Your piercings need all the tender love and care it needs, especially because untreated ones lead to some harmful post-piercing issues. While some of these issues are normal and shouldn't be a cause for immediate panic, it's best that you still try to make yourself aware of what effects they may lead to and ultimately, how you can stop them from ever causing some serious damage to your health. 

Swelling and infections

These reactions often happen while the piercing is very fresh. Microrganisms, such as fungi and bacteria, attempt to invade the body and cause infection. The body reacts and attempts to fight off the infection by surrounding it with white blood cells. Often there is increased swelling and redness and the piercing will be sore to the touch and a thick discharge of grey, brown, or green puss will excrete from the site of the piercing. If treated early on, you can leave compresses to do the job, but when left unchecked, then you may have to go for anti-biotic treatment.

Migration

A piercing that migrates will usually move a few millimeters out of its original location. Sometimes this is because the person might be allergic to the metal and so should also display the signs of metal hypersensitivity. On other occasions, migration will occur because the jewelry used in the piercing is too big and is resisting the elasticity of the skin, and so the body allows the jewelry to move into a more comfortable spot.  

Scarring

The scars most people are naturally left with after piercing are hardly noticeable. Keloid scarring can happen to anyone, though individuals with darker skin pigmentation might find that they are more susceptible. A keloid scar can appear as a large red and purple mound beside either end of the fistula. It can sometimes be sore, though not always, especially if it causes slight swelling to aggravate the jewellery's position in the piercing. There are many natural and traditional ways to deal with scarring. You can use Tea-Tree oil, Germseed oil, and extra virgin olive oil or even natural sea salt solutions.

Longer healing time

The greater the blood flow to a certain area, the faster it will heal — and the less vulnerable it will be to infection. Ear lobes, tongues and lips have some of the fastest healing times, at four to six weeks, thanks to their high blood flow, or vascularity. Cartilage on the outer ear or nose, however, takes longer to heal. That doesn’t mean a nose piercing will hurt for months on end, though. It's just that it still requires careful cleaning during that time.

Allergies to the jewelry

Jewelry containing nickel, cobalt or white gold can cause allergic reactions, and any reaction would usually go away shortly after removing the piercing. Surgical-grade stainless steel, titanium or 14- or 18-karat gold shouldn’t cause problems.

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