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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Nose piercing infected

32 replies

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:43

Had it pierced just over a month ago at Claire's (I know) they used a gun which is apparently not a good idea, I should've done more research.

Have cleaned it twice a day as recommended with the lotion they sold but I've had a huge unsightly bump next to the piercing now for around 2 weeks.

It's filled with pus, despite cleaning it hasn't budged. Feel like just taking the piercing out as I'm embarrassed to have this lump.

Have also had 2 occasions where i must have caught the piercing in my sleep, yanked it out and woken up with blood, managed to get it back in but rather painful.

Has anyone else has this issue after a nose piercing and did the infection eventually go?

OP posts:

Spaghettipie1 · 04/04/2022 21:51

Is it a red lump? Pyogenic granulomas can occur around piercings. Need to take it out, salt water bathing and perhaps speak to GP/ANP.as there are creams you can get. Common around nose piercings, not harmful but won't go with the piercing still in I don't think.

GiantCheeseMonster · 04/04/2022 21:52

Go to a reputable piercer NOW. If you can get to Manchester, Holier Than Thou is amazing. If not, look at HTT website which shows the professional associations they are members of and find one near you that is also a member. You need to get it looked at by an expert. It will probably need the jewellery to come out and they may be able to re-pierce and sort it for you. It should have been done with a needle using either implant-grade titanium or 14k gold, which is probably not likely at Claire’s. Plus the aftercare lotion they give you just irritates it. You need a sterile saline spray which a decent piercer can supply. It is salvageable but seriously, go somewhere decent. Don’t be embarrassed, they are used to sorting out Claire’s messes.

Original poster

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:52

It's dark red now, it was yellow a couple of days ago. It's a shame really, paid £30 and I've had the piercing only a month but these things happen

OP posts:

Spaghettipie1 · 04/04/2022 21:52

But if filled with pus might need warm compresses to drain and even antibiotics so might be worth a chat to go surgery anyway.

Original poster

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:54

Thank you, i actually live in Manchester and have heard of holler than thou so I will have a look. Not sure if i can go through with re piercing, it was bloody painful, at least with the gun anyway. Surprised Claire's are allowed to offer it

OP posts:

Menora · 04/04/2022 21:55

It’s probably a piercing bump. I had one on my ear for 3 months it’s finally gone and I had a needle in the cartridge (flat) I still got one

Go to a proper piercer for advice they might advise a disc

GiantCheeseMonster · 04/04/2022 21:55

It will hardly hurt at all with a needle. Honestly. HTT have done all my piercings and are fab. They will sort you out. You need to book an appointment which you do online.

MarrymeTomHardy · 04/04/2022 21:56

I second warm salty compress & visit to a proper piercer, hopefully they can change it to titanium jewellery for you and give best advice to clear it up ~ good luck

Original poster

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:56

Here's a pic!

OP posts:

Original poster

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:56

Oops here it is

OP posts:

GiantCheeseMonster · 04/04/2022 21:56

You will be shocked more about the fact that Claire’s just sit you in a chair and pierce you in the shop window when you see inside HTT! Their rooms are so clean, it’s like being in an operating theatre!

Wishineverchangedmyname · 04/04/2022 21:58

I had huge bump on my daith piercing. Bathing and sudocrem cleared it up really quickly.

WhyOfCourse · 04/04/2022 21:58

Good luck sounds painful

Original poster

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:59

I guess I thought the gun would be a lot faster and the pain over more quickly.. I've taken it out now, will try the above advice and hopefully it'll heal, then look at HTT. Wasted my money with Claire's

OP posts:

Original poster

Onanotherdiet38 · 04/04/2022 21:59

Hadn't heard of a daith, googled it looks cool !

OP posts:

EggbertHeartsTina · 04/04/2022 22:02

Don’t panic or remove piercing yet. I had my nose done with very reputable expensive needle piercer and I still got the bump. A red shiny thing next to the piercing. I used tea tree oil on it (Google it before using as needs diluting) and it dried and cleared up. Now been 6+ years and all good.

Spongeboob · 04/04/2022 22:02

Honestly, get advice from a real piercer. If you've taken it out and you think it's infected you risk trapping the infection within the fistula. Jesus wept though, I cant imagine having my nose pierced with a gun. How did they not hit the septum without really bending your nostril? Sounds horrendous. What kind of jewellery did they put in?!

EggbertHeartsTina · 04/04/2022 22:03

Ohhh sorry didn’t read update that you’d removed already. Still use the tea tree and it will hopefully heal nicely for a re-do.

AmberGer · 04/04/2022 22:03

Use a cooled camomile teabag on it too

GiantCheeseMonster · 04/04/2022 22:03

Ah, it’s the opposite. A needle has a tapered point and is super-sharp so pushes the tissue aside so causes minimal trauma. You hardly feel it. A gun causes blunt trauma so more tissue damage. It’s nowhere near as sharp (as you’re being pierced with the stud) so relies on velocity to punch a hole through your flesh. And not as hygienic as the gun is re-used, so you have to hope they’ve sterilised it properly. The needle is single use and no equipment is re-used between clients.

Jalepenojello · 04/04/2022 22:08

You know claires is bad. This isn’t that uncommon with piercings however. Don’t touch it, don’t play with it, clean up with salt water. It will come away eventually.

Peachy7 · 05/04/2022 07:26

A good piercer would have told you these bumps are the norm if the piercing is touched/knocked too much.
Never have anything other than lower lobes pierced with a gun, it can really damage the cartilage anywhere else.
I was recommended Poundlands version of bio oil for the lumps. Dettol antiseptic spray is also really good.
What did they put in it when they pierced it for it to keep falling out? Mine was done with a corkscrew one so never fell out

HeatherShiver · 05/04/2022 07:27

Get some Prontolind spray (it's on Amazon).
It got rid of my piercing bump in 3 days.

incognitoforthisone · 05/04/2022 09:58

It doesn't look infected. I think it's one of those bumps that forms around piercing sites, usually because of the build-up of fluid etc. Often, when people think piercings are infected, the crusty gunk emerging is just lymph fluid from the healing process - it's unpleasant and needs gently cleaning away with care, but it's normal. You're correct that getting your nose pierced with a gun is not a good idea, but you can still get bumps like that with needle piercings; it's part of the healing process,.

A good option to soothe piercing bumps like that is to put a camomile tea bag (just camomile, nothing added) in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then fish it out as soon as it's just about bearable heat-wise, hold it firmly over the piercing sight until it's completely cold. Do that once or twice a day for a while. The heat helps draw out fluid and the camomile seems to be really soothing - loads of piercers recommend this. It might look worse before it looks better, but it does help.

Also worth remembering that cartilage piercings - noses, the tops/inside of ears - can take several months to heal fully and the worst part of the healing process is often a couple of months after you have it done, rather than immediately afterwards.

But I would definitely go to Holier Than Thou if I were you and I ask them for advice. I get my piercings done there. Also buy a can or two of their NeilMed saline spray - the cleaning solutions they sell you in Claire's are not great. They've got a lot of stuff in them that can irritate the skin and also, as soon as you've opened the bottle it's no longer sterile. Saline spray is gentler and stays sterile.

FYI, if you do need to get it re-pierced, a proper piercer will do it with a needle and give you surgical-grade titanium jewellery and it will be far less painful and much smoother than your experience with a piercing gun at Claire's! I wouldn't get anything pierced with a gun - not even lobes. No ear stud is sharp enough to pierce cleanly - they just rip through.

StrangeCondition · 05/04/2022 10:02

@HeatherShiver

Get some Prontolind spray (it's on Amazon). It got rid of my piercing bump in 3 days.

Totally agree with this, I used this twice a day and my nose piercing healed really quickly

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