I recently received this message:

Hi Elayne,
I've had a vertical labret since early June and recently it has developed a bump around the lower exit point. My piercer advised me to do salt water soaks twice a day, which I have been doing, and also mentioned not using any lip balm as it may block the top hole and stop air from allowing it to heal.

I have been reading your articles in the Pain magazine archives and noticed you mention keeping the area around the wound moisturised for optimal healing. Would you please be able to help clear this up for me? Should I use some kind of moisturiser on my lip around my piercing?

On another note, I have only recently 'discovered' you as I have been researching genital piercings. I found your site to be incredibly informative and easily accessible and it was a massive help in deciding to take the plunge and get a vch, which I did last week. I'm now patiently (or not so patiently! haha) waiting for it to heal so I can test it out! You come across as very approachable and obviously incredibly talented and passionate on your site and I watched some videos of you and found you to be so beautiful with such a lovely, calming manner. (Oh dear, I can hear myself gushing here!) Your site has also influenced me to want to get a triangle done, and I would love nothing more than to have you pierce me sometime when I travel to the States in the future. (I would like to send you some pictures once my vch is healed so that you can assess me for suitability :) and hopefully I'll be a good candidate!)
Thanks Elayne,

Thanks so much for all of the positive feedback; I appreciate it!

If you can send me a clear, close up photo or two,I 'd be happy to take a look at your piercing to check placement, jewelry fit, and your tissue reaction to see if I can come up with some troubleshooting ideas. Saline soaks certainly seem a reasonable option in any case. Everything you'd want to know about them is posted on my site (from my book):
http://piercingbible.com/saline-soaks

If you don't object to using animal products, I'd suggest you try emu oil. 
Whenever you're ready, feel free to sign up for a photo consult so I can evaluate your build for a triangle piercing. These are the photos I'll need to see: https://www.piercingbible.com/piercing-information/vulva-piercings/anatomy-consult-photos

The information on my site is just a tiny taste of what's available in my book!

To order: go to my web page: http://piercingbible.com, locate the book cover in the right-hand column then select your shipping method from the drop-down menu. Click the "Buy Now" button.

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