Jenova writes: "I got my nipple pierced about 2 years ago...The piercer was incompetent and likes to pierce everything with a ring (which I'm told never heals properly) Anyway my piercing never healed properly and ended up growing around the piercing a bit.
I allowed it to close up but it didn't go back to its old shape and so I ended up repiercing it. Again he used a ring.
I changed it to a barbell and now 12 months on from that, it's still healing and is deformed compared to my other nipple."
What kind of jewelry do you think heals better and why? What has been your experience?
Comments
I wore a ring and healed just fine. Why’d you go back to the same person if they did such a bad job?
What gauge was the ring? I’ve read that you can pierce with a ring as long as you go slightly up in gauge size—then, when it is healed, you can wear smaller barbells in it and not be affected by the slightly curved scar tissue.
I got my nipples pierced about 3weeks ago. My artist told me that barbells were the way to go because they dont get moved as much as rings which leads to less infection. Mine are healing great so far!
In my experience, an autoclave sterilized, anodized, internally threaded titanium barbell in the correct proportion and thickness for the area should heal with less friction and irritation than a ring of similar quality and fit. This should result in less scar tissue, and allow for greater sensitivity when healed.
We do not use rings as initial jewelry, and encourage you consider them like high heeled shoes, kind of awkward and best worn carefully when healed or only for short periods of time for decoration or play.
Please use the information on our Jewelry Safety Page at piercing.org for an explanation of jewelry standards.