This is why you should listen to your piercer...
At A Glance Author katmarieq Contact katmarieq@bme.anon When A month ago Artist RJ Studio New Tribe Location Toronto, ON Canada I never you used to think that rules really applied to me. I've always thought that I was kind of above the rules for almost everything, whether it be school, work, or other "things".
I got my navel pierced about a month and half ago. I had always been against getting this piercing as it seems so common place these days. But then I realized that it would look really good on me. My stomach is the one part of my body that I am completely satisfied with. It was weird. I got my piercing on a Wednesday and just the Monday before, I was totally against navel rings. But that's me, spontaneous and kind of impulsive. So I called my regular studio, New Tribe, and asked if I needed to make an appointment. I was told that I could just walk in, which was completely cool with me. I've been going to New Tribe for all my mods over the last four years. So if you're from Toronto and want to find an excellent piercing and tattoo studio, is doesn't get any better than New Tribe.
My piercer was RJ, really good guy. He told me all about the piercing and the aftercare. RJ suggested I use tea tree oil and sea salt soaks twice a day. He instructed me to continue with this aftercare RELIGIOUSLY for at least 8 weeks, lest I get an infection and become more susceptible to migration and/or rejection. Then RJ marked and measured where he was going to pierce and asked me to check it. It looked perfect to me, so he cleaned my belly with iodine and asked me to lie down. He told me to start breathing deeply as he clamped the skin above my navel. Then he put the needle through. And let me tell you, I envy those who said that it just felt like a pinch. To me it felt exactly like what it really was, a needle puncturing my flesh. That was some serious pain! I thought that when he put the barbell in after the needle, it hurt even more. But in the end it was worth it, the barbell looked adorable in my navel!
I bought tea tree oil soap and my sea salt and went home. It was so sore for the first week. After that it only bothered me when my clothes rubbed on the barbell or when I accidentally knocked it around. I did do my aftercare religiously for the first two maybe three weeks. After about three weeks I noticed that I had no more lymph so I almost stopped with the aftercare. I still did it occasionally, but not as much as I should have. After a few days, the sensitivity and soreness were completely gone. I decided that I was healed... and was able to change my barbell. When I got my tongue pierced, I changed the barbell after 3 days and nothing happened, so I figured I'd be safe. Bad idea. I changed my jewelry to this adorable cherry dangle barbell. After a few days I noticed that my piercing was getting red and pretty sore and was beginning to lymph again. At first I thought that I possibly had a metal allergy. But the cherry barbell is surgical grade steel, same as my original barbell. I guess all the irritation is due to the trauma caused by the threading at the end of the barbell rubbing on my healing piercing. I changed my barbell back to the original barbell right away, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.
Basically, I've restarted my healing process all over again. I noticed over the weekend that the skin around my piercing seemed really hard, swollen and a bit sore to touch. I called RJ and he said that I have hypertrophic scarring. He suggested I use witch hazel for two weeks and if it didn't go away, call him back. Luckily for me, the scarring will eventually go away, but only with time. It doesn't actually look that bad. The scar tissue is under the skin, so it's not visible unless you're specifically looking for it. My piercing is painful and now it will probably take twice as long to heal. I'm going to Cuba in May, and I may not be able to change my barbell to something pretty for my vacation. I truly think it's karma. That's what I get for being an eager beaver. If I had just listened to RJ and did my aftercare like I was supposed to and adhered to the guidelines regarding changing jewelry, this would have never happened. On a positive note, I will never ever slack on my aftercare or change my jewelry again. Experience is truly the best teacher.
Take it from me, listen to your piercer. They really do know best!