is my piercing....

*NONE OF WHAT I SAY HERE SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS ADVICE FROM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.  IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE AN INFECTION......SEE A DOCTOR.*

Infection Vs. Irritation

The Question:  How do I know if my piercing is infected??

The Answer:

What many people think is an infection may actually be an irritation to the piercing from outside sources.  If you have a new piercing that is going through the healing process, you may see things such as swelling, discharge and dried, crusted matter- don't panic!  

Infections can be caused by poor hygiene, contact with bacteria (stop touching it!), or overall bad quality of jewelry (you get what you pay for in life). 

Some warning signs of infection: 

*Warm to the touch at piercing site

*Running a fever

*Colored discharge

Irritations can be a result of bumping the piercing, body wash, soap, or shampoo (make sure you properly rinse these away if they come in contact).  Again, poor polish and overall bad quality jewelry are other contributors to this.   

Some signs of irritation:

*Crust

*Discharge

*Swelling and/or redness

Remember: It is important to communicate with your piercer before, during and after you have your piercing done so that you will be properly informed as to what you may expect during your healing period.  Also, know your body - if you think you may have an infection, your best bet is to visit a Medical Professional.  

From the Anatometal Newsletter by Heather.  

more on jewelry

So you've just plopped down $100+ on your new pair of gemmed eyelets or dangling gem navel curve and you couldn't be happier.  You've left the shop with instructions from your piercer, except you forgot to ask something: How do I clean this metal jewelry?

It's easy!

1) Soak the jewelry in a warm solution of mild liquid detergent and water.  

2)Use a soft brush if necessary to remove dirt and other build up. SOFT is the key here; don't use anything stiff enough to scratch the setting.

 3)Swish the jewelry around in the solution and then rinse with warm water. Close the drain first so as not to loose it!

 4)Dry with a lint free cloth

But before removing jewelry, do make sure you're all healed up first!  (:

sometimes i get distracted

Half of me forgot I had a blog.  Half of me wanted to forget because it's been a long few weeks and I don't want to have to have time for something else.  You don't care.

Let's reboot this thing with more about me, because no one is reading and I'm particularly fond of talking about myself.

I sell body jewelry for a living.  When I started, I made it, and now I sell it, seven years later.  It's the best body jewelry manufacturing company in the world, and it's not just me being bias.  This company believes so much in standing behind their jewelry it's sometimes to a fault.  People don't really understand what is put into making that navel curve or that tongue barbell.  It's just something to buy, not something to think through - what did someone do to make that?

Someone bought materials, ran the parts through a machine to create them, drilled them by hand, deburred the ends, hand polished them to a beautiful finish, hammered in each individual stone, all just to present you with something you see as a shiny new thing for your hole!

It's fast-paced and always-on-your-toes and sometimes chocked full of anxiety!  But it's a wonderful place to be, and I have family there, and I don't really know where else I would be in life.

So that's what I do for a living.