and soak it in a saltwater compress.
• Stay healthy, eat well, and avoid stress.