I had my tongue web pierced about seven months ago. If you are looking for information on the piercing itself (procedure, jewelery, aftercare, etc.), please go here. The piercing healed uneventfully, with no major problems experienced. Until...
At A Glance Author zoisite Contact zoisite@bme.anon IAM zoisite When N/A One morning, I awoke to find that the bottom of my mouth was sore; it hurt to move my tongue, and I experienced some pain while eating. I didn't think anything of it initially, as the piercing occasionally got irritated from plaque build-up or small injuries (tear while eating etc.). It wasn't particularly painful, so I ignored it and continued on with my day. The next morning, I awoke to find myself in much more pain that became progressively worse as the day went on,; it was becoming clear that something was not right. In the afternoon, I made an in-depth inspection of the piercing in a mirror. What I saw horrified me: the entrance and exit holes were inflamed and oozing thick white pus. My heart sank when I concluded that it could be only one thing -- infection.
I knew I had to do something in an attempt to combat the bacteria multiplying within my mouth. I did a good gargle with Plax mouthwash (which I routinely use to break down the plaque build-up that is all too common with oral piercings), followed by a long gargle with saline solution (0.9%W/V sterile solution, obtained from a hospital or pharmacy). By this time it was late Friday afternoon, and I pledged to myself that I would spend the night researching my term paper in the library and then going to the Emergency Room to get a prescription for antibiotics. I was a bit nervous that the doctor would give me the lecture on "how horrible piercings are" and how I should "remove it immediately". However, the number one thing to remember is to never remove jewelery from an infected piercing -- when the piercing heals over, it will seal in the "problem bacteria" and not allow fluid and puss to drain resulting in an abscess (which is a much more serious problem than an infected pie rcing!). Anyway, my intended plans for the evening changed when my friends called me to go out for sushi and then out clubbing. I convinced myself that one more day couldn't hurt the piercing, so long as I rinsed with saline frequently and went to the doctor first thing on Saturday. Second thing to remember: don't put these things off!
When I woke up the next morning, my tongue web was doing just as badly as before: swollen lumps on either side of the piercing, and still oozing puss. By this point I was in panic mode, so decided to march over to the ER and wait in line to get a prescription. The staff did not consider my problem serious however, so sent me off to the walk-in clinic on campus that had opened a few days ago. Of course it was closed... Now, the earliest I would be able to see a doctor was Monday morning! I didn't want to sit idle for the next day and a half, so decided to make a post in the IAM "Body Piercing" forum to see if anyone could offer me any advice. IAM proved to be my saviour; someone posted a reply suggesting I try gargling with hydrogen peroxide until I could see a doctor.
Now, at first glance this seems like a very bad idea -- hydrogen peroxide is one of the biggest aftercare "taboos", and only the most old-school piercers (and doctors who don't know better) still recommend it. However, treating an infection is quite different from routine cleaning; it requires drastic intervention to prevent the problem from escalating. I have volunteered in various veterinary clinics, where hydrogen peroxide is used for flushing out drained abscesses (infected wounds that have been sealed under the skin's surface -- this is what happens when the jewelery is removed from an infected piercing and the fluid isn't allowed to drain; it collects under the skin and has the potential to burst due to the pressure unless it is lanced and drained). Hydrogen peroxide kills growing cells; it is this characteristic which makes it a horrible aftercare product, as it will destroy the new cells forming in the skin tube and therefore greatly prolong healing. However, for th e treatment of infections I view it kind of like "chemotherapy" for piercings. Cancer-fighting drugs work by killing cells: because cancerous cells multiply faster than normal cells, more of the cancer cells are killed -- thereby eliminating the cancer. However, some host cells are killed in the process. It is a similar situation in an infected piercing: the bacteria responsible for the infection have a short generation time and so are multiplying at a very rapid rate -- significantly faster than the body's cells. The hydrogen peroxide kills the multiplying bacteria, but it will also kill some of your cells in the process. As such, it should only be used selectively and in situations where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
On Sunday morning I walked over to the campus drugstore to buy some hydrogen peroxide. To my surprise, the instructions on the bottle even said "For use as an occasional mouthwash for minor oral infections; dilute one to three times with water before use". I bought a small bottle (there's no point buying large quantities of hydrogen peroxide, as it decomposes rather rapidly and so loses its potency -- make sure to check the expiry date before buying!) of 10 Volume concentration containing 3% W/V hydrogen peroxide in water. Upon getting home, I poured a small amount into a shot glass, diluted it to half strength with distilled water, and gargled. It was a very strange sensation: at first it feels and tastes like normal water, but as time elapses it begins to react and foam in your mouth, increasing in volume. Don't gargle with too much at a time, or you will end up with a huge mouthful of awful-tasting foam! I gargled for about thirty seconds, and then rinsed for the same am ount of time with water. I did this two more times during the day, and religiously gargled with saline after anything foreign entered my mouth (you can never overdo saline, as it is isotonic to the body; so long as it is at the correct concentration, feel free to gargle to your heart's content!). I didn't notice much of a difference that evening, except that the tissue under my tongue had gotten a yellowish tinge from the peroxide (it is also a bleaching agent).
When I woke up the next morning, I was amazed to find that my tongue no longer ached! Upon inspection, I happily noted that the swelling on the entry/exit holes had gone down and the piercing had stopped oozing pus. I decided to see how it fared throughout the day; if any pain or puss was noticed, I would make an immediate appointment with the doctor. I didn't have a single problem with the piercing all day; it really appeared that the infection was gone after only three hydrogen peroxide gargles! I kept an eye on the piercing for the next few days in case a remission was observed, but it remained fine.
An important question to address is how I got this infection in the first place. I can only think of two possibilities. A week previous, I had accidentally shared food with a friend who had a cold. The other possible incident was "fooling around" with a stranger. The lesson: ALWAYS be careful with foreign body fluids entering your piercings! Even healed holes can get infected -- you can minutely nick the piercing without noticing (ex. while eating), creating an open doorway to your bloodstream. Don't share food with friends who are sick, and be careful who you choose to make out with. Consider what other fluid-borne diseases can be contracted (i.e. HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, etc) this way, which are much more serious than an infection!. If you suspect a piercing is infected, try and get to your piercer AND a doctor immediately -- both professional opinions are important. I was not able to visit my piercer (too far away), and my attempts at seeing a doctor failed; for these reason s I decided to "take matters into my own hands", so to speak. I am not advising that anyone follow my method -- simply use this experience as you see fit and remember your common sense.
Unfortunately for my poor piercing, this was not the only peril it faced in its lifetime. A few months after the infection scare, I began to notice that the piercing was migrating on the right side. From this point on I began to examine it daily, only to find that the problem became more and more pronounced. It was the beginning of the end... Finally, when the left side of the piercing was almost pushed out to the centre of my tongue web, I went into my favourite piercing shop to have it removed. Even though I had went with the express purpose of retiring the piercing, when the time came I really had a difficult time going through with it. I wasn't ready to give up until my piercer bluntly told me, "if you don't take it out now, it will reject completely and leave a nasty scar through the middle of the web which will result in a much longer waiting time before you can redo it". That sealed my piercing's fate -- out it came. I actually shed some tears as I left the studio. T his really was one of my favourite piercings. It was a comforting feeling, always having that little piece of metal tucked away under my tongue. Anyways, I digress...
The important question now becomes, "Why did this piercing reject?". One can never know for sure all the factors leading to migration and subsequent rejection, but my piercer and I are fairly certain of what the problem was. I had been a "guinea pig" for my tongue web piercing; it was the first one my previous piercer had ever done. The placement was fine, but the jewelery she used was, according to my present (and very skilled ^_^) piercer, much too big. The ring was over 7/16" in diameter -- so large that the bead rested against the back of my teeth. This in itself could have caused gum erosion problems, but luckily my dentist never observed any. The main issue with a ring this large was that it didn't sit flush in my mouth; it rested against the front teeth and so caused downward pressure on the piercing. This resulted in a build-up of scar tissue, mostly on the left hole. It remained like this for about six months with no problems, until a trigger set off migration. Tha t trigger, I believe, was stress: at about the time I began to notice the problem, I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown due to certain problems in my life. This high stress level affected my overall physical health, especially that of my piercings (which are one of the first indicators of un-wellness -- quite often when pierced people are coming down with colds etc., their piercings will become irritated). Judging by the timing of the events, it certainly seems like stress was the probable cause for the piercing to begin rejecting. It's of course impossible to know for sure though; this speculation is based on my own experience and reading, my piercer's expertise, and BME research. The bottom line is, try and keep yourself mentally and physically healthy for the sake of your piercings (and your whole body, of course!), and make absolutely sure the right jewelery is used for every piercing you have done.
Happily, next month I will finally have an opportunity to have this piercing redone. As it has been almost eight months since the piercing was removed, the major scar tissue it left has been absorbed by my body (immediately after the piercing removal there were visible lumps, especially on the left side, due to the migration). Right now, it doesn't appear that I ever had the piercing at all. It's always important to wait until the majority of the scar tissue has been re-absorbed by the body before attempting to re-pierce, as it can cause problems with placement. I will definitely be using a smaller diameter ring this time around, and hopefully will have no further migration/rejection problems. Either way, expect another tongue web piercing experience soon!