Is this nose piercing bump a keloid?

sweething · #1 Jun 12, 2008, 06:32 AM

Can someone tell me if this bump around my nose pierce looks 'normal'? The piercing is almost a month old and this bump has only gotten a little smaller in the last week. I had another one earlier in the piercing that was smaller and shrank a bit, but didn't go away completely.

My piercer said it was a keloid, which I know is hard to get rid of, but I'm wondering if he just doesn't know the difference between that and hypertrophic scarring? I had a keloid on my cartilege piercing several years ago that shrank with cortisone shots.

I clean it twice a day with a pinch of organic sea salt in warm tap water. Should I be doing anything else?

Thanks!

nauticalstar420 · Jun 12, 2008, 02:00 PM

That is not a keloid. That does in fact look like either hypertrophic scarring, or just plain old swelling. Its hard to tell from a picture, but it is not a keloid.

Sea salt, regardless of what you may have heard, actually has no positive effect on piercings, and if overused, it can actually have a negative effect. It is very drying to your piercing, and can cause redness, itchiness and flakines, among other things. If you choose to continue with the sea salt, reduce to only once a day. Other than that, clean it once a day with antibacterial (Dial) soap. Not more than that. Overcleaning can also be a cause of hypertropic scarring. Dont touch it, unless to clean it, and dont play with it or constantly change the jewelry. Pick a piece of jewelry, and stick with it. With the proper care, hypertrophic scarring should diminish on its own.

sweething · Jun 12, 2008, 11:17 PM

Thanks for answering!

I started off using antibacterial soap, until the bump appeared and my piercer told me to switch to sea salt.

One more thing - the inside of the stud often twists down, so the 'stem' is visible in the inside of my nose. I asked my piercer if that was a problem, and he said it wasn't. Do you think it may have to do with this? I never touch the piercing except when cleaning.

nauticalstar420 · Jun 13, 2008, 04:10 AM

Are you still wearing the jewelry that you were pierced with??

sweething · Jun 13, 2008, 08:29 AM

yes - it's been pierced for one month.

nauticalstar420 · Jun 13, 2008, 02:27 PM

Ok, when you get pierced, they use jewelry that is longer than normal to allow room for swelling. Now that its begun the healing process and the swelling has died down a bit, you are probably just starting to notice the extra length in the jewelry when you are able to see the stem inside your nose.

That is nothing to worry about unless the ball on the jewelry starts going through the hole. That is a possible sign of migration or rejection.

Brianna_Nicole · Jul 23, 2008, 08:57 PM

I'm having the same problem, and my bump looks just like hers. I'm also having problems with my nose ring falling out at night. I've tried using tea tree oil on the bump to make it go away, and I clean my piercing with h2ocean and have been since I got the piercing almost a month ago. What should I do to make the bump go away? I really want to keep my piercing.

Beauty Queen · Oct 20, 2008, 09:14 PM

Nah I got my nose pierced and the same thing happened to mine. It's not a keloid....the small bump comes there due to irritation form either moving it or cleaning it too much. After a while it goes away or gets smaller but i tried the sea salt which didnt do much but I researched it and found out that nature tea tree oil is a good aid to get rid of it. It actually worked!! No more bump

halo_girl02 · Nov 27, 2008, 09:23 AM

I have the exact same problem. After reading these answers I have just been not touching it for about 3 days, only once a day to clean it with soap. It has gone down significantly. I was going to try some of the tea tree oil everyone has been talking about but luckily I haven't needed it yet. I would try leaving it alone for a few days and see what happens!

MARCIIE22 · Aug 14, 2009, 11:37 AM

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY NOSE PIERCING AND ITS BEEN 3 WEEKS SINCE I GOT IT PIERCED. THE FIRST WEEK WAS FINE UNTIL I KEPT ON TOUCHING IT TO MUCH AND OVER NITE I GREW A BUBBLE. I BEEN USING THE SEA WATER TO AND ALSO THE " STEAM TREATMENT" THE REDNESS WENT AWAY AND IT WENT DOWN ALOT BUT ITS STILL THERE IT LOOKS LIKE A PIMPLE BUT ITS NOT FULLY GONE. I CHECKED OUT VARIOUS SITES INCLUDING THIS ONE AND I HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE GREEN TEA SO IM GOING TO BUY IT TODAY TO SEE IF I CAN GET RID OF IT. ITS SO AWFUL LOOKING.