I received this message from a piercee:
I got a vch done about a month ago and last night I noticed a red blood bubble kinda of on the top by the ball could this be a keloid forming? It's bleeding and gets stuck to my underwear it's kind of like tissue idk what it is really I was just wondering if you could help me out pls as in what to do...thanks D.
Hi D.,
It is hard to evaluate without seeing it, but that doesn't sound like a keloid. It sounds more like it might be a granuloma. What did your piercer say?
Feel free to send some clear, close-up photos so I can evaluate your piercing.
Here's part of what it says in my book, The Piercing Bible, about granulomas:
An unattractive, scary-looking growth can form at one or both openings of your
piercing due to irritation. If it is dark red and resembles raw hamburger, you probably
have a granuloma. It may not be as sore as it looks, but it might bleed easily or drain
clear fluid. Navels are more prone to granulomas than most other body piercings. They
are not always indicative of a need to give up on your piercing (though your doctor is
apt to tell you otherwise); some piercings heal successfully following a bout or two with
such growths. You must determine whether your irritation is from jewelry that is of
poor quality or improperly sized or shaped, or perhaps from other external forces. That
factor must be adjusted if you are to have any chance of healing.
Sometimes performing four to six saline soaks daily will result in an improvement of
bumps, irritation, or troubled healing. See chapter 16, “Trouble and Troubleshooting,”
for more details on granulomas and other types of healing problems.
On page 206 you can find more information about dealing with this problem.
Do you know if you're wearing internally threaded jewelry? (See attached image.)
If the jewelry isn't high quality, that can cause this problem. You may need to have the jewelry changed to a better piece. Was your piercer a member of the Association of Professional Piercers? They use quality jewelry....
Good luck,
Elayne
Elayne Angel, Author
The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing
Medical Liaison, Association of Professional Piercers
[email protected]
http://piercingbible.com/
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