Forum Discussion: Changing from a Barbell to a CBR
Sunday September 7, 2008
"My wife had her nipples peirced about 6month ago. Despite the pain of the initial piercings and long healing process she tuffed it out. About 3 1/2 months after the piercing she tried to switch from the standard 14g Bar recommended by the piercer to a ring with bead. She said the pain of trying to switch was too intense and had problems getting the curve of a ring through the nipple (it wouldn't come out the other side) She also still experiences soreness in the nipples from time to time. Any suggestions on what she might be doing wrong?" - Awood23
Blood Thinners and Tattoos
"My mother recently had a heart attack, and is now on blood thinners. She wants to get a tattoo on her ankle. I know that you aren’t supposed to get a tattoo when you have been drinking, and I figured that prescription blood thinners would be the same thing. My mom is determined though. Is there any advice you could give me and my mom about this?" - mandy9r
Comments
Hey well for starters not all piercings heal as quick as people think, I usually say minimum 2-3 months to change but I do find a lot of people may not be ready, Nipples and bellies are plain out a pain in the ass to heal sometimes they can take 6 mths to 2 years to fully heal, mine gave me problems for like a year, year and a half. Just keep persistance if it hurts maybe changing it may not be a good idea but seek professional opinion from a local piercer as it could be the selection of jewellery thats delaying the healing process. Again evaluate the aftercare your using and keeping yourself healthy has a lot to do with it… Sorry for my novel hope this all makes sense I just type don’t proof read…lol
I’ve seen the change out time vary for nipple piercings from about a week to never. It can be a real trick getting a curved ring through a fistula (healed hole), and even harder before the scarring inside the fistula has had enough time to progress to secondary healing (when the scar softens and the skin regains elasticity).
Some aftercare products including anything containing alcohol or soap can delay healing especially if you have sensitive skin. Some people also might have reactions to the jewelry but I wouldn’t consider this an option until aftercare concerns are ruled out.
Also it’s possible that she is doing everything correctly just cleaning the piercings too often which can keep them irritated.
Way back in the day Jim Ward of Gauntlet recommended hibiclens for aftercare and it took me over a month to determine that it was making me sore, when I switched to betadine the problem cleared up within a few days.
When in doubt it’s a good idea to visit your piercer and get a visual inspection and opinion as to how you are progressing.
I’ve had mine pierced twice (two years before my son was born and a year after), each healing time was about a month. The first time I actually had a barbell done and the second time a ring. If it’s still hurting after 3 months I would seek out a professional opinion. Hurting and healing are two different things. A piercing not fully healing after that time is understandable but still hurting could be an infection. I would suggest being safe rather than sorry.