The Dreaded Piercing Bump VS Keloid

Piercings are becoming more and more accepted in todays society, some people get them for spiritual reasons, other purely for aesthetic reasons. There are a million wonderful reasons that people enjoy getting a new piercing, but its also important to note that no matter how skilled your piercer is, there is a handful of issues that can arise such as keloid scarring (if you are genetically inclined) and hypertrophic bumps... aka the dreaded piercing bump.

Lets take a look at these two individual issues now, as there is a lot of confusion surrounding them.

The first thing to pay close attention to is that a Keloid IS NOT a Hypertrophic Bump. They may look similar but are actually very very different.

KELOID: Keloid scars are usually genetic and Keloid Scarring is actually a medical condition. Which is why its always a good idea to check if any of your immediate family if they have ever received a keloid scar from a piercing, injury, surgery or even a chicken pox or acne scar! This is a condition that causes excess scar tissue to build up above the skin and continue to enlarge and cover more surface area as time goes on. Keloid scars can be extremely itchy, and be painful if any pressure is placed on them. These particular scars/bumps usually need to removed by your GP or in extreme cases a plastic surgeon, as they will not go away on their own. It is a very rare occasion that a new piercing produces a Keloid scar, unless the client is predisposed to that genetic quality.

HYPERTROPHIC BUMP Aka : The dreaded piercing bump. These particular bumps are very common and surprisingly easy to heal! They can occur on almost any piercing, however they are more commonly found on cartilage based piercings for example - Nostril Piercings. Hypertrophic bumps are filled with fluid, dead skin cells and other wound debris that can become trapped by a multitude of reasons, such as: Lack of aftercare, incorrect aftercare, mucous covering the drainage point if inside the nose, sleeping on your fresh piercing, catching or bumping your healing piercing by accident etc etc. They are not a firm bump and feel rather soft and fleshy to touch. And they can also fluctuate in size after an aftercare soak. Hypertrophic bumps indicate that the piercing wound is unable to drain and need some extra care.

These bumps occuring do not mean that your piercing was performed incorrectly, your piercing is infected or that you are allergic to the metal used in the procedure. But I do suggest contacting your Body Piercer and booking a check up appointment if a bump starts to grow so they can determine the best form of treatment for you.

SO HOW DO YOU KNOW? There is a lot of misinformation available online, so its always best to visit your piercer in person if you are unsure of anything related to your fresh piercing.

Usually though, a Hypertrophic Bump aka the dreaded piercing bump grows on the actual piercing site and is relatively easy to treat. Whereas a Keloid Scar may grow further out than the piercing site, be harder to the touch, be darker in colour and may require medical intervention to remove.

For information on treatments or help with a piercing bump or for more information on this subject, feel free to contact myself or your book an appointment with your friendly local piercer and let us help you get on the road to recovery.