by L.C.

Created on: February 11, 2010

You may have noticed a small bump that resembles a pimple that has sprouted up around your piercing. This is most likely a keloid, which is a scar that rises above the skin. Keloids have a smooth top and are pink or purple in colour, and as mentioned previously they generally tend to resemble small pimples. Unlike regular scars a keloid will not subside over time, but in fact will get progressively worst, resulting in itching, pain, and tenderness.

A keloid is typically caused because of irritation to the pierced area. This may be because you accidentally yanked your piercing or bumped it. They might also form if you are not taking proper care of your piercing. I personally have a friend who put foundation on her face every day, including around her nose ring, and because the makeup got into the healing wound it caused a large amount of irritation and resulted in a keloid.

If you have a keloid there are a few things you can do to get rid of it. Crushing up Aspirin and putting it directly on the keloid can help, as can reducing the gauge of jewelry. You should also perform several sea salt water rinses a day to ensure that your piercing is healing properly and to relieve any irritation. As keloids are caused by irritation in most cases, soothing sea salt water can assist in healing them properly. As soon as you notice what might be a keloid you should see your piercer immediately, as they can recommend what to do before the situation worsens.  

If you have a keloid you absolutely shouldn’t pick at it, scratch it, or attempt to “pop” it like a pimple or remove it from your skin. This is guaranteed to aggravate the keloid further, and will not get rid of it. Picking at a keloid will only serve to make it bigger and even more painful. Also, do not try home remedies such as using alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, which will only dry out the piercing and kill new skin cells trying to heal your wound and the keloid. This will obviously only cause further complications. Also don’t try to use Polysporin or other oil-based products found in your home. While these might work on cuts or scrapes you are dealing with an open puncture wound, and it simply cannot be treated in the same way as a regular wound.

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