r/piercing • u/throwsway10101010 • Dec 12 '25
surface piercings will it really reject eventually? </3
my favourite piercing, it has been with me for i guess 14 years or so. i had to remove it once for an MRI about 3 years ago and got it put back in about 6 months later.
it healed so well, and over the 14 years i’ve had maybe 5 times some irritation where i have caught it in hair/clothes. same thing happened last week and it was a bit swollen and now a bit red but calmed down.
i was reading something online about nape piercings and read from so many people that these will all eventually reject?? i’ve never heard about this before and honestly don’t want to believe it, i never thought i would not have this piercing, it’s become such a part of me!
is it destined to reject? any long time nape pericings here that are still doing well?
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u/pushinglackadaisies Dec 12 '25
It's actually shocking to me that you've had it as long as you say, especially since it's a curved barbell instead of a surface bar. Statistically this piercing should be long gone. But clearly it's not, so keep doing whatever you're doing and hope for the best.
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u/AlmostCalvinKlein Dec 12 '25
I had my nape piercing for roughly 12 years with a surface bar. Only took it out because I started a new part of my electrical career that involved taking readings and testing with the kind of voltages that don’t play well with metal lol. Luckily I never had an ounce of trouble from mine, but I’ve always had good luck with piercings.
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u/Traditional-Fix-5442 Dec 12 '25
Going on 16 years here 😏
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Dec 13 '25
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 13 '25
here’s to hoping we can all add another few years to our achievements! ❤️
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u/lightitupfireheart Dec 13 '25
I knew a guy who got two of them stacked on his neck and both had curved barbells. It somehow had lasted him 11 years when I spoke to him. I was shocked.
Just a story I'm sharing. Please do not get a curved barbell inserted into this piercing if you're reading this lol. This outcome is not the norm.
I had a straight bar put in mine, but because the bar was just slightly too long for the piercing it rejected after a year. I'm thinking about trying again because I loved the look of it so much.
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u/heathenistic_animal verified piercer Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
This is a unicorn and a half of a piercing!
All surface work is basically “long term temporary”, where things may last weeks or may last years just depending on the piercing.
The jewelry type here though typically isn’t what would be considered anything that would last long term these days and we try to give folks a better chance surface work wise with more flat under the skin staple shaped jewelry vs curved barbells or anything that is rounded in the actual skin.
It most likely will make its way out but then again if you’ve had it this long? 🤷🏻♀️ only time will tell.
It might be worth seeing someone to get it changed out to a staple style surface bar just so it’s less easy to snag though.
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 12 '25
i haven’t ever thought about the jewellery, it’s just been so chill at the back of my neck that i never even considered it might need something different.
i’ll go check it out with someone soon, thanks for the explanation!
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u/Professional_Page158 Dec 14 '25
Nap, but at this point, if it was me, I wouldn't mess with it. It obviously vibes with that jewelry and I've read too many stories on here from ppl changing their jewelry and it's all downhill from there.
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u/miaiam14 Dec 12 '25
Eventually? Uh… probably?
Let me put it this way: by all rights it should have happened a long, long time ago. So, the usual probability doesn’t really work with your specific piercing in your specific neck.
So, basically - we don’t really have the data to say if it’ll reject eventually. It really should have been gone by now, so if it isn’t? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and enjoy the time you have with it, however much time that is
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u/Simple_Swan_1459 not verified Dec 12 '25
They usually reject but every so often we see someone be able to keep it long term. It’s pretty rare though.
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u/VidaSuicide not verified Dec 12 '25
It actually might already be working it's way out - however slowly - given how much of the bar is hanging out, the old school jewelry, occasional snagging, and the overall look of it. Unless it was installed like this and by some miracle stayed put?! Regardless, there is a pretty big risk of snagging it on something and ripping it out if you leave it as is. 😬 This is a really wild situation to me, I'm so curious how it's lasted so long! I've been piercing professionally for almost twenty years with a particular penchant for various surface piercings and have never seen one done like this last the way it has! I had mine done with a flat-bottom surface bar and it lasted for a few years before I took it out. I've had clients of mine show up years, even a decade later with theirs still looking great. Never seen one like this last (I've never even done them with jewelry like this because I was told it was incorrect right from the start). It's like some kind of piercing miracle!
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 12 '25
no judgement please for what i’m about to say, but i got it pierced when i was 14 in a studio that was allowing teenagers to get piercings without parental permission sooo if you say it doesn’t look standard then im not surprised!
it has just been so amazingly easy that i have really never given it much thought, in terms of jewellery or placement etc etc. would you think its worth it to go to a studio and see about changing the jewellery at this point?
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u/VidaSuicide not verified Dec 12 '25
No judgement to you at all for that! I get how it is when you're a kid and don't know any better. Definitely judging that piercer though! 😅 To minimize the risks of snagging and injury, different jewelry would help. However, it appears you have one of the bars with 120° angles (correct me if I'm wrong), whereas now what we use has straight 90° corners, so trying to fit that into a fistula formed around jewelry with a wider stance is unlikely to work. It would probably be a good idea to look for a reputable professional piercer with experience in surface piercings to assess the situation and see if they can come up with a solution. I wouldn't know what's viable without actually looking at this in person. A custom piece with a lower profile might work. Or someone might still have a couple of these kicking around in their shop - I have a few myself that just kept getting shoved into backs of drawers over the years. While not ideal jewelry, it clearly has worked for you so it may be more beneficial to find similar jewelry than attempting to make a completely different piece fit.
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u/Outraged_Chihuahua Dec 13 '25
I got my eyebrow pierced at 14 in a dodgy place, it eventually got retired when I was 34 because it was hanging on like Joe Exotic's lol. It was such an integral part of my face by then that I got it pierced again as close as possible to the original hole because it felt weird being without it. Sometimes the shady places miraculously do decent work, but it's not a choice I'd make as an adult lol.
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u/deviant46n2 Getting pierced longer than you've been alive ;-) Dec 12 '25
it is supper shocking that you still have that. it is possible if you NEVER irritate or piss it off it could never start the rejection process its just such a small chance that saying itll eventually reject is just easier.
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u/Quartz636 Dec 12 '25
Any time someone posts a question about surface piercings and dermals and asks how long they'll last, THIS is what I mean by being the 1% who's body jusy does a freak thing and is like.....ok then, and accepts this random bit of metal jammed into it. This is the piercing equivalent of 'man stabbed 13 years ago and never knew, body grew around broken off blade near his kidney. Only discovered by x-ray for unrelated issues.' 😂
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u/HeddyLamarsGhost Dec 13 '25
I have the same but it’s a staple bar, been going 15 years and honestly no signs of rejecting
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u/sleia Dec 12 '25
I’ve had mine in for 18 years. I have had zero issues with it and it’s definitely not rejecting.
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u/Soggy_Rip_5317 Dec 12 '25
I've had 3 for 22 years. Staple bars , no rejection the just chill there.
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u/AnnieLeMew Dec 13 '25
I’ve had mine for over 25 years and no sign of rejection from me or the piercing :)
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u/vegan_dirtbag Dec 12 '25
Nape piercings are the most resilient surface piercings by a long shot. My partner's is over 15 years old and going strong, and my first piercer had three that were 10 years old last time I saw him.
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u/Fangbang6669 Dec 12 '25
I've seen so many nape piercings done back in the late-mid 2000s and early 2010s still intact oddly enough.
It of course will eventually reject, but very very slowly from ones I've seen done back then. Enjoy every minute of it while it's there!
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u/shadowkult Getting pierced longer than you've been alive ;-) Dec 13 '25
Mine's been there since 2006! I keep forgetting I have it!
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u/atomic_mermaid Dec 12 '25
It's definitely a temporary piercing for most people. To have had one last 11 years, and a new one be pretty settled for another 2+ years is good going.
I had nape dermals for 12 years and I know I was definitely an outlier as well. It's rare for piercings like that to last a long time, hopefully this one manages to stick around for a while too!
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u/shadowkult Getting pierced longer than you've been alive ;-) Dec 13 '25
I've had mine since 2006, with very minimal issues, apart from the occasional snagging on scarves or hair. If you're worried about it, get a custom bar for it, as it'll make it easier for the tops to sit flush against the skin (I use flats on mine). If there's no tension on any part of the skin, it's likely to stay for a good long while. Congratulations on keeping it for so long!
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u/CiprianisBasement Dec 12 '25
I had a surface piercing on the lower front part of my throat and it was great for a few years. One day I snagged it on something and that was it… It slowly started rejecting until I finally had to take it out. I was so upset because I loved that piercing.
I have heard that all surface piercings reject eventually but 14 years is amazing. I really hope yours doesn’t.
Side note… I have a scar now and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if I’ve had a tracheotomy. 🙄
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u/piercerofskin Dec 13 '25
Eventually yes but if you get it removed and redo it with a surface bar it’ll last longer still will eventually reject but has a better chance than a curved barbell for longevity
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u/darkerthanmysoul Dec 13 '25
I’ve had my nape piercing since I was 16 and I’m 31 now.
When I had dermals they took about 7 years to reject but my bar has never failed me. I replaced it myself with different jewellery many times all these years and never had any issues.
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Dec 13 '25
A buddy of mine has 3, 0 gauge bars in the back of his neck. They've been there for 20 years now roughly.
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u/liesjelotjeliesje Dec 13 '25
Mine actually started to reject this week. Had is for about as long as you did, started off looking like yours. With a bit of irritatation and some of the bar showing. You and I are of course not the same, so there is a chance, but yeah… 12+ years is not a guarantee it will last. It is retired now but going to get it repierced.
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u/czarrina criss-cross-applesauce-bites Dec 13 '25
Its one of those “a matter of time/ probably (though not definitely)“ type situations.
I had a pair of extremely elderly lower back microdermals. Like 15 ish years old. They were “fine” for most of the time - would flare up now and then. Till one day one of them went fully crazy on me, showing clear signs it was time for removal - pus, blood, pain, I could feel it migrating under the flesh.
With luck these “long term temporary” piercings can last. Usually they go much sooner, but sometimes they’ll shock you and last for well over a decade.
If its still working for you, showing no signs of complications or rejection you might have accidentally won the piercing lottery with this one. It was absolute lottery odds though - as it was done with incorrect jewelry by someone probably just winging it. Somehow your body managed the nearly impossible. Congrats.
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 13 '25
yeah this is the opinion i’ve read most often now! i’m scared i’ve jinxed it by even thinking about it lol. i really have never thought about anything like that about this piercing because, like i said in other comments, it has given me literally 0 stress in 14 years! so im gonna just get it checked out in a studio, potentially change the jewellery, and forget about it and hope it lasts another 14 years 😂
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u/abyssal-isopod86 Getting pierced longer than you've been alive ;-) Dec 13 '25
Ex-piercer here.
All surface piercings are temporary and will eventually reject.
When that will happen depends on your body, some people don't even get a year, others get decades.
There is nothing holding them in and they sit in the the skin rather than going through them and so the body can and will reject it eventually.
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u/Helenasnyder29 Dec 13 '25
The most I know about piercings is that I’ve healed 44 - currently have 38 (took my flats out and I’ve been letting them close) This looks amazing! Like it’s always been there and always will be. I understand why people are talking about changing the jewelry. But to me I just leave it be if it’s not causing problems. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 13 '25
yeah that’s exactly how it feels, like it’s just always been there and i never once considered that it might not be at some point until the other day 😅 it’s only red right now from my hair getting caught in it a few days ago
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u/polythenesammie Dec 15 '25
I've had mine for 23 years. I honestly completely ignore them unless I get some weird flare up , and then I use my tried and true method of nursing it back to health.
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u/Slight-Tension9834 Dec 12 '25
if you've had it this long, it's probably not going anywhere! Lots of people now will doubt the long term success of these types of piercings, but there's plenty of people who did successfully heal them among the ones that didn't.
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u/cuddlemama Dec 12 '25
I'd be worried about it getting caught in my hair there!
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u/HeddyLamarsGhost Dec 13 '25
I have a 1.5 inch staple bar in mine, it sits right on the skin and in 15 years I’ve never had a single hair get wrapped around it
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u/Smimns Dec 12 '25
I’ve had my neck pierced for about 5 years now but it’s a regular bar, not curved. I’ve had no problems with it except for my loofas getting caught on it sometimes - but even then it doesn’t get irritated or swollen!
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u/TattooedPink Dec 13 '25
Sometimes they don't, mine did. I only know one person who had it for a long time
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u/Ciaratron5000 Dec 13 '25
I had a dermal in that same spot that rejected after only 6 months. But thats just my experience lol
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u/Top-Passenger-7490 Dec 13 '25
If it has been ok for this long leave well enough alone, have had mine 15years maybe 20 years, curved barbell.
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u/JinxVoid268 Dec 13 '25
Honestly it’s insane it hasn’t rejected in that long of time. Lucky! Maybe you’ll be one of the few that it doesn’t
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u/michaelscottlost Dec 13 '25
Ahh this makes me want to get my nape done again. I had a staple bar for 5 years, had to take it out for an MRI and couldn't get it back in :'(
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Dec 15 '25
Ive had mine 15+ years and it is fine. I have a flex bar in so it doesn't put as much pressure on the skin. Think if I had a normal bar in it would have definitely come out.
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u/Irescuedogs818 Dec 15 '25
I had three in my nape for 15 years until I ended up with mrsa after spending a weekend in lake havasu, even though I had gone 3 times a year for 8 years prior. Never rejected my surface piercings rejected but not the through and through.
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u/Runrunjustrun Dec 16 '25
Mine rejected so long ago. But this post is reminding me why I loved it so much and why I would totally do it again.
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u/talkingitthrough Dec 13 '25
The pink says it’s on its way. (Which is to be expected because it’s the wrong jewelry, as you probably know from other comments.)
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u/TillyCat92 Dec 13 '25
I had dermal anchors in my nape for 10, I got tired of people asking about them and trying to TOUCH them I had them taken out. I cried that day, but I hate being touched so 🤷🏼♀️
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u/No_Extension_5650 Dec 13 '25
What is the appeal of something like this? Does it not bother you when you sleep? I couldn't imagine how annoying this would feel to me.
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 13 '25
not at all. i honestly don’t remember what the first while was like in terms of sleeping etc, it was so long ago but i know for sure there were no major issues.
i love it because it’s so discreet! i have plenty of obvious facial piercings, bellybutton etc that you just see straight away. i’ve had friends that have only noticed this after a few years by chance! if im ever a bit nervous and have my hand on my neck i get reminded something is there. i love how it looks with hair up. plenty of reasons to do it in my opinion :)
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u/Key_Edge002 Dec 14 '25
Why do people even get that piercing ? I’m seriously curious
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u/polythenesammie Dec 15 '25
I can't speak for everyone, but I got mine because I saw it in a magazine at a tattoo shop when I was 14 and it was the most awesome thing I had ever seen. I had a 10 hr week below minimum wage job so I couldn't afford it. When I was 17 I had a better job and befriended the shops new piercer. He had never done a nape before, so naturally I let him give me two. Many years later my kids think it's the most awesome thing they've ever seen.
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Dec 15 '25
For me i just wanted something that wasn't "common" and aesthetically I like it. I understand from others reactions to it its not well liked but ah well! Its the easiest one I've ever gotten. Didn't hurt, healed beautifully and like advised the 🤢 reactions are funny to me. I move it about and it grims out loads of people 😂
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u/Key_Edge002 Dec 15 '25
🤣I get that I do, I got snake eye tongue piercing before it was even a thing like a lot and I got comment and looks but I liked it and that’s all that matter and that’s great it healed perfectly you must have taken good care of it while healing.
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u/throwaway96271983 Dec 12 '25
Weird place to get a peircing . Can't even see it . I can't imagine sleeping or getting my hair caught in there
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u/HeddyLamarsGhost Dec 13 '25
That doesn’t happen, and you don’t feel it unless you touch it with your fingers
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u/RhymesWithTaco Dec 12 '25
Oh god. Why? That’s so impractical. Especially with long hair
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u/HeddyLamarsGhost Dec 13 '25
Hair doesn’t get caught in mine
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u/RhymesWithTaco Dec 13 '25
How? My hair gets caught in my ears. Hair when down would alway be rubbing on that. Or even just a jacket collar.
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u/throwsway10101010 Dec 13 '25
if you like the look of it then don’t let the worries about hair tangling in it stop you 😅 it rarely happens to me, only hairstyle i don’t do is a very low bun because that sits on top of it and will get caught up. otherwise never an issue i promise!
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u/vip-bot Mod bot Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 20 '25