You wouldn’t believe how many times a week we get messages, phone calls and visits from clients with ‘infected piercings’.
9.9999 times out of 10, their piercings are simply irritated.
Signs of infection in piercings include:
- Excess swelling
- Redness around the piercing
- Bleeding
- Pus (brown, green and/or bloody secretion)
- Feeling generally unwell
- Pierced area is hot to the touch
If you have an actual infection, trust us, you will know about it! The only way to get rid of an infection is with treatment from a doctor or healthcare professional, usually with a short course of antibiotics.
If you’re unsure if your piercing is infected PLEASE SEE US BEFORE SEEING THE DOCTOR (unless all signs of infection are present).
Doctors aren’t trained, educated or knowledgeable when it comes to piercings. They WILL tell you it’s infected, whether it is or not.
Antibiotics should only be used if you really need them, and unfortunately, too many piercees are prescribed antibiotics for infections that aren’t even there.
Okay. So, you’re worried about your piercing. It’s a little sore, red, has some crusties and is hard to sleep on. This means it’s either still in the early stages of healing, or it’s simply irritated.
Common reasons for piercings getting irritated include:
- Touching and playing with the piercing
- Using harsh soaps and or products on the piercing (e.g: TCP or alcohol)
- Irritation from skin or hair products (creams, shampoos, hair spray, perfume, etc)
- Sleeping on the piercing
- Wrong jewellery type, style, material or length
- Changing jewellery too soon or too often
- Improper placement or angle of the piercing
Irritated piercings that are left too long without an intervention can later lead to problems such as migration, rejection and hypertrophic scarring (bumps).
Different piercings take different lengths of time to heal, so it is always best to research your piercing beforehand and/or have a chat with us about the piercing you want, prior to having it pierced. We provide full aftercare information on how to best look after your piercing to avoid irritation and infection.
All piercings in our studio are performed by trained professionals who, from constant up-to-date research, are extremely knowledgeable in all forms of body piercing. Use them! Ask them questions, ask to see portfolios! All piercings are performed in a high-standard hygienic environment, using one-use sterile blade needles, sterilised tools and pre-sterilised high-quality jewellery for ALL clients. Your jewellery and needle/s are just for you and have never touched another body, giving you peace of mind that you are safe from potential infections.
Not just in our studio, but in any piercing studio, 99.9% of the time, an infected piercing is down to poor aftercare, not the piercer/studio.
Your body heals the piercing, cleaning it simply removes any germs and dirt which have gathered throughout the day.
Hands off, keep clean and have a happy piercing!
Taattooblog 
Hi I have a piercing that I am unsure if it needs antibiotics or something else can I please have a way to contact you
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Hi, you can contact our piercers through their Facebook page ‘Taattoo Body Piercers’
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Whew!! I’ve had my 2 Helix piercings for a month and I thought they were infected, but they’re just irritated! I’m relieved. I’ll try to touch them as little as possible and force myself on sleep on the other ear although I’m unfortunately used to sleeping on the ear with the helix piercings.
If I pay as much attention as possible and try to keep them as clean as possible while handling them as gently as possible, how soon will the bumps go away?
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Hi, we’re glad you found this post useful. There isn’t a definite timescale as to when the bumps will go away, it all depends on the person and how their body heals. If you have any specific questions about your piercings and healing, you can message our piercers directly on their Facebook page: ‘Taattoo Body Piercers’
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