What is wrong?

Question

I have 2 piercing in my cartlage left ear and both of them had this bump come up after they got picered they seamed to go away once i changes the ear rings to hoops and poped the bumps. Has this happened to anyone else? Could it have been a reaction to the big backs on the studs?

Answer 1

The bumps you are speaking of are exactly that- they are referred to as "the bump" in the piercing community.
They are very, very common in cartilige piercings. It's not normal, but common.
It is not a keliod. Kieloids are very rare. It is also not an infection.

When you have the bump your piercings are NOT healed.
You should never, ever pop them. You need to baby them. You need to clean your piercings 1-2 times a day with an all-natural, dye-free, and frangrance-free soap. Such as, Provon, Derma Cleanse, Dr. Bronner's, and Crazy Chameleon.
You also need to soak them in NON-iodized SEA salt 1-2 times a day. It must be non-iodized, and only sea salt. Table salt or epsom salts cannot be used. They are way too harsh.
You use a pinch of salt for every 8 ounces of hot water, and soak your piercing for 15-30 minutes each time.
Aftercare Guide: http://www.safepiercing.org/bodyAftercare.html

Cartilige can take up to at least 6 months to heal. They are very tempermental.
By changing your jewelry too soon, you have set your healing time back.
If you followed any other aftercare other than the one stated above, you have set your healing time back even more.

If you were pierced with a gun, you're going to have A LOT of problems. Here's why: http://p196.ezboard.com/Why-Piercing-Guns-are-Dangerous/fbodypiercingtattooingandbodymodificationfrm24.showMessage?topicID=3139.topic
All piercings should ALWAYS be done with a needle.

"Stud vs. Needle

A properly done piercing is performed using a hollow needle that is extremely sharp. It has a beveled edge that creates a very neat, clean slice in the tissue. This leaves the area with very little damage or trauma, allowing for the easiest healing and minimal complications as well as less pain for a shorter period of time.

A piercing gun uses a dull stud that is forced through the ear through sheer force. Look closely at the end of a piercing stud and it is obvious just how dull it is. Remember that you can sleep on these studs without cutting your neck. Because the stud is dull, it rips through the tissue, causing major tearing, trauma and compaction in the tissue. This will lead to a longer healing time and increased risk of building up excessive scar tissue in and around the piercing. It also causes more irritation and swelling, leading to more pain for an extended period of time."

The only metarials safe to use in piercings are: 316L/316LVM surgical stainless steel, titanium, PTFE, and glass.
The only types of jewelry that are safe to use are: curved barbells, straight barbells, circular barbells (aka horseshoe ring), twist (aka spiral), and CBRs (aka captive bead rings).

The posts/studs used in gun piercings are not suitable for piercings. They do not accommodate enough room for the swelling, and the backs do not allow the piercing to drain. That's why there is so much crust on the backs of your earrings. If your piercings cannot drain, all it does is get pushed back into the piercing, which causes irritation, inflammation, and has the potential to cause infections.

NEVER use alcohol, peroxide, ointments, solutions, and sprays on any piercings.
They are far too harsh, and do nothing but hurt your piercings.

Answer 2

Ear piercings take a while to heal. The bump you felt was a swelling because the cartilege was not quite healed. The best way to solve this problem is to wear posts made of gold or stainless steel until the piercing is completely healed. Meantime, clean the ear with peroxide every morning and night. The studs may have made the situation worse if they were of nickel or other metal that can cause allergies in the area, but I think it may have been the posts also, unless they were gold or stainless steel.

Answer 3

May be an allergy reaction to those. Check if they are real silver/gold or just plated. Butterfly or studs cause more of this reaction than the hoops because it causes a vacuum for grease to accumulate. Use rubbing alcohol on your ears and ear pieces before you put them on.

Answer 4

If it's the bump I think it is...it's called a keyloid (i may have spelled it wrong.) It's actually a little bit of scar tissue, and once a proper piece of jewelry is put in, they go away. I had one by my nose ring. It's perfectly normal, but if it's really a problem, go to the doctor and they'll give you a steroid cream. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

I had this happen too,I was told by my piercer that it wasnt infected,but I couldnt get the bump to go away ,so I ended up taking it out,the bump went away as soon as I did.

Answer 6

I had that same thing happen and learned it was a reaction to a nickel content in the metal...I use titanium now.

Hope that helps

Answer 7

As far as I know, it's normal. It's happened to me but in my lobes. They usually go away within a few weeks. Its never happened to my cartilage or tragus though.

Answer 8

yea ive had my cartilage pierced 3 times and everytime it happens. its pretty much just puss it usually goes away once it heals. it happened to my nose when i got that pierced to & it went away after like 2 weeks.