Keloid Nose Piercing

One of the unwanted side effect of nose piercing can be the formation of keloid scarring! Keloid nose piercing are a kind of overgrown scar tissue that results in a raised, discolored area of skin that can be either ridged or lumpy in texture. Common causes of keloids are injury to the skin, surgery, wounds, acne, chickenpox, burns and needle puncture of the skin, such as happen with both vaccinations and piercings.

While you browse looking for information about keloid, take a look at keloid nose piercing scars and you will become motivated to do whatever it takes to avoid them! Keloids are scars that grow beyond the boundaries of the initial wound (in this case, from the piercing). People who develop them complain of a painful burning sensation-not to mention the unsightly scar. Keloids do tend to run in families, so give a second thought to nose piercing if people in your family have developed them. And they are also more common among darker-skinned people. But you can increase your chances for better healing if you eat plenty of collagen-rich foods, such as soy products or dark green leafy vegetables. Tomatoes and red peppers contain collagen-boosting lycopenes. You can also eat salmon, tuna, and nuts-foods that are rich in omega acids. Olives (black or green), cucumbers, and celery will also help.

Risk of Keloid Nose Piercing Scarring

Keloidal scars occur when the scar doesn't stop at the site of the piercing. Keloids are characterized by smooth, shiny, raised scars, and they don't go away. They are also itchy and painful.

There are also hypertrophic scars, which are shiny and raised, but they don't grow beyond the boundary of the piercing. Some hypertrophic scarring can be reduced by cortisone injections.

Give a great deal of thought before you have a helix piercing, because they are prone to keloid scar formation. A helix piercing is a horizontal piercing that affixes the jewelry with two holes. Using a piercing gun instead of a smaller needle is also not recommended.

Professional Piercing is Better

Having said about keloid nose piercing problems, you can avoid simple scars if you have your piercing done properly. Never let someone pierce your nose with a gun! You cannot avoid that minuscule splash of blood that hits your skin when the gun shoots that stud through, and you don't want germs from the last gazillion people who were pierced to get into your open skin. Plus, think about the shooting action of the gun, ripping your skin to make way for the stud and then pressing it in tightly so that there is no breathing room. Does that sound like something that will heal quickly and cleanly?

Keloid Nose Piercing: Prevention/Solution

According to the Mayo Clinic website, you can reduce the risk of keloid scarring by following a careful and stringent regime of piercing aftercare. Take care of your new piercing by cleaning the area at least once every day with antibacterial soap; make sure your hands are clean before touching your piercing or its jewelry. Minimize snagging and tearing of your new piercing, which can lead to keloid scarring, by wearing loose clothing and toweling yourself gently and carefully after bathing.

Keloid Nose Piercing: Treatment

If you experience significant keloid scarring at or near the site of a piercing, there are several possible treatment options. Many keloid scars will go away without medical intervention. Persistent keloids can be removed by corticosteroid injections, freezing, laser therapy, pressure or radiation. Surgical keloid removal is another option, although this treatment carries a risk of causing greater keloid scarring at the surgery site.

Keloid Nose Piercing - Other Considerations

One of the factors you should think about before you get a piercing is the potential for developing a keloid nose piercing scar. Can you live with that possibility? In most cases, the scarring will be minimal, barely noticeable!

But it's best to prepare yourself to deal with nose piercing scarring by stocking up on both a natural sea salt solution as well as one of the many useful oils. Experts prefer tea-tree oil, germseed oil, or even extra virgin olive oil. Don't wait until you need one of these products in the middle of the night-have them on hand ahead of time.

Some of the most serious problems that develop from a piercing occur because the person listened to his friends' advice instead of following his piercing professional's instructions. This is a fact: Many people do strange things to care for their piercings, and just because they heal without incident doesn't mean that you should do what they say. Some people will change their nose jewelry long before the area is totally healed, for example. The piercing site looks good to them, and they don't stop to consider that several layers of tissue are healing.

When you are getting your piercing done, ask your piercing professional for aftercare instructions ahead of time. You might be excited or a little uncomfortable immediately after the piercing, and if you wait until then to receive instructions you might have difficulty remembering them!

Increase your odds for a good piercing experiencing by following all instructions-and being prepared for anything out of the ordinary.