Most people do a lot of research when considering a piercing. They want to know what will happen to their bodies and what they should and shouldn't do with their piercings to ensure their beautiful new jewelry heals properly. But sometimes a piercing has to be removed whether we want it to or not. I recently had my lip nails removed because it was affecting my teeth; I didn't want to, but know it will prevent future dental problems. This got me thinking about what happens after a piercing is removed and what steps should be taken to minimize scarring.
Learn More: 11 Cartilage Piercing Facts You Need to Know Before You Get Pierced
To get the nitty-gritty on this subject, I headed to Stingray Body Art and More in Allston, MA. While there, I interviewed professional piercer Kristina Kelley, who has been doing piercings for 10 years. On top of that, she is also a laser tattoo removal technician, a certified cosmetologist, and hopes to start a pre-med program in the near future. In other words, she knows a lot about body modifications, including piercings and tattoos. Kelly gave me a rundown of all there is to know about piercing removal and what happens to your body when you stop wearing jewelry.
Of course, Kelly stressed throughout our conversation that everyone's body and skin are different and won't react to piercing removal in the same way as everyone else. That said, here are seven general things you should know when it comes to getting your piercing removed.
1. How to remove jewelry correctly
Of course, your first step is to take out the jewelry. While some piercings require a piercer to remove the jewelry, other times you can do it yourself. It may seem simple and straightforward, but for someone who's spent over an hour trying to remove a lip ring, it's not always easy. The first thing you should do before touching your piercing is make sure your hands are clean. Kelly also recommends using gloves to better hold the jewelry and not irritate the area by pulling on it for too long.
But sometimes nothing works, and for that, Kelly says just go to a piercing shop. They're always happy to help, especially if it means not hurting yourself in the process.
However, she did make it clear that jewelry should not be removed from infected piercings . You should first have it checked by a piercer or doctor to ensure proper steps are taken to avoid further infection or problems.
2. Your hole will shrink
Kelly explains that once you remove the jewelry, "there's no pressure holding the hole open," and it will begin to shrink. The skin is made of collagen, which makes it elastic, so removing a hard metal substance from the fistula (the name of the hole) makes it easy to close. This is why piercers stress not to remove newly pierced jewelry from the hole.
If your piercing has not healed and you want to have it removed, the piercing will most likely shrink and close without any problems, leaving minimal scarring. However, if it's an older piercing—like my lip piercing from five years ago—then it may take a few years for the hole to get smaller. Kelly says it all depends on how big the hole is, where the piercing is on the body and the natural state of your skin. In my case, my hole began to shrink rapidly, and by the end of the day, it was noticeably smaller and I could barely insert my lab.
3. Your holes will fill up with sebum
Once there's nothing in the hole for a few weeks or months, the hole shrinks and fills up with some nasty gunk called sebum. Sebum is a collection of natural oils in your body produced by sebaceous glands. Usually, after sitting in a hole, it gives off some sort of not-so-pleasant smell. People with elongated ears often call it "ear chess" because it looks a bit like cheese.
Kelly believes this is inevitable and nothing to worry about. Sebum is produced whether you wear jewelry or not, but since there's nothing else in the pores, more is likely to be produced.
If you removed an unhealed piercing, it should have closed completely. But if it's older, the hole may be smaller in size (or completely closed) and will most likely leave some form of indentation on the skin. Kelly explained that this indentation "varies from person to person" but is a "remnant" of the piercing.
4. Scar tissue depends on the location of your previous piercing and the jewelry you wear
So what does a hole scar look like or after? Again, Kelly stresses, it depends on the person's skin. Scar tissue is fibrous and the skin color may be different from the person's normal pigment. Therefore, scars are less noticeable on people with darker skin tones. Additionally, Kelly explains, "Scarring is less noticeable on people with oilier skin." However, this depends on two factors: the location of the piercing and the jewelry itself.
To explain the importance of the impact placement has on the skin after removal, Kelly gave the example of a cheek piercing. Cheek piercings are, as Kelly likes to describe them, "commitment piercings" because the potential for scarring or leaving an indentation on the skin is very high. For people with cheek piercings, removing them may leave permanent dimples and scars if the appropriate jewelry is not used. Kelly even said that many piercers won't get this type of piercing because of the permanent effects it can have on a person's skin and face.
As for jewelry, she gave the unfortunate fact that low-quality jewelry can leave deeper, grayer marks on the skin. This doesn't entirely matter if you're always going to keep the piercing, but once it's removed, there's no way to make the color go away without plastic surgery. That's why she emphasizes using high-quality jewelry from reputable stores.
5. Minimizing scars can take a lot of work
Although scarring is almost inevitable, Kelly explains that there are things people can do to minimize the scarring left after a piercing is removed. For homeopathic remedies, massaging the hole with an oil such as vitamin E oil or jojoba oil can help reduce the appearance of scar tissue. Massage helps increase blood flow and soften stiff scar tissue. But if you want a more permanent fix, she says the only way is cosmetic surgery.
If you really want to completely eliminate the chance of any scarring, then a surgical re-excision or crossover technique by a licensed cosmetic surgeon is the best solution.
6. Dealing with removed piercings is easy
Kelly explains that there's "very little you can do" to care for a removed piercing. If the hole has not healed when you remove it, you should continue to follow the same steps you would for caring for a new piercing. However, if it has healed, there is nothing more that needs to be done. She does recommend rinsing as it removes odor-causing built-up sebum.
7. Re-piercing is possible, but can be tricky
Although Kelly likes to first tell all of her clients "they definitely want a piercing," sometimes we change our minds later. If you've had your piercing removed but want to have it restored, re-piercing "depends on the extent of scar tissue." If the hole remains, the piercer can use the taper method (a taper is an object that gradually gets larger from one end to the other, often used to stretch the ear) and stretch the hole again to allow for the insertion of jewelry. Other times, the piercer can pierce nearby scar tissue but not directly the scar tissue of the original piercing.
Stainless Steel Tapered Stretch, $7, Amazon
Overall, getting your piercing removed for any reason is not as scary as it seems. Sure, you'll have some stuff left over, but it's never the end of the world. Take the person who accidentally scratched her cheek two hours after she was born - leaving a small mark of a piercing on your body makes you even more unique!
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