BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art The Infamous "Bump" on my Piercing... desperate

I must have read a hundred post by a hundred people on more websites than I�d like to count, trying to get information on this infamous bump. Every piercer has different advice, every pierce has been treating their new nose piercings by different means� there is no consistent information about this problem, and it�s frustrating the heck out of me.

I got my Nose pierced back in December, just a few weeks afterward the bump formed�.likely from the screw getting pulled too far down into my nose while I was sleeping. I have this this bump for more than 6 months.

In that time period, it has constantly varied in size, redness, and sensitivity. I tried crushed aspirin for the first few weeks as recommended by my piercer. With absolutely no positive change in the bump, I changed from the screw to a stainless steel captive ring, in hopes this would offer better circulation and less irritation. I started just cleaning it with H2Ocean and a q-tip a couple times a day, or whenever crusties formed.

The next thing I was recommended was soaks with a cotton pad and h2Ocean�did this for a week or so, but had trouble remembering to do it�gave up on it, went back to regular cleaning with the h2ocean. It was pretty small for a while, the closest it�d ever come to going away�.and then one day, it was huge and back with a vengeance. I tried cortisone for a week but ceased that for fear it was too harsh, went back to the soaks. I did the soaks for a good 3 weeks with absolutely no change. My newest method is to do nothing, but to not touch or pay it any attention in hopes it�ll go away�.I�ve been doing �nothing� for a month now, and still no change in this bump. In fact, it�s bigger than ever. I thought about trying tea tree oil applications, but I�m terrified and doing any more damage. If I take my ring out in hopes of getting the other nostril pierced, how long will it take for the bump to go away? Will it go away at all? Will the fluid get trapped in the bump, with no hole for it to drain from?

I�m sure I�ve caused a lot of this irritation to my piercing by following the advice of others, but even after more than a month of leaving it be it still looks terrible. I don�t want to give up on my piercing, but I�m at my wits end.

The "infamous bump" is most often a formation called a keloid, which is a type of scar tissue. It's caused mostly by friction, but really, it's just one of those anomalies of piercing cartilage. Some folks get them and some don't.

I don't have a nose piercing, but I did have two instances of keloids on ear cartilage piercings. I was able to heal both successfully with tea tree oil, which is another way of saying, I have no bumps on either of the two piercings now. It took about 2-3 months to shrink and get rid of the scar tissue, but one I'd had for a few years before trying the treatment and it worked even for that one.

The eBook on Nose Piercings has the most comprehensive info I've compiled on the subject.

I am definitely heartened by this (and your quick response!). One of my fears was that because I've had my bump for much longer than most people I have read about that it wouldn�t respond as well to any treatment. I already have a bottle of tea tree oil at home waiting for me, and I�ll start using it this weekend. Do you recommend a constant application of it, maybe just overnight or for a few hours?

Thank you agian for such a quick response...One of the reasons I love these boards

You'll have to experiment a bit to see what works best for you. Some people find the straight oil is a bit strong and dilute it 50/50 with water.

I applied it once in the AM, after my shower, and once at night, before going to bed. As I wasn't putting it on my nose, that's what worked. You'll have to see how much you can tolerate it.

My nostril is pierced and I got a bump once. It was almost like a pimple but wouldn't go away. I had to get a specially bent piece of jewelry to fit my nose so it wouldn't irrate it. Apperantly my nostril is rather thin and all the jewelry was too long and moved too much. I would certainly use the tea tree oil, because wether it is a keloid or more of a pimplish thing, the tea tree should work best. Also, some people can't even use stainless steel and have to go with titanium. I had to on my non-conventional industrial. I hope it clears up and you can keep your piercing.

The bump seemed pretty inflamed after I put the tea tree on it, so I've elected to remove the piercing, let it heal, and then try the other nostril. I wondered for a long time if maybe I was reacting badly to surgical steel, I suppose it's a possibility. That's what I have in my ears, but my ears have been pierced for years. I hope the bump goes away quick so I can get the other side done

/sigh

/pout

Thanks for your input though, I really do appreciate it

Remember, just taking out the piercing might not make the keloid go away. It is a bump of scar tissue after all. Also, there's nothing to stop the other nostril from having the same reaction.

It took me 3 months to shrink and get rid of my ear keloid and most of that time the keloid was kinda red and kept peeling away in layers. But you could palpate my ear now and there's zero scar tissue.

I swear by tea tree oil. It's amazing stuff. Even (and especially) if you want to close this hole and do the other side, keep up with the tea tree oil. If you don't keep anything in the hole, tea tree oil will stimulate the skin to heal much quicker than without using anything.

I'm comfortable applying tea tree oil neat and several times a day when I need it. It can make your skin red and "rashy" though, meaning that it is encouraging a top layer of skin to slough off. You probably don't want that happening on your nose where it is more obvious than a hidden area - so I suggest diluting the oil a bit (perhaps blend with Jojoba oil which is also great for healing) and apply only maybe twice a day as Rae suggested.

If tea tree is too harsh, you can always use lavender oil.

Katja,

I find lavender good for healing in general, but when it comes to shrinking a keloid/scar tissue formation, I find it just doesn't have the same tissue-reducing/scar-breakdown effect that the tea tree oil has.