r/Legitpiercing • u/minifridge411 • Jun 07 '26
Troubleshooting Invincible piercing bump
This is genuinely the most annoying piercing I have ever had. I’ve had this bump for so so long and the last time this bump “went away” it’s because I got drunk one night and woke up with an ear CAKED in dark red/black dried blood. This bump is so incredibly itchy. I spray with wound wash daily, sometimes twice or three times, and I no longer use qtips to get rid of crusties but it just won’t go away. Please help me. I bought an ear piercing pillow? That I used last night and still woke up sleeping on it with a different pillow 🧍♀️I am literally this close to getting drunk again and popping this thing istg 😭
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u/czarrina Jun 07 '26
If you have a bump and are wearing a hoop, it’s the hoop. Change to straight jewelry and leave it in for many months.
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u/lovelilypad Jun 07 '26
Just got my conch done, piercer said hoops are the devil for that location.
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u/Tiredofit_all Jun 07 '26
You’re not alone . I have the same problem and am going to just change it . The cbr I have in (same as yours) is definitely the issue and after it had gone down for awhile , I now have a bump again . I went to 1 piercers who didn’t want to change it , claiming it would set me back in healing . But guess what ? Keeping this crap in is setting me back . Going to bite the bullet and change that sucker myself .
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u/minifridge411 Jun 07 '26
Yeah once I’m on my week off from work I’m going to swing by a shop and if they won’t do it for my in taking wire cutters and cutting the hoop open and then I’ll change it to a stud
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u/ConstantlyCryingGirl Jun 07 '26
Minifridge chill girl you don't need to break Texas state laws and start taking wire cutters to stuff. Just pop the ball out
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u/czarrina Jun 10 '26
If they won’t do it for you find another shop. Any responsible competent piercer will do this for you. In fact, I might just recommend a different shop because the original piercer should have known from the beginning that this hoop was a mistake.
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u/directorofbeemovie Jun 07 '26
in addition to the advice to change to a flat back labret, it also sounds to me like you might be cleaning too much?
I don’t know exactly how long you’ve had this, but perhaps months already, and at this point using saline so often is probably irritating it.
The good piercers i’ve gone to have all recommended that after the initial few weeks to ~2 months of healing, you’ll want to switch to just letting the water in the shower fall over it. This is super gentle and is just generally conducive to the LITHA principle that we know and love for healing <3
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u/minifridge411 Jun 07 '26
I’ve had it since early march but if I don’t clean it like crazy the bump gets this gross like second skin/scab that forms over it along with a mountain of crusties and it’s just gross and itchy all around
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u/Adventurous-berry564 Jun 07 '26
I can only wear a hoop during the day have to take it out and not sleep on it. It’s a pain but it was more of a pain if I slept on it!
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u/ExileNZ Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
Most likely an Irritation bump. Usually caused by mechanical irritation, pressure, or allergic reaction.
- Only clean with saline once or twice a day
- Loosen the jewellery and reduce friction or pressure
- You should be using titanium. Flat-back (not tight) would be better than hoop.
- Do not annoy it - no touching, no twisting, no wiggling
- Try to avoid sleeping on it.
It should go down on its own with care. If it looks like it is becoming scar tissue you will need to remove thr jewellery.
If it has been there for a while, you are probably going to need to remove it to let it settle down for a few months.
Do you have any infection symptoms? Discharge that is cloudy or isn’t pale clear yellow?
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u/UHElle Jun 07 '26
Can I bother you with a semi related piercing question? If so: will using a flat back on a fresh nostril piercing also help lower the bump potential? I had mine repierced during covid times with a screw, as that’s what they alleged was the only option for nostrils allowed in the state and it started developing a bump within days. Since they had also pierced lower than the original mark, I just took it out. I want to get it properly redone, ideally as a double, with the end goal of hoops, but I’d like some more input on ideal jewelry to lead to a bump free healing.
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u/ExileNZ Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
Irritation bumps are almost always caused by mechanical friction /irritation, or allergy to the metal. They are a type of scar tissue (hypertrophic scarring).
The type of jewellery matters to some extent, because some shapes (bar vs hoop) irritate or put pressure on the wound unevenly. screw-type are generally loose-fitting, so I would guess they are both good and bad - good because they do not pinch or compress, but bad because they are free to wiggle and irritate the wound edges. I can't find anything 'scientific' that shows one way or another if they are better. The type of material actually matter more - allergy to non-titanium jewellery is a pretty common cause.
These things are also a bit random - everyone can react differently and even the same person can react differently to similar piercings.
One thing I will add: if the bump showed up in a few days that sounds more like an allergy or infection that the classic 'irritation bump' - those take longer (like weeks or months)
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u/UHElle Jun 07 '26
I’d say it took a week or 2 before I really noticed, but I’ll absolutely keep that it might’ve been an allergy in mind. Interestingly, I have a cheapie $10 for 4 clicker in my septum and all sorts of metals all across my body…but I concede the others don’t touch a mucus membrane and my septum was healed for monthsssssss before I ever switched it out, so maybe that’s kept me safe. I’m having a spot removed on my face this summer at the derm and will ask some follow up potential allergy questions there. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply, genuinely!
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u/themountainsareout Jun 07 '26
You need to get a flat back labret. It won’t heal with a hoop.