A small raised bump beside a healing piercing is one of the most common things people worry about. It can turn up in a day or slowly over weeks, be soft or firm, and sit at the front or the back of the hole. Searching online usually makes it feel worse, not better.
This post explains, in plain words, what bumps usually come from and what makes healing harder. It can't tell you what your bump is. For that, someone needs to see it. If you're worried, come in for a look (free if we pierced it, $30 if pierced elsewhere) or call Tom on 09 949 0940.
Not every bump is the same
People use a few different words for a bump near a piercing. You don't need to work out which one you have. Roughly:
- Irritation bump (sometimes called a pressure bump): a small raised area beside the hole, often soft and pink, that shows up when something keeps disturbing a healing piercing. It usually settles once whatever is causing it stops.
- Raised scar: firmer, denser tissue that stays close to the hole itself. It tends to take longer to settle.
- Keloid: an overgrowth of scar tissue that spreads out beyond the piercing. That one is for a doctor, not a piercer.
They can look alike, especially early on, and guessing from photos online is how people end up putting the wrong things on a piercing. We'd rather see it.
The most common causes
When someone brings a bump in, these are the things we look at first:
- Sleeping on it: lying on a healing piercing, cartilage especially, presses on it and moves the jewellery all night. It can seem fine in the day and still not settle. Sleep on the other side, or use a travel pillow so the ear sits in the gap.
- Jewellery that isn't implant grade: plated jewellery or unspecified "surgical steel" can irritate healing skin. We only put in ASTM F136 titanium or solid gold.
- A post that is too long: a fresh piercing starts on a slightly longer post to allow for swelling. If it never gets swapped for a shorter one, it catches and levers the piercing every time it moves. The downsize is at about four weeks, and it is free if we pierced you.
- A ring in a fresh piercing: a ring moves more than a flat-back stud, which is why most fresh ear piercings start on a flat back.
- Products: tea tree oil, antiseptic creams, alcohol and hydrogen peroxide all irritate healing skin. Aftercare is warm running water once a day and nothing else. See aftercare.
- Snagging: catching the jewellery on clothing, hair or a towel.
- Headphones and earphones: earphones pressing on a healing tragus or conch, or headphone cups sitting on a healing helix.
What to do if you have a bump
- Get it looked at. A look takes about 20 minutes with Tom or Kat. It is free for any piercing we did, healed or not. If it was pierced elsewhere it is $30, and that comes off if you then book a piercing. If it needs a doctor, we say so.
- Or call Tom on 09 949 0940 and tell him what you're seeing.
- In the meantime, keep to normal aftercare. Warm running water once a day in the shower, pat dry with a clean paper towel, and nothing else.
What not to do
- Don't put tea tree oil on it. It is one of the most repeated pieces of advice online, and it irritates healing skin.
- Don't put anything else on it either: no aspirin paste, Savlon, Betadine, antiseptic creams, sprays, saline or soaks.
- Don't take the jewellery out yourself. A healing piercing can close quickly. Talk to us first.
- Don't squeeze or pick at it.
- Don't tape it or press on it.
- Don't turn the jewellery.
When to see a doctor
A fever, or redness spreading away from the piercing, means seeing a GP or after-hours clinic that day. Tell them it is a healing piercing, then let us know.
Tell us too if you notice thick green or yellow pus (not crust), heat and swelling getting worse after the first week, pain growing rather than easing, chills or swollen glands.
Getting a look in Auckland
Whether we pierced it or not, we're happy to look. We're at 389 Parnell Road, Parnell, open seven days by appointment. Call 09 949 0940 or book a look online.
Thinking about starting fresh instead? See ear piercing in Auckland.
Common questions about piercing bumps
What is a piercing irritation bump?
It is a small raised area beside a healing piercing that often shows up when something keeps disturbing it, such as sleeping on it, a post that is too long, jewellery that isn't implant grade, or products put on it. Different kinds of bump can look alike, so if you're worried, have it looked at in person.
Is my piercing bump a keloid?
Nobody can tell from a description or a photo online. A keloid is scar tissue that spreads out beyond the piercing, and it needs a doctor. At Platinum Point in Parnell a look is free if we pierced it and $30 if it was pierced elsewhere, or you can call Tom on 09 949 0940.
What causes bumps on piercings?
Common causes are sleeping on the piercing, jewellery that isn't implant grade, a post that was never downsized, a ring in a fresh piercing, products such as tea tree oil or antiseptic creams, snagging, and headphones or earphones pressing on it.
What should I do about a piercing bump?
Get it looked at rather than guessing. At Platinum Point in Parnell a look is free if we pierced it and $30 if it was pierced elsewhere, or call Tom on 09 949 0940. Until then, keep to warm running water once a day, don't put anything on it and don't take the jewellery out. A fever, or redness spreading away from the piercing, means seeing a GP or after-hours clinic that day.