Hypertrophic scarring sometimes goes away spontaneously, or it may recur and recede in cycles for an extended period of time before improving substantially or disappearing.
Hypertrophic scars are frequently mislabeled as keloids—even by doctors—possibly because both are types of excessive scarring. These problems tend to run in families and occur in about 5 to 15 percent of wounds. I personally found this to be effective in diminishing a hypertrophic scar that had formed on the back of one of my ear cartilage piercings. This is best used on healed piercings. Use a clean hole punch to create a tiny dressing for the smallest of bumps.
It can be left on during normal bathing. The phenol in Campho-Phenique is a caustic substance that destroys tissue, so use it carefully. This exfoliates skin and may diminish scar tissue over time. Use only over-the-counter strength containing less than 10 percent AHAs. This concentration promotes exfoliation but is not potent enough to generate collagen production, which can increase the size of your hypertrophic scar.
This product can cause sun sensitivity. See a dermatologist for other treatment options. What to Do for Keloids Prevention is best: Treatments are often ineffective and there is a high rate of recurrence, especially for those with a family history of keloid formation. There is a greater incidence of keloids in black and Asian populations, though anyone can get them. Combination approaches are common using multiple modalities as suggested by a doctor.
Scar-Reduction Products There are many scar-reduction products on the market. You may try to use them for any type of scarring, but they are less likely to be effective on atrophic or keloid scars. Unfortunately, even when you consistently comply with instructions, these treatments are effective for only some piercees.
Certain products do have guarantees, however, so check before buying them. Listed below are some of the scar-reduction products available.
Help with Common Piercing Problems
Silicone strips may be the most economical treatment because they are washable and reusable. Some researchers believe that static electricity from the silicone helps align collagen fibers in the scar, while others believe it might help to trap moisture, which can help scars to fade. This is intended to act as an anti-inflammatory and may inhibit the overproduction of collagen in a scar.
These need to be rubbed in several times daily over an extended period of time. Dry Skin If the area surrounding your piercing is excessively dry, chapped, or cracked, this can cause discomfort, delay your healing, and increase your risk of infection. Here are some ways to troubleshoot dryness: Limit soaks to once or twice daily. When it appears near your healing piercing, it is usually from a care product or poor-quality jewelry containing unsuitable materials.
Harsh soaps and cleansers are apt to cause irritation, inflammation, and sometimes dermatitis in the adjacent tissue in addition to killing off some of the delicate new skin cells that are formed during healing. When you have sensitive skin, problems can develop even if you use a mild soap. A red rash that surrounds your piercing or one that covers a large area without pain and swelling usually indicates contact dermatitis from your cleaning product or jewelry.
Skin eruptions below your piercing where soap suds run during bathing obviously demonstrate contact dermatitis caused by the product you are using to clean your piercing. Many people are sensitive to nickel it is one of the ten most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis. Unfortunately, it is used in cheap jewelry of all sorts, including body jewelry. A nickel allergy may develop after your initial exposure to an item containing nickel or after repeated or prolonged exposure to it. So even a piece that seems fine initially can cause trouble over time if the nickel content is too high.
A lasting allergy can form that has ramifications on many aspects of daily life. If you become highly sensitized to nickel, you should not eat foods that contain traces of nickel, including nuts, chocolate, beer, tea, coffee, and apricots. Skin contact with metal, including watches and other jewelry and clothing with metal snaps, buttons, rivets, or zippers can all cause localized itchy rashes that can spread to other areas of your body. Treatments, whether prescribed by a doctor or over-the-counter, are temporary solutions to deal with an outbreak, but they cannot desensitize you or cure an allergy.
It is not advisable to use clear nail polish to coat offending jewelry because it contains chemicals including toluene, formaldehyde, or dibutyl phthalate, which can actually cause dermatitis in nickel-sensitive individuals. This usually results in rapid improvement; no other action may be required. Embedded Jewelry When you fail to change out jewelry that is too short, it can become embedded.
It is much easer to prevent this from happening than to treat it after it does. If your jewelry is starting to sink into your tissue, see your piercer for a longer piece right away. Oral tissue regenerates extremely quickly, and jewelry can end up embedded overnight. If you cannot immediately get to your piercer for help, use elevation, rest, ice, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication to minimize the symptoms until you are able to get your jewelry changed.
In the unfortunate event that the tissue completely grows over the jewelry and you or your piercer cannot push it back through the surface, you must seek medical care. A small incision will be made generally under local anesthesia to allow for removal of your unintentional implant. If you want to preserve the hole, obtain jewelry of the proper size beforehand, as it might be possible to insert it after the embedded piece has been liberated.
Traumatic Tear Skin is pretty tough, so a serious snag is needed to cause real damage. Piercings occasionally catch and tear. If your jewelry is ripped through your piercing, control the bleeding and clean the gash. Visit a medical facility if you cannot join the edges of the split tissue together properly or if direct pressure does not stop the bleed- ing, which is rare. If the jewelry is not completely torn out, it might be possible to preserve your pierc- ing using a plastic retainer, depending on the original placement and the amount of damage.
Place the plastic piece in the original location as close to the body as possible and use medical tape such as Micropore to secure it. Resume the care regimen as if you had a new piercing and replace the tape as needed. If the tissue heals satisfacto- rily, you may be able to reinsert regular jewelry in a few months.
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Your piercing may permanently require gentle handling following a tear because scar tissue is only about 80 percent as strong as normal skin. Dealing with Rejection and Migration When your jewelry moves closer to the surface or your tissue gets narrower between the openings of a piercing, you are experiencing migration. The piercing may move only a little and then settle and stay in a different position.
If your piercing is narrower than that, there is a strong possibility you will lose it. Also, future repiercing could be more difficult if you permit the jewelry to be completely expelled from your body. A body piercing should be abandoned if the tissue between the entry and exit progressively gets smaller or thinner over time and any of the following happen: These issues can arise long after you are healed. I know of piercings that were stable for ten to twenty years, and then migration or rejection occurred without any indication as to why. Whether your piercing is old or new, if you catch the problem before the point of no return, there are some measures that might help.
Check the fit, quality, and condition of your jewelry. Wearing inferior metal or a piece with a scratched finish can cause serious trouble. Even if the jewelry seems okay, swapping it out is sometimes all you need to stop the movement of your piercing. Wearing inert plastic may calm a piercing that has started to migrate, whether jewelry was the apparent cause or not.
Inserting a piece that fits properly often stops migration that has been caused by constriction, if the change is made while sufficient tissue remains. Repiercing After Loss When trauma, migration, or rejection results in the loss of a piercing, you can often be repierced—unless you were left with an excessive amount of scarring or lack of tissue pliability. After losing or abandoning your piercing under difficult circumstances, it is prudent to wait a year or more before repiercing. When you do repierce, it is best to try a different size or style of jewelry, or alternate material or care regimen if you are not sure what went wrong pre- viously.
In cases of migration or rejection, ask yourself relevant questions: Did I sleep on the piercing? Did I experience an unusual amount of physical or emotional stress? Did I care for the piercing properly? Before you get a piercing, think carefully about it. Consider the location of the piercing and whether you'll be able to conceal the piercing if necessary — such as at work. If you're unsure about the piercing or worry that you might regret it someday, consider waiting.
Don't let yourself be pressured into getting a piercing, and don't get a piercing if you're under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you're sure you want to get a piercing, talk to friends who have them. Find out if they have suggestions or regrets. Who does the piercings? Don't attempt to pierce yourself or allow an untrained friend to do the piercing. Go to a reputable piercing studio where employees are properly trained. Regulation requirements and licensing standards vary from state to state.
Check with your city, county or state health department for information on local licensing and regulations. The skin around a new piercing might be swollen, red and tender for a few days.
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It might bleed slightly. If the swelling, redness and bleeding last longer than a few days, contact your doctor. Prompt treatment can help prevent potentially serious complications. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
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Help with Common Piercing Problems | Elayne Angel's Pi
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Healthy Lifestyle Adult health. Free E-newsletter Subscribe to Housecall Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics. How to prevent complications Piercings might be more common than ever, but don't take piercing lightly.
By Mayo Clinic Staff.