Procedure and Aftercare of Hip Surface Piercing

Hip Piercing Procedure

When you decide to get a hip piercing make sure that is is performed by an experienced piercing artist. Do not perform this procedure at home because you might risk hurting yourself, scarring and infection. Make sure your piercing is made of titanium or surgical steel just because they are considered to be the best.

As is the case with many surface piercings, the hip piercing can be met with rejection by the wearer’s body. Treating the item as a foreign and unwelcome intrusion in the natural biology of the skin, many people have not been able to keep a lasting hip piercing for more than a few months. The body heals itself and subsequently pushes and moves the metal jewelry towards the foremost surface of the epidermis, creating a less appealing and undesirable look. Also, there is usually some permanent scarring following the procedure. In order to determine what your chances of rejection are with this style of body art, sit down for a consultation with an experienced professional piercer.

Hip Piercing Aftercare

Although, the migration and rejection rate is very high and the overall healing permanence and tendency of a hip surface piercing is extremely low, you can keep your hip surface piercing for a longer period of time, by following and maintaining proper care. You might have heard many different aftercare instructions from different piercer or from friends. However, they all follow this same basic aftercare instructions. Read on and learn the basic important aftercare tips for hip surface piercings.

• Clean your new piercing with a sea salt mix or a saline solution for at least two times daily.
• Avoid using antibacterial soap such as Dial, because it contain harsh chemicals that can irritate the piercing and increase the risk of infection. Saline solution is considered as the best and safest for surface piercings.
• To make a sea salt mix or saline solution, you need to mix non-iodized sea salt with warm water. Make sure that you don’t used table salt or rock salt.
• Avoid using too much of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in 8 ounces of luke warm water will be fine.
• Pour the diluted sea salt or saline into a disposal cup and carefully invert it over the piercing. Continue to place the cup over the piercing, soaked for minimum 10 minutes.

For the first few weeks after the piercing, you need to clean the piercing with a saline solution for at least two times a day, then later reduce it to once per day. Continue cleaning the piercing until the wound has healed completely.

How to Heal Bump on Cartilage Piercing?

Usually bumps on cartilage piercing are formed during the healing process. Many people observed bumps on cartilage piercing during the healing process, even after it healed completely. Boil is the most common type of piercing that is noticed during the healing time, that is immediately after piercing. These boils are very painful and may secrete pus or blood as well.

If a person exerts more pressure on the piercing while sleeping or by wearing an inappropriate jewelry, bump may develop near the piercing. This is referred to as hypotrophic scarring. It has the color of your skin and is not much painful. However, the most severe type of bump on cartilage piercing is keloid. Keloids are scarred tissues that are formed because of too much tissue repair. Although anyone may get a keloid on cartilage piercing, dark skinned people, particularly African-Americans are more susceptible to it. These keloids may be detected easily as they are darker than the actual skin color.

As you identify the type of bump on cartilage piercing, it is easy to find the treatment for it. Infected bumps on cartilage piercing such as hypotrophic scarring and boils may be treated using some home remedies. Following are some simple home remedies for treating cartilage piercing bumps.

• Sea salt soaks: This is the best way to get rid of bump on cartilage piercing. In a clean bowl, take 8 ounces of warm water and add ¼ tablespoon of sea salt. After dissolving the salt completely, taste it with your finger. Make sure that it is not saltier than your tears. After this, you may either soak the cotton ball in it and apply it on the piercing or just pour solution on it. Let sea salt water solution to remain on the bump for about 5 – 10 minutes and later rinse properly to remove excess salt. This must be repeated once or twice a day to get rid of bumps. Crusts may form if you use this remedy on boils. In such case, ensure that you remove crusts using cotton swabs.
• Chamomile Tea: Though salt soaks are effective in treating bumps on cartilage piercing behind nose or ear, sometimes, some bumps may be stubborn. In such cases, you can also use chamomile tea to treat bumps. For this, you must soak tea bags in hot water for 1 – 2 minutes and then place it over the piercing. Repeat the process when the chamomile tea bag becomes cold. This must be done for about 10 – 15 minutes. This compress must be practiced once or twice a day to achieve best results.
• Aspirin: This is another remedy to treat cartilage piercing bumps. Take an aspirin tablet and crush it. Place the powder in a clean bowl and add little amount of water. Mix it well until it becomes paste. Apply this mixture on the bumps and also on the surrounding area. This must be practiced twice or thrice a day to reduce the bump on cartilage piercing. This is so because skin absorbs aspirin thoroughly and opens up the blood vessels, subsequently enhances the process of healing.

Besides the home remedies for treating bump on cartilage piercing, sometimes you can also treat bumps by changing the jewelry. However, one should not change the jewelry of cartilage piercing by oneself if it is infected. Always consult the piercer or the physician while changing the jewelry. Remember that keloids cannot be treated with the above home remedies. Most of the times, surgery is required to remove the keloids. Thus, if you think the bump on the cartilage piercing is keloid, it is must to consult the physician immediately to recommend you about the appropriate treatments.

Tips to Change a Labret Piercing Jewelry

Body piercers will insert the jewelry into the new labret piercings which is large enough for letting it to swell during the healing time of about 6 – 8 weeks. Most of the swelling in the labret piercing ceases after 2 – 3 weeks. You can change the jewelry only after swelling reduces. Try to avoid wearing jewelry of large circumference or long jewelry because it causes problems to the gums and teeth from the contact with metal. In order to avoid this and to choose proper jewelry, below lines give information on how to change a labret piercing.

Following are some tips to change a labret piercing jewelry:

1. Before touching the labret jewelry, wash your hands thoroughly. Ask the body piercer for the length or circumference and gauge of the labret ring prior to purchasing the jewelry from the piercer. Hence, it is good to know the appropriate size for the piercing. Remember that jewelry for piercing cannot be after purchasing it.

2. Determine what kind of labret jewelry is in the piercing. Circular barbells, flat-back labret studs and captive bead rings are the appropriate jewelry for the labret piercing. Circular barbells have a horseshoe shape that has two beads which screw on and off the open ends. Captive bead rings are hoops that contain a bead to hold it with pressure. Flat-back studs have 3 parts – a ball which is visible on the external side of the lip, a post in the piercing channel and disk which lies flat on the internal side of the lip.

3. Use an antiseptic lotion to rinse the mouth.

4. Next remove the piercing jewelry. For circular barbell, hold it on the curved section of post. Turn one of the beads to left till the threads are exposed bead comes off the post. Now pull the barbell out of the mouth by holding other bead on piercing jewelry.

For the flat-back studs, hold the back disk in the mouth while turning the ball to the left. As the ball becomes loose, you can see threads on the ball. Now completely remove the ball from post. Pull the post from the piercing from inside the mouth using your fingers to grip the disk.

For captive beads, use your thumb to push out the bead . Slightly tilt the ring such that one side of bead opening can be visible. Push the ring up and down to remove it from the jewelry.

5. Insert the new labret jewelry into the piercing. Reverse the process of removing the jewelry for new labret jewelry. After inserting the jewelry, tighten the beads to make sure that the ball or beads will not fall off.

Jewelry for Navel Piercing

Several types of navel piercings exist. A standard navel piercing is one which is done on the upper lip of the belly button. Inverse navel piercing also exists which is done on the lower lip of the belly button. In horizontal navel piercings, jewelry does not pass through the lip of the belly button, rather it lies horizontally above the navel lip. Lastly, multi navel piercings or navel projects include more than a single piercing in and around the belly button.

Navel jewelry afflicts the healing of the piercing, hence select the jewelry carefully. Rings and barbells are the most common shapes of belly button piercing jewelry. Other shapes like twists are also good for a better healed piercing, because of the pressure they may exert on your piercing. Appropriate jewelry materials for belly button jewelry include glass, niobium, titanium or 316-LVM stainless steel. Silver and gold contain nickel for strength but they may cause irritation. A body piercer measures the belly button for selecting the appropriate diameter or length of the belly button piercing jewelry.