Things to consider when treating a troubled piercing or considering jewelry removal from a piercing:
The majority of troublesome piercings can be resolved without the piercing being lost.
• Advice to simply “take it out” is likely to be met with resistance from the piercee, and if infected can lead to the formation of an abscess (see below)
• Changes in aftercare and/or jewelry size, style or material may resolve the problems for the piercee/patient
• Inappropriate placement can also be the cause of problems. In this case removal is often required, and if done timely will prevent further problems
• Even momentary removal of jewelry from a healing piercing can result in amazingly rapid closure of the piercing, and make reinsertion
difficult or impossible
• Ointments used for topical treatment are not
preferred for body piercings: They are occlusive and can limit oxygen
circulation to the area, tending to delay healing of this type of wound
• They leave a sticky residue that makes cleaning the healing tissue more difficult
• If necessary, gels, creams, or other water soluble products are preferred for topical application
• Signs of accumulative allergic reaction to ointments are papules and redness of surrounding tissue

Inappropriate aftercare is one of the most common
causes of a distressed piercing:
• Alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Betadine, Hibiclens and/or ointment(s) are all inappropriate products for body piercing aftercare
• Over-cleaning can irritate piercings and delay healing
• Daily non-iodized sea-salt or normal saline soaks and/or cleaning with a liquid anti-microbial or germicidal soap once or twice a day is suggested for body piercings
• Daily non-iodized sea-salt or normal saline rinses and/or antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol free mouth rinses, 4-5 times a day is suggested for oral piercings*

Acceptable materials for wear in body piercings include:
a) High quality surgical implant grade stainless steel (specifically 316LVM ASTM F-138)
b) Niobium
c) Titanium (specifically Ti6A4V ELI, ASTM F-136)
d) Solid 14k or 18k white or yellow gold
e) Solid platinum
f) Dense, low-porosity plastic such as Tygon or