I received this message today:

Hello Elayne, I was recently cleaning my apadravya and noticed that I have what looks like a tear or some sort of injury on the head of my penis. My piercing is fairly new, I believe it is 4 months old. I don't know if this is simply because it's still fresh or if I have something more serious to deal with. I have been sexually active but I haven't done anything rough or overexerting. I have worn protection and I haven't had any pain during sex. I have included a picture of the wound. It doesn't hurt, but it is (VERY SLIGHTLY) more tender to the touch than the rest of my penis. If you could respond to this ASAP then I would greatly appreciate it. This has been worrying me a lot. Thank you very much.

Hi there,

It definitely looks irritated. Please see this page for my aftercare guidelines.  Also, I'd highly suggest you do some mild warm saline soaks (followed by a clear water rinse), several times of day if you can. 

Go easy while that's irritated. Even if it isn't very sore, it should be treated gently until that issue is resolved.

One final thought: is the jewelry snug fitting even when you're not erect? If there isn't a little bit of room on it, you could end up from irritation like that due to constant pressure. Even if there is sufficient space on the jewelry, if the top ball is resting too pressed up against your skin (from underwear or clothing), that can cause problems too. I hope this proves helpful. Let me know how it goes.

Sincerely,
Elayne

Elayne Angel, Author
The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing
President, Association of Professional Piercers

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