Bumps are very commonly seen after getting a nose piercing. The following ThoughtfulTattoos article provides various ways to treat them.
Today, nose piercing is one of the most popular form of body piercing. It makes a unique style statement that helps you stand out in the crowd. On an average, the healing takes around 2 to 4 months. During this period, bumps may develop at the site of piercing.
With proper aftercare, the chances of occurrence of such bumps can be reduced to a great extent. However, sometimes, despite all efforts, they may develop. If you start treatment early, it ensures faster healing, and reduces the chances of further complications.
Causes
- Some people have the tendency to touch the newly pierced hole again and again. When it is done with unwashed hands, then dirt and bacteria comes in contact with the area and causes infection. As a result, red, pus-filled bumps may develop after sometime which are very painful.
- Improper technique can also be responsible for infection. This happens when an inexperienced or non-professional piercer uses unsterilized equipment.
- Using the wrong type of jewelry is one of the main cause. If the ring is very small, then the hole can get choked easily resulting in painless bump.
- Wearing a poor quality ring or jewelry can be responsible for this kind of problem. Inexpensive rings have rough surfaces which get rubbed against the delicate skin of newly pierced hole, forming bumps.
- If the jewelry is changed or removed a number of times, when the wound has not healed properly, then there is chance of such bumps.
Home Remedies
When you first discover a bump around the piercing hole of your nose, check for a boil or pimple. Such bumps are quite common, and can be easily treated at home. Try sea salt treatment on it. First of all, wash your hands properly with antibacterial soap. Then take some soap on a cotton ball, and clean up the area surrounding the piercing hole with this cotton. Now, pour some boiling water in a wide bowl, and add 2 teaspoons of sea salt in it.
When the water is lukewarm, place affected part of the nostril into the solution for 5 – 10 minutes. Finally, rinse off to remove the salt from the area, and apply an antibiotic ointment on it. This remedy works wonders on the infection. It dissolves the pus inside the bump, and provides the much-needed relief.
Hot compression with chamomile tea bags is another effective home treatment used for this purpose. Take some warm water and dip a tea bag into it till it becomes warm. Then place the tea bag on the bump for 10 minutes. This should be done twice a day for best results. For faster recovery, you can use both sea salt soak and chamomile tea alternately.
If the bump is hard and refuses to go, then you can use tea tree oil on it. Dilute one drop of tea tree oil with a suitable carrier oil like olive oil. Take this mixture of oils on a cotton bud, and apply it on the bump. It should be used twice a day. Tea tree oil has strong antiseptic properties that can fight off the infection really well. However, it may cause skin irritation. So, do not use it directly on the skin.
Treatment
The home treatments discussed in the previous section should show desired results in 3 – 4 days. If it does not happen, then it could be a serious issue, and may require medical attention. When you visit your doctor, he will first try to treat an infection with oral as well as topical antibiotic medicines. Sometimes, to facilitate draining out of the bump, doctors remove the jewelry and insert a wick into the hole. However, you should not try removal of the jewelry on your own. This can aggravate the infection. You may feel a strong urge to pop or squeeze the boil with your fingers, but you should not do so.
For a hard lump, doctors recommend corticosteroid therapy, where the bump is softened and flattened with the help of steroid injections and topical creams. Collagen injections, skin resurfacing, and dermabrasion are the other techniques that are popularly used to reduce the piercing bump. There is a serious type of dark-colored boil known as keloid which are bigger than the usual bumps. These boils cannot be treated with medicines, and have to be removed surgically.
If you take a few precautionary measures then you can prevent formation of such bumps. You have to keep the pierced area clean. However, too much cleaning ca also be harmful. Make sure your hands are clean before you touch the area. Use jewelry made of pure metals such as gold or titanium on the newly pierced hole.
