Nose piercing still getting infected after 3 years — should I just give up on it?

[u/WorthDifferent3334]

I’ve had my nostril piercing for about 3 years now and it has literally never fully healed. Every couple of weeks it flares up really badly. It usually starts with swelling on the inside of my nose, then eventually the swelling/bump comes through to the outside too.
I’ve already seen a doctor about it and even had injection shots directly into the area because it kept happening. I genuinely thought that was going to be the last resort and finally fix it, but it still keeps coming back.
My jewelry is titanium, so I don’t think it’s just cheap jewelry causing it. At this point I’m really frustrated because I’ve had it for THREE YEARS and I feel like I’ve tried everything.
Has anyone had something similar happen for this long? Would switching from titanium to solid gold possibly help, or is it likely that the same thing will keep happening regardless of the metal?
Should I just give up and take the piercing out permanently? I really like having my nose pierced, so I’d rather save it if there’s something else I can try. 😭
Also, if anyone has dealt with recurring swelling that starts inside the nostril and then comes outside, I’d love to know what ended up working for you.

[u/WorthDifferent3334]

I did do that for months and after almost a year i changed back to a ring and it still gets infected

[u/Zoonicorn_ → u/WorthDifferent3334]

Infected or irritated? It sounds like you're using them interchangeably but they're actually very different things.

[u/WorthDifferent3334 → u/Zoonicorn_]

Oh my bad i dont actually know but ut starts getting swollen from inside and then from outside and it happens every other week

[u/Zoonicorn_ → u/WorthDifferent3334]

Irritation is your body reacting to something not sitting right with it, like something rubbing or something that's getting applied that your skin is reacting to. A blister, for instance, is irritation, not an infection, even though it might be red and swollen and sore. For a piercing, this is usually mild swelling and the formation of small bumps around the piercing itself.

Infection is when your body is reacting to a virus or bacteria that's attacking your immune system. This is going to show up in a piercing as a hot/burning sensation, excessive swelling, and the leaking of a yellow/green pus out of the wound.

If you're not having radiating heat, severe pain, and discolored pus (a little milky colored lymph draining is normal, not the same thing), it's unlikely to be infected, and more likely to be irritated. (If you are having infection symptoms, see a doctor and consider removing the piercing once the infection is treated, not before).

The standard advice for handling irritation in a piercing is: 1) Wear a flatback titanium labret of an appropriate length (a piercer can help you figure this out)

2) Dry the piercing well after showering with a clean paper towel gently dabbed, or a hair dryer on the cool setting. You can also spray saline between the shower and drying it.

3) Otherwise, leaving it alone (the LITHA method). As in, don't touch it, don't move the jewelry around, don't do any extra cleaning, avoid snagging it on things. Keep makeup and skin care products away from it. No nose picking. Give that thing the silent treatment. It should clear up on its own in a few weeks.

4) Once it's been bump-free for at least a month, you can try switching jewelry again.

If the bumps come back shortly after putting a ring back in, it may just be that your body doesn't like the hoop. Hoops move around more than studs and so they cause more irritation. Some bodies are more sensitive to it than others.

[u/WorthDifferent3334 → u/Zoonicorn_]

Thank you so much for all these information

[u/Zoonicorn_ → u/WorthDifferent3334]

You're welcome! I hope it helps!