No, you generally should not take your piercing out if you have a bump, especially if it looks infected (red, hot, pus), as removing it can trap bacteria and cause a painful abscess or worse infection; instead, leave the jewelry in and see a professional piercer or doctor for proper assessment and treatment, which usually involves saline cleaning and potentially changing to implant-grade jewelry.
A: You treat a piercing bump with gentle, consistent care. Keep your jewelry in place (don't remove it) and clean the area daily with a sterile saline solution. Use warm salt-water compresses to reduce swelling and help any fluid drain. Avoid harsh cleaners like alcohol or peroxide (they irritate the bump).
The "3-2 piercing rule" is a popular guideline for creating a balanced ear piercing arrangement, suggesting three piercings on the lobe and two on the upper cartilage for a harmonious, curated look, or applying a 2:3 ratio of piercings to space for overall balance, often pairing small studs with statement pieces for a chic, "undone" style that avoids overcrowding and emphasizes personal anatomy.
You can take it out anytime if no longer want it. The only time you shouldn't remove the jewelry is if there's an infection. I would recommend sticking with it for a little while at least. There's a bit of a learning curve for new piercings but you eventually get the hang of doing things without bumping it.
Lumps & Bumps on Piercings
It can be easy to confuse those with signs of infection. If there's a bump on the back of the ear piercing, it's not necessarily infected. Small bumps called granulomas can sometimes form around the piercing. These bumps are trapped fluid that you can treat by compressing them with warm water.
A piercing is rejecting when your body pushes the jewelry out, signaled by signs like the jewelry moving from its original spot, the tissue thinning and becoming see-through, the hole getting bigger, prolonged redness/irritation, or the jewelry hanging differently. Key indicators are the skin between the entrance and exit holes shrinking, the jewelry becoming more visible under the skin, and the skin looking shiny, dry, or flaky, meaning your body perceives the jewelry as a foreign object.
A healed piercing should be dry, aside from natural skin oils. A bit of dried-up gunk during healing is normal, but once it's healed, there should be no more crust, scabs, or flaking skin. If you're seeing green or smelly goo, it could be a sign of infection.
In the past, it was recommended to rotate your piercing regularly. It was said that would keep the jewelry from sticking to your skin. That's not recommended anymore. “It's better to wait until the healing process is well underway, which may be weeks to months, before purposefully spinning a piercing,” Dr.
A nose piercing typically ranks around a 5-7 out of 10 on the pain scale, feeling like a sharp pinch or sting, but it varies greatly by placement (nostril vs. septum) and individual pain tolerance, with septum piercings often less painful if the "sweet spot" is found, while high nostril piercings can be more intense but heal differently.
Gently wash your piercings with a mild, fragrance-free cleanser and water at least once a day. Thoroughly rinse your piercings after washing them. Avoid cleaning your piercing with hydrogen peroxide or antibacterial soaps, which can damage your healing skin.
The "earring rule" for guys typically refers to social norms or personal preferences regarding which ear to pierce. Traditionally, in some Western cultures, piercing the left ear was thought to signify heterosexuality, while the right ear was associated with homosexuality.
In most cases, you should not remove your jewelry if you have a piercing bump. Removing jewelry from a healing or infected piercing can lead to: The piercing closing too quickly, potentially trapping infection inside. Difficulty reinserting jewelry later if you want to keep the piercing.
Piercing bumps remain confined within or slightly beyond the piercing boundaries, typically measuring 2-5mm in diameter. Keloids extend well beyond the original wound, often growing 2-3 times larger than the initial piercing hole.
Some people may report feeling a hard “ball” or lump inside of their lobes after piercing. Often, this is a hematoma. Hematomas are a collection of blood in a defined area. Although uncomfortable, they are harmless and will go away on their own in time.
✨ Why Crusties Are a Good Sign ✨ What you're seeing around a healing piercing—those little yellowish or brownish crusts—is actually lymph, not pus or infection. It's your body's natural healing fluid. As it dries, it forms a crust around the piercing.
Your piercing might be infected if:
We suggest cleaning no more than once a day. On average, most piercings will need to be cleaned over the next 3-4 months (unless otherwise stated by your piercer). It is vital that you do not over-clean the piercing. If it has been longer than four months, do not clean the piercing anymore.
What piercings reject the most? Surface piercings have the highest rejection rate. Surface piercings such as microdermals as well as eyebrow piercings and navel piercings reject the most because they are closest to the surface of the skin.
Too much rubbing or friction can irritate your skin and delay healing. Keep the jewelry in place. Most piercings heal within about six weeks. But some might take several months or longer to heal.
Is my piercing rejecting or irritated? Rejection shows the jewelry migrating or the skin thinning, while irritation is localized redness.
Hypertrophic piercing bumps, or hypertrophic scars, are small pink or red lumps that can appear after a piercing. The bump usually only affects the area where the piercing happens. Hypertrophic piercing bumps are common, and usually occur weeks after the piercing.
Once the white blood cells have stabilized the piercing site new skin cells begin to encase your piercing, closing the wound and blocking access to your body. As you can see, pus is most often an indication that your piercing is healing, not that it is infected.
If your piercing bump keeps playing peek-a-boo with you, it may be due to infections or scarring. Be sure to use quality jewelry and keep your piercing clean even if there isn't a current bump. Follow up with a piercing expert to help pinpoint what the problem may be.