1. Drop out.

     The most common problem - patchy, uneven colour, occurs during healing
and is apparent once the tattoo has healed fully.

        A. Exposure to sunlight - causes colours to appear faint and uneven.
        B. Over-soaking in water, ie: swimming, long baths/showers, also applying
	too much cream, too frequently - causes the scab to soak off, drawing
            out pigment. The scab over a healing tattoo should feel dry and slightly
	soft to the touch. If it has become too moist/weepy, keep it dry for
	1-2 days and it should return to normal.
        C. Not applying cream - causes the scab to dry out, contracting, becoming
            more sore and cracking, leaving unpigmented scar tissue.
        D. Excessive movement, ie: excercise - causes the scab to split, leaving
            unpigmented scar tissue.
        E. Chafing of scab inside clothing - tears portions of the scab away,
            leaving unpigmented scar tissue.
	
	
Back


2. Histamine reaction.

     Swelling of the tissue around a healing tattoo is caused by cells in the
'damaged' area producing histamine, which promotes inflamation as part of the
healing process - blood capillaries also become enlarged, allowing more blood,
containing healing agents, to reach the area.
     A healing tattoo will often swell slightly, although some locations, such as
the ankle, may occasionally become excessively and painfully inflamed. This
swelling will go down within 1-2 weeks and application of cold compresses and
anti-histamine creams will help.


Back


3. Infection.

     Infection of a healing tattoo, as with any wound, is caused only if the area
is allowed to become dirty; matter containing bacteria collects around and
inside the wound and the area becomes swollen and very sore. Stringent
cleaning or a course of antibiotics should clear up any infection, but the tattoo
will almost certainly appear faint and patchy when healed.


Back


Piercings

1. Sceptic.

     The usual assumption, if a piercing is swollen, red or sore, is that it has
become infected. Infection of a piercing, as with any wound, may occur only
because the area is allowed to become dirty. Stringent cleaning or a course of
antibiotics should clear up any infection.


Back


2. Granuloma.

     The most common problem is the formation of a granuloma beside or around
one or both holes, a spongy, red lump or bubble made up of scar tissue,
sometimes accompanied by excessive discharge - the bodies natural healing
response to any foreign object embedded in the skin which is causing irritation
of the surrounding tissue. With a piercing, the jewellery is probably rubbing
on, or being pulled around by clothing.
     Application of a little dry salt to the area while wet will reduce a
granuloma within a few days. With a tongue piercing, a granuloma may be
caused by constantly playing with the jewellery, most commonly with a new
piercing - application of Aquafresh tooth paste to the area seems to clear this
up within a few days.


Back


3. Excessively dry skin.

     Redness and dry, flaky skin around a piercing may be seen if, when saline
solution is recommended as part of an aftercare regime, too much salt is used
in the solution, drawing fluid out of the skin and causing it to dry out,
sometimes apparent as a very dry, flaky/crusty red area. This will clear up if
a correctly mixed solution is used - 1 level teaspoon of salt to 1 cupfull of
cooled, boiled water, mixed fresh daily.


Back


4. Migration.

     Migration, when the jewellery actually grows out, is a 'risk' everyone takes
when aquiring a new piercing - any foreign object, such as a splinter embedded
in the skin will do so. Migration will occur between 3 weeks and 6 months after
piercing. Usually this risk is low - with navel piercings, roughly 2 in one 100
people, in my experience, and maybe 10% of these will experience this
repeatedly with any piercing.
     Some piercings are more liable to migration than others; surface piercings
(across a flat plane of skin) pull the skin out of shape, causing irritation and
standing a fair chance of growing out; eyebrow piercings, possibly due to the
delicacy of facial skin, fail in roughly 5% of people; tongue piercings rarely
migrate, probably because the piercing is deeper and the tissues of the mouth,
also the eyes and genitals, heal much more quickly than those of the rest of the
body.
     The signs of migration become apparent when the piercing becomes
shallower and fails to heal completely within the normal time.


Back


5. Embedding.

     Embedding occurs when the jewellery worn in a piercing is too small - the
length of the bar section should ideally be 1-2 mm longer than the gap between
both piercing holes; about 1mm of the bar may be seen when at rest, the extra
allowing for bodily  movement without pinching. If jewellery pinches
excessively, usually the top ball, the smallest, will be pulled inside the rim of
the top hole, stretching it larger and creating a crater-like depression which
will probably weep excessively.
     Fitting properly sized jewellery will allow the area to return to normal
within 2 weeks or so.


Back


6. Allergy.

     An allergic reaction to approved body piercing jewellery is rare - the area
becomes swollen, very sore, covered with a red rash, the skin will appear to
pull away from the jewellery leaving a loose hole and the piercing will
discharge excessively. Changing the jewellery for a piece made of a different
material should allow the area to return to normal.
     Materials used to make body piercing jewellery are surgical steel (316L
grade), titanium, gold, PTFE, as these do not oxidise (tarnish/rust) in the
presence of moisture; any substance which tarnishes, such as silver, could cause
severe irritation and is not suitable for a fresh piercing. A lot of after-
piercing jewellery is made in silver (the bar section is usually surgical steel or
titanium) - and may be fitted once the piercing has completely healed, perhaps
2 months or so after piercing.

Back