Not sure if that bump is a keloid or a normal piercing bump? Learn the key differences in looks, timing, and growth, plus when to see a pro.
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wondering if that swell up is a keloid or not a piercing bump? Find out how to tell the main differences in appearance and in time frame, find out how keloids grow, and find out why you need a professional. Piercings are a big part of today’s Culture & Trends in body art, so this question comes up more often than you’d think.
First time I encountered a piercing bump I can clearly remember running into my bathroom at 11 pm, with a torch, looking at a tiny red lump above my cartilage piercing. I was convinced that, by jove I had contracted some bizarre infection, which was going to leave me as a permanent disfigurement. (spoiler alert – I was wrong.)
Reading this, with my torch, my stomach in a knot? Take it easy. Any small to think about disfigurement following a piercing shouldn’t generate the same high extreme state of panic you are probably experiencing. Still it’s valid, and keloids and happen. Find out the way a keloid differs from a piercing bump, so you can avoid worry and avoid damaging your injury. And here is what I have learned (mostly through personal experience): a quick disclaimer: what I am about to write here is every single bit of information that I obtained through my own time and effort or the internet, it is not a professional medical advice in any way, shape, or form. If anything seems to appear and felt abnormal, seek for a professional opinion from your doctor or a dermatologist is without a doubt the correct answers. Whatever the latest Culture & Trends say about piercings, a bump that looks or feels wrong deserves proper attention.
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The summary is
Piercing bumps are either an irritation bump or a hypertrophic scar, which generally happen within a few days or weeks of the piercing, localized just to the piercing site and clear up fairly quickly after the removal of the irritant. Keloids are less common in fact, when they happen they do so after a longer period of time (sometimes as much as a few months past the point where the piercing appeared to be fully healed), they extend beyond the borders of the original injury and defiantly, stubbornly linger as if they were a weed that refuses to be killed.
So, without further ado, here we go.
What is a piercing bump in the best case scenario?
Think of the piercing as an injury or wound on the skin. Your body will react as any other body with a bump, would react to a wound. This increase in the sources of reagents to the wound, sometimes those repair teams get a little ehgar or the area keeps being irritated and a lump will form.
The bits that cause this are:
Sleeping on the piercing, (this is why my piercing stopped working, and I slept on my right year everynight for a month and a half, it’s not a surprisingly’) snagging on towels, hair sweat shirts or head sets not selling jewelry (cheap alloys too), wrong size or style of jewelry, (small posts on new cartilage piercings or tiny hoops rubbing constantly on the tissue) polysporin too much.
Diagnosed myself in a nanosecond with a rare infection and possible permanent disfigurement. (Turns out ain’t no.)
Reading this by flashlight and with heart pounding? Calm down. Any small, fixable disfigurement after a piercing doesn’t merit the state of hyperventilation you’re probably experiencing. But it is real, and keloids do happen. Know the difference between a keloid vs. piercing bump, and you can avoid buying into false alarms and further damaging an injury. So here’s what I’ve figured out (by way of experience). A quick disclaimer: what I am about to write here represents every piece of knowledge I gained either by myself or from the web, it is not a professional medical advice in any way. If something looks and feels abnormal, the simple answer the Contact a doctor or a dermatologist can only be the right answer.
The short answer
Piercing bumps may either be an irritation bump or a hypertrophic scar. They will probably appear a few days or weeks after the piercing, are localized to the area of the piercing and are usually resolved shortly after the removal of the source of irritation.. A keloid is actually less common. Usually appearing after a longer time period, often even months after the piercing was seemingly healed and expanding beyond the limits of the original wound as an unwelcome weed keeps growing beyond the garden fence, is the headline. Now, let’s dive into it.
What is a Piercing bump in best case scenario?
Think of your piercing as a small cut, to understand why they work as they work, think about it as a wound. Your body reacts as any being with a body would to a wound, this way increasing the supply of reagents to the wound: sometimes those repair teams get a little over egar or the area keeps being irritated and a lump with form.
The bits that are responsible for this are:
· Sleeping on the piercing; this was the reason my piercing stopped working, and I slept on my right ear ever night for a month and a half, it is not suprising that it was irritated.
· Snagging it on towel hair sweatshirts or headset,
· Poorly selling jewelry (cheap alloys as well).
· Wrong size or style of jewelry, too small of posts on new cartilage piercing, or tiny hoops will constantly rub against the tissue and cause irritation.
· Polysporin, too much use of cleansers or the wrong ones, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, teatree oil can dry and irritate the skin.
· Messing with it or twisting it; only delays the healing process, as you are putting contaminated hands on an open wound.
They are usually quite tiny, on occasion pink or red or brown, and usually at the entrance and/or exit hole. Some may ooze, clear, or cloudy,
Sometimes usually
My Own Bump Journey
here is how my own bumping saga actually unfolded. Approximately three weeks after my helix piercing was done I noticed a small pink bump just on the back side of the antihelix. I fearfully did the usual panicked googled and was horrified to see images of keloids the size of grapes and I decided there was no hope for my ear. I then did what I should have done all along, I went back to my piercer. She examined my ear, gently observed three issues, I slept on that side, I cleaned the piercing twice as often as I needed to, and my initial jewelry was not quite expansive enough to allow for the swelling. No fuss, just a few innocuous habit changes. I switched to a travel pillow (with a hole in the middle, much easier to sleep on than a round pillow), decreased my saline rinse routine to once or twice daily and switched to longer, implant grade titanium jewelry. After about six weeks the bump was diminished to almost nothing. It felt like I spent ages messing with that one little bitch I had just made it worse.
Now I know that the next girl had a very different experience. For her, a few months after the piercing was fully healed, she developed a nice hard lump that just kept growing, no matter how much she fiddled with it. As it turns out, that was a keloid, and she needed to see a dermatologist. Same ‘lump’, totally different story.And time and goopy-liquid-growth-pattern.
How to Handle what you think is just a bump
If your bump is the irritation/hypertrophic profile, you can normally try to:
· Ignore it. No teasing, squishing, or twisting. Roll with it like a sleeping feline: the fewer pokes the higher.
· Go with plain saline. A straightforward saline bath or rinse is the absolute best for piercing aftercares.
· Forget strong irritants.
· Review your piercing jewelry. Implant-grade titanium or unplated, solid gold is generally softer than the less costly plated styles. Enquire to your piercer if the size and style are comfortable for your anatomy.
· Shield the region.. Avoid sleeping on it or be careful with hats masks headphones and hair.
· Patience. Some cartilage piercings can take several months to a year (even longer in some cases) to fully heal.
· Ask your piercer. They will be very familiar with these types of bumps, and likely know the solution to this (and can treat it) quickly. (One really good piece of advice is: don’t simply yank your jewelry out at the appearance of a bump). Some jewelry removal could bring the hole collapsing over irritation or infection (a professional needs to be consulted).
Watch out for any signs of a keloid if:
· your bump extends beyond the original piercing site
· your bump is or was hard, rubbery, or remains even with the removal of jewelry
· your bump appears out of nowhere (suddenly) after the healing process has taken place
See your doctor if you think you may have a keloid.. Do not waste your money on miracle cures online, we find disappointments home remedies with nothing but hope.
Professional treatments can include:
· Cortisone can help smooth out it up by injections such as:
· Silicone sheets or gels may help manage a scar.
· Cryotherapy freezing may help given extent.
· Treatment with laser or other technologies may be of aid.
· Surgical excision. Now, this is risky, as; the keloid can rebound larger again.
When to See a Professional Right Away
Contact a doctor if you notice:
· Bump should not be rapidly enlarged
· Increasing pain, swelling, or warmth
· Foul odour, yellow, or green pus,
· Feeling unwell or having a raised temperature
· A bump that continues to grow after healing of the piercing.
· 1. 1 Family history or personal predisposition to keloids.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a keloid disappear by itself.
Not very often. Keloids are very likely to remain or get worse if you don’t consult a doctor.
Can a piercing be done without opening my bump.
It depends. But most aggravation bumps respond to proper jewelry and aftercare, so chat with your piercer or doctor before taking anything out.
Can I pop a piercing bump.
No. Squeezing it can infect, cause inflammation and scarring, which makes the bump even worse!
What is the healing time for pierced bumps.
Irritation bumps usually get better within weeks of resolution of the irritant, although the cartilage is slower. Persistent bumps are worth a professional review.
Will I able to avoid keloids due to piercing.
Keloid scourge? Prevent it by choosing a respected piercer, good jewelry, and taking care of your piercing! If you are prone to keloid and still want to be pierced see a dermatologist.
Final Thoughts
I chuckle a bit as I reflect on that midnight bathroom panic. My bump was nothing extraordinary just an un-extraordinary irritation bump, as boring and unexotic as my sleep schedule. It did though teach me what I know now to be the most important thing: the particulars matter; where it appears, how quickly it expands, and whether it remains within a piercing’s confines inform you more than any photograph possibly could.
Then take a relaxed glance at your own bump, see where it looks more like the signs above, and give your body a little longer. If it seems more in line with other piercing bumps, minor care tends to suffice. If more in line with a keloid, get it checked out now, since early treatment most often works better. Good luckyou’re not alone, most of us have been in that bathroom with a phone flashlight before, too.
Disclamor: This article is only for educational purpose and not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any problem with your piercing then seek opinion of a medical professional.
The anecdotes above are filler stories that I wrote up as a first person voice, so substitue with your own anecdotes before printing so that the story stays personal. I can also place this into a downloadable file at any point.
Additional Resources:
- How to Prevent Keloid Scars – American Academy of Dermatology :Piercings are a very common spot where keloids form, and people with darker skin tones or a family history are at higher risk.
- Keloid Scars – NHS: A keloid usually grows for months or years and ends up bigger than the original wound. The page also covers treatment and prevention.
