I recieved a message from a woman who was concerned about the odor of her healed nipple piercings:

I am a female that has a nipple piercing from a reliable professional piercer who you recommend.

I have fairly large nipples and he used a large gage post for my piercing.  I experienced many months of bloody leakage that finally healed.  My piercing is over 2 years old, but now I have a daily discharge of white fluid that has an odor.  I want to have an attractive piercing that isn’t stinky.  Could I schedule a consultation to review my situation and possible options?  Do I need to just remove my piercing?  Can I exchange it for another gage?  Can I change it out for a different piece of jewelry?  I love having my nipple pierced and how it feels, but the drainage is really a bother.  I hope you can advise me on my options.

Thanks.

Thanks for your message. If you've had your piercing for over 2 years and the discharge is smelly, I believe I know what you need. An appointment with me is not required. You're welcome to change your jewelry, but that is not required and is unlikely to have any effect on this particular situation.

The excerpt below is from my book, The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing, and it explains the issue:

Sebum is a substance from your oil glands that collects in healed piercing channels. It is a naturally occurring product of the body, containing fat, keratin (a fibrous protein), and cellular material. The purpose of sebum is to protect your skin and hair, keep it moisturized, and to inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the skin. People sometimes mistake it for pus, but it is more solid and cheeselike and has a distinctive rotten odor that reflects the dead cellular debris it contains. 

There is a product that was invented to deal with this specific issue and the good news is, it works GREAT! Visit this page of my site for information:

http://piercingbible.com/funk-piercing-deodorant