You've probably heard the terms "migrate" and "reject" in relation to body piercings before, but do you know the difference? Some get the two confused or think they are two words that mean the same thing. However, they are not - despite the fact that they are closely related. I will explain the differences here.

Rejection is when your body decides that your jewelry is a foreign matter that it needs to fight off. For whatever reason, it doesn't like it and starts sending in forces to remove it. You may not even realize this is happening, but subtle signs such as soreness, warmth and redness without the presence of infection could be an indication that your body is fighting against your piercing. Rejection is the cause of migration.

Migration is the effect of rejection. It's what happens when your body is successful at fighting the foreign body - your jewelry. It will slowly push the jewelry closer to the surface of the skin and create scar tissue behind it to prevent it from returning. Then it will push it a little farther and create more scar tissue. This process will continue until it eventually pushes the jewelry right through the surface of your skin, unless you remove it first.

What can you do about it? If you notice a piercing migrating before it becomes too severe, you can always try switching to a higher grade of jewelry like niobium or titanium. Sometimes these materials cause less interference with a sensitive constitution and may trick your body into thinking that the foreign matter is actually gone. Unfortunately, though, this doesn't always work and once a piercing starts to migrate it is difficult to save. Your best option is to remove it before it creates too much scar tissue or rips through the surface of your skin. Once it has fully healed you can have it repierced again.

But won't it just reject again? Not necessarily. If you try a higher grade of jewelry next time, that might do the trick. Or it might have been an issue of it not having been properly pierced in the first place, so be sure to find an experienced professional and tell them that you have a history of rejection. They will be able to make suggestions and ensure that the piercing is done properly to lessen the risk of future migration.