The Ultimate Guide to Piercing Infections & Complications: Allergic Reactions

The Ultimate Guide to Piercing Infections & Complications: Allergic Reactions

Contact Dermatitis is a skin rash caused by an allergen or irritant. This is most likely from low quality jewelry or harsh soaps, disinfectants and cleansers. If you have gone to a quality piercer - please remember that you were pierced with sterile equipment and as long as you follow the aftercare instructions and clean the piercing as recommended, you do not need to disinfect the wound.

Many people are sensitive to nickel, a metal found in most body jewelry. Surgical grade Stainless Steel or .316 may contain up to 5% nickel and most people will not have a reaction to this material. If you do have a reaction to .316 Surgical Steel, we recommend Gold, Titanium or Niobium, although normally twice the price of Surgical Steel they contain no nickel and are completely safe.

We do not recommend other types of metal for initial piercings aside from Hand Polished Surgical Grade Stainless Steel, Hand Polished Titanium, Gold or more uncommonly Niobium. You can also try more flexible materials like PTFE or Bioflex.

We only recommend INTERNALLY THREADED or THREADLESS jewelry

 Identifying Dermatitis
• Redness, rash (blisters, multiple pimple-like eruptions, or hives), and inflammation; sometimes cracking, flaking, or peeling skin follow the initial outbreak
• Localized swelling, tenderness, and possible warmth
• Oozing clear fluid
• Itching and possibly burning
• The hole of your healing piercing becomes visibly larger than the jewelry in it

 

To Treat Dermatitis
Do not use anything other than Saline Solutions or Sea Salt to clean your piercings, Avoid harsh chemicals, scented products, products with any dyes, disinfectants such as alcohol, Dettol, Hydrogen Peroxide etc.

Ask your piercer to change your jewelry to a higher quality material. Avoid .925 sterling silver, plated metals etc.


How To: Use Seam Rings
How To: Use Threadless Jewelry