
Mary asks…
Industrial Piercing, gone uber wrong?!!?
I had an industrial piercing about 3 months ago, so really it should be pretty much fully healed by now, in theory.
However, it was pierced at a really steep angle, the top piercing being right where my ear joins my head and the bottom one about half way down my ear. Everything was fine for the first few weeks… but slowly the skin around the lower piercing started to grow up it until it covered about a cm of the bar… I didn’t think this was a good sign… but put it down to swelling and expected it to go down after a while… it didn’t. Instead it swelled up more. I went back to the piercers and they put a longer bar in, which didn’t really help at all, but the dude wasn’t too concerned. Despite the fact that I went to a different piercer and they said it was well and truly f*cked up. To make matters worse it swelled up more, then the damn swelling burst with aloada pus. However its not infected… i don’t think… as I have kept it real clean.
I have just taken the bar out and put a smaller barbel in the top piercing, as that one seems to be fine.
Has this happened to anyone else out there? any advice?!!!
thanks

Tom William answers:
It hasn’t happened to me.. But I think your best bet would be to take the bar completely out and let it heal in.. And then maybe in a few years/months try again.. Sorry to hear that, soudns like a b**ch to take care of lol

Chris asks…
vertical industrial pierced wrong?
i just got a vertical industrial yesterday and the piercer i think pierced it in the wrong spot. like, its going in the wrong angle? heres the picture.. what do you guys think?
http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vkdkldvxc2.jpg

Tom William answers:
So its through your conch and helix? Looks right to me.
There are MANY variations of industrial, and many of them have the same name. Thery can go through your rook, tragus, daith, relix, conch, antitragus, even lobe. It just depends on the shape of your ear, because everyones ears are VERY different. Anywhere you can get a bar through STRAIGHT is an industrial. So no, its not at the wrong angle, it’s maybe just not the angle you wanted. Just make sure you check that its going to be in the right spot when you get a piercing!
But I think it looks good!

Nancy asks…
Is there something wrong with my industrial piercing?
When I got my industrial pierced, the outter part of my ear was swollen. Its been about two weeks since i got it and now everytime i clean it and twist it it hurts so much i want to scream and theres a sharp pain that goes down my arm and hurts for awhile.. Is this normal or should I go back to the piercer?

Tom William answers:
When I got my industrial pierced, it would really hurt sometimes. The pain may be the fact that the puss gets hard and crusty and touches your raw hole if the bar moves, and it may be hitting a nerve in your ear making your arm tingle. It may just be a pain tingle, like when you stub your toe kind of thing.
Hopefully the person who did your piercing didn’t hit a nerve, because that would be unfortunate and can lead to other problems. I couldn’t keep one of my piercings for longer than 2 years because he did it wrong and it healed with a large bump of scar tissue and continually got infected until I took it out.
Industrials are also a pain to heal because of the fact that the bar is connected to 2 holes, so it doesn’t have as much flexibility. And sleeping on it is a nightmare when it is first done.
When you clean your ear, I would recommend getting some epson salt/sea salt and making a mixture with warm water. Dip a cotton swab or a soft cloth and spend at least 5 minutes soaking at each hole, it will soften the crust and help you remove it. Clean the crust off before rotating your bar, trust me, it will make a difference. The swelling will be there for at least a month before your holes shrink back to normal size and are skin colored again. Wait at least 6 weeks before you change jewelry
I used only epson salts to heal my piercing and I still have my industrial in 7 years later.
Best piercing ever! Just take care of it and be gentle with it until it is fully healed.

Sandy asks…
what can go wrong with a lip piercing and an industrial piercing?
i am planning on getting the left side of my lip and my left ear pierced industrial style i was wondering what the risks are for both as my mom is worried my ear can go numb if not pierced correctly and the piercer hits a nerve…i have assured her that theses are professionals but i would like more info so she doesnt worry too much about it thanks in advance

Tom William answers:
There are no major nerves in the part of your ear that they would pierce for an industrial piercing, its just cartilage, i dont thing theres any possibility of your ear ‘going numb’ permanently.
The only bad thing about industrial, or any cartilage piercing for that matter is that they take a long while to heal and they tend to get easily snagged on hair brushes, shirts, etc.. Some people (Ihigher among african americans) can develop large lumps around the piercing called keloids, but these are rare.
Only risk for a lip piercing that i can think of, and depending on how low the ring rests, is gum erosion.. If the jewelry is constantly resting on or irritating your gum line, it can cause your gum to erode lower and lower on your teeth.

George asks…
What’s wrong with my Industrial Piercing?
Hi, I’ve had my industrial for over a month and on the top a large lump has appeared (sometimes a clearish liquid comes out of it). It’s been there for about 3 weeks and it won’t go away. What is this and how can I make it go away? Because it looks really gross lol THANKS (:

Tom William answers:
I don’t have an industrial but I have a piercing in my cartalige and for the first 6 months it was doing that, it’s infection and it’ll probably stay the same or get a little worse for a while, don’t worry about it just make sure your cleaning it once everysingle day not more than once though otherwise you’ll make it raw, which will take longer to heal. Another tip is don’t touch it unless getting infection out (and even then was hands before and after) (Which, btw, I’m not even sure if your supposed to get the infection out! But that’s what I did). Cause there are lots of germs on your hands throughout the day and your doing your ear NO good by putting your dirty hands on it (treat it like an open wound… Almost!).
Hope that helps! If it doesn’t go away in another 2-3 months either go to a doctor or a piercer (not neccassarly the one that did your ear! Anyone!)

Susan asks…
Is it possible to have the wrong ears for industrial piercings?
I have very small ears and have wanted an industrial piercing for a long time…but my ears seem to be the wrong shape to get one…it seems that there’s nowhere for the barbell to go through. Is someone’s ear ever wrong for an industrial piercing?

Tom William answers:
Yep! The cartilage on the edge of your ear has to “curl over” enough that a bar can go through it. If it doesn’t, an industrial that is placed there will be constantly irritated and end up rejecting. A good piercer will not put an industrial in your ears if they don’t have the right shape.

Laura asks…
I think something’s wrong with my Industrial Piercing? ?
On the top hole, on the inside of my ear I have a bubble/lump close to the hole. I read that it could be this thing called a “Granuloma”
I think I had two. I accidentely popped the first one while cleaning. Puss came out, then blood.
This second one is only sore when I clean around it.
Is there anyway of getting rid of it?
My bottom hole is fine. The top is not healing the best. The skin around the top hole is also a dark red/purple and slightly dry.
I’ve had the piercing for three weeks.
I hope all that makes sense.
Can you please help??
I have gone back to the place I got it pierced. My piercer wasen’t there so another girl checked it out and she said it looks healthy. That’s definently not what I think.

Tom William answers:
These lumps often appear when there is uneven pressur on one side of the piercing. Do you have a long bar in it already or two separate ones while it’s healing? Sometime, if you put a long bar in there from the off, one fistula can heal slightly “wonky” and therefore put pressure on the other one, resulting in problems like you mentioned. I wouldn;t say your piercing sounds “healthy” as such but it is quite normal to get an issue like this.
In my opinion I would ask the piercer to replace the long bar with two normal barbells whilst it is healing, in order to reduce the pressure that is being put on the top hole. If you already have two separate bars then you’ll probably just have to try and work through this. Try not to pop it, you could introduce more infection, just keep it clean as you would normally (not over-cleaning which can result in dry, cracked skin). Some people recommend using tea tree oil on them, however I have no personal experience of this. It will go away with time so try to be patient.
If you aren’t happy with your piercer’s diagnosis you could always go elsewhere to get a second opinion. Just always make sure the places you use are reputable and clean. Definitely do you research before going there. There are many forums on line that you can read through to get other people’s experiences of a particular piercing place.
Good luck! Hope I helped a bit!

John asks…
Is my ear all wrong for an industrial piercing?
I really want an industrial rod, but I don’t think my ear is rounded enough in the spot they’d have to pierce. A piercer I spoke to told me that she isn’t too sure; she said my left ear is a definite no, but my right one (shown in the link below) might be a possibility. I really don’t want to take any chances… can someone with experience please give me an opinion? I’m afraid to ask piercers, because most will tell you what you want to hear so you’ll buy it, I think. One girl told me that it was okay to go into the ocean directly after getting a piercing, because it’s a “natural cleanser”. Yeah, okay, I know it is… but there’s also tons of bacteria in it, and when you get a piercing/tat they tell you NOT to go swimming. So I’m really skeptical of them.
http://img179.imageshack.us/my.php?image=earoe2.jpg
Also, have any places to recommend in NYC? :]
oh, sorry! I didnt mean the part closest to my head, i meant the one on the outer part of my ear

Tom William answers:
The part closest to your head is a little thick and it will cover part of the rod but its fine for an industrial and a word of advice, its really hard to care for the two piercings of an industrial you should have one of them done first wait about a month or so until it’s healed and than go back and get the second =)

Lisa asks…
What should i do about my Industrial piercing?? I got it done exactly 30 days ago i think somethings wrong?
My piercer said to use bactine spray on a q-tip and clean the crusty stuff off and i have been doing that but on the top hole it has like a red circle around the top and the inside of the top really hurts so does the back. i tried sea salt for like 3 days but it didnt help so i went back to bactine spray.

Tom William answers:
No bactine spray. Use sea salt. If desperate, crush up some aspirin tablets with water to make a paste, and put it on your ear for 10 minutes at a time.
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