Inside: Genius ways to stop lip piercing embedding if you’re struggling to figure it out!
Seeing a piercing (new or old) start acting in such a way you don’t think is normal is a little unnerving, and it can be tough to decide if you’re overreacting or if you just don’t know what it’s supposed to look like.
If you just got a new piercing in a soft area and you’re not sure if the way it’s embedding into your skin is normal, don’t worry– it’s typical. That doesn’t mean it’s good or healthy, but it isn’t so rare that you should be concerned that something is very wrong.
There are a few actions you need to take if you’re going to fix it without much damage. And you can fix it without there being too much damage, but you do need to do something about it!
Read through your options and take the best action for you– and do so quickly so nothing gets any worse. You got this!
How To Stop Lip Piercing Embedding vs Nesting
The first thing to know is that you will see some slight nesting from your new lip piercing. As your oral tissue is so soft, and the skin is getting used to a new addition to the area, it’s going to look as if the jewelry is embedding slightly, and that’s okay!
Over time, it’s going to become like a part of your body and find some space there, and the skin will move around the piercing to give it a place to sit. It’s natural, and it will make your piercing look more natural too.
So nesting is one thing, embedding and being swallowed up by the skin is another.
If you’re seeing embedding, don’t stress, but here are some ways to fix the issue and help get your piercing back in order.
Call Your Piercer
The best thing you can do with any questions you may have about how to stop lip piercing embedding and the way it’s reacting is to go right back to the professional that gave you the piercing. Sure, you can go to any experienced piercer, but ideally, going back to your original will be most helpful for a few reasons:
- They know what your lip looked like before.
- They know what kind of jewelry was used.
- They know what procedure was used to perform the piercing.
All of these areas may play a part in the situation, and if they don’t, they know that they can rule them out as causes. Ultimately, it might be as simple of a solution as changing the jewelry out to a longer bar– there! Easy fix.
And even if that is the case, you’ll want the person that originally gave it to you to replace it. It will feel a little more relaxed to not have someone new playing with your lip, and since this process is likely going to sting a bit, it would be best to trust the person doing it.
If that isn’t the issue and they need to take greater action, it’s still better to know that the person treating the area and fixing the problem has been there through the whole process. It’s ideal for any issue, really, to have someone fixing it that knows the situation from start to finish. It would be difficult for a new piercer to try to figure out what the previous one did to find their starting point.
Lip ring embedding is a common enough issue that your piercer has likely seen it before. So go on in there (make an appointment first!) and figure that out to save your lip ring!
Call Your Doctor
Infections aren’t anything to mess around with especially when it comes to your mouth area. So the only time I would recommend you call a doctor over a piercer is if the embedding is looking a little more infected than simply just sinking into your skin.
If it doesn’t obviously need medical attention, they may direct you to a piercer anyway, seeing as it is their area of expertise. If you’re not sure if it needs medical attention or not, here are some things to look for when looking for an infected lip piercing:
- Swelling beyond just the piercing site.
- Discharge.
- Pain in the form of throbbing.
- Redness (aside from the initial piercing redness)
- The feeling of warmth
All of these symptoms are similar to that of what it looks like right after your piercing. If you see all of these symptoms in the first week or so of getting your piercing, do not panic… It’s a reactionary to a needle in your skin. But once a couple of weeks go by, if all of these signs are increasing, it’s time to call your doctor. Again, an infection in your mouth isn’t something to hopefully heal on your own, go see a professional that can give you tips to treat it right away.
Over the phone, they may tell you to remove it, or how to clean it so it may not be as dire as going in for a visit, but it’s better safe than sorry!
Don’t forget your saline, twice a day!
Remove Or Reduce Swelling
If you can’t get in to see your piercer or your doctor right away, the next best thing you can do is reduce the swelling in the area to keep your embedded piercing from being totally swallowed up. This one feels a little like ‘“… well duh.” But you can’t remove the swelling all on your own so you’ll have to do what you can and simply minimize it.
Reducing swelling before you can go in will ensure minimal damage is done while waiting for your appointment. The less it swallows the lip piercing, the less it will damage the area in the long run.
And it will make it easier when you get in the chair, especially if the piercer or doctor has to actually remove the ring, this will make it easier to work with if the swelling has gone down, and it will be easier on you if it’s taken off some of the irritability.
The best way to stop lip piercing embedding is to apply ice to the swelling pierced area in an ice pack, as well as avoid drinking through a straw and no hot beverages and spicy foods. These can be irritating to the area and will increase swelling.
New piercings and the way they react to the body is scary, especially if you have a history of your body rejecting piercings. When you see something a little off, you’re going to jump to conclusions!
But the thing to remember is that every part of the body you pierce has different reactions, even positive ones. Not everything needs to be panicked over, but in the worst case scenario, call your piercer and try to get in there so they can help identify the problem. They’ve most likely seen it before.
So when your lip piercing is stressing you out, calm down, reduce the swelling and get in there to see your piercer. If you need a doctor, go ahead, but they may not know exactly what it is that’s going on with a piercing, as it’s not their area of expertise.
Go save that lip piercing!