I did a consultation for a man who was concerned about his apadravya piercing:

Hi Elayne,

I love my aprydavya, but I have been having problems with it lately.  I have been doing the sea salt soaks (1 teaspoon per cup of distilled water).  It has been irritated over the past two weeks and was not getting better with the nightly salt soaks of 20 minutes.  Also, I think I may have screwed up with making a batch of the solution, storing it in a separate container and poring it into another container to soak as opposed to making a fresh batch every time   Now I make a fresh batch of the solution,  but do you think I should see a doctor about the irritation?  Also, do you think that the jewelry may be too long?  When wearing tighter pants, it really contorts the angle and I think that is were the irritation started.

I have attached photos.

Thanks!

My response:

It doesn't look worthy of a doctor visit to me. The irritation may be from trauma, as you mentioned in your message. You'll need to check your own jewelry fit: when you're fully erect, if there is still extra room on the bar then you can and should get a shorter post put in. It should just fit when you're fully erect with no extra bar length.

For piercing care and troubleshooting, I’ve found something immeasurably superior to anything I’ve ever suggested previously—and FAR more effective than just saline spray.

I am advocating the use of Briotech, rather than soap or saline-only care, and you can order it right from that page.

I’ve done a great deal of research on it, and it is absolutely incredible! The active ingredient is the same substance produced by our white blood cells to reduce inflammation, destroy pathogens, and foster healing! It is the first aftercare product that has been used for piercings that has numerous scientific studies proving its safety and effectiveness for wound healing. Further, it kills far more germs than anything else, (it has a 30-second kill time for MRSA!) and it does so without drying the skin or harming tissue. All you do is spray it on, so it is the easiest aftercare as well. 

You can see photos of my own near-miraculous healing experience with it here.

I have seen that it be very effective for minimizing bumps like the ones you’re experiencing. It is certainly worth a try.

Additionally, you should probably review the information on saline soaks to make sure you're doing everything properly. A 5 minute soak is perfectly fine, and doing them more frequently is better than doing them for a longer period.

Do you warm the salt water solution? That is important for maximizing its healing effect. Also, it is critical to rinse the salt off when you're done.

You may want to try the NoPull Piercing Disc. They can be very helpful to diminish scar tissue formation and also protect you from pressure of the jewelry against sensitive skin. Information is here.

Finally, it may be a good idea to try another style of underwear. Many men find that snug, supportive, stretchy under garments help to minimize movement of the jewelry and therefore trauma, too. 

Keep me posted!