Is my nose piercing infected??

Question

I have my nose pierced and I just started back to school. My school is very strict and doesn't allow nose piercings, so I have to wear a clear retainer. My nose piercing has been perfectly fine...i've had it for 3 months and I take care of it and its been great. But ever since I started school last week, it seems infected. It hurts bad, sometimes like its being pierced again, and I have a bump inside my nose that bleeds and seems to be swollen.

I've only been wearing the clear stud for a week and that's around the time it started hurting, so I was wondering if maybe my nose just hasn't gotten use to the plastic on the retainer and its kind of infected from that.

Does it sound infected?? What do you think?

Answer 1

It sure sounds infected to me.  Leave the clear retainer in for a few days, and simply "bathe" the area with alcohol until it clears up.

Answer 2

Have you been using your cleaning solution on your nose?  Because sometimes if you "forget" to clean it for a few days and buildup gets around the pierced area it sits there and gets infected.  

Otherwise, I would strongly advise going to your piercer and have them take a look at it.

Are you cleaning in and outside of your nose?

Answer 3

Well, a stud has a higher chance of infection than plastic, so i dont think that can be it.

but if you arent washing yoru hands before you tough it, or if you switch it out a lot from stud to plastic without sterilization, then thats what i can imagine being the problem.

mine got infected when i first had it, and i put neosporin and a bandaid on it and after a few days it was okay.

try that.

i hope it gets better.

:)

Answer 4

You may very well be having a reaction to the retainer.  Infections aren't caused directy by jewelry (unless it isn't properly sterilized) but by bacteria entering the piercing.  It is more likely that it is just irritated.

See if you can find a glass (pyrex) retainer in the size you need.  Yours is probably acrylic, right? Glass is a lot less porous and will be better for your piercing.  Start doing sea salt soaks again like you did when you first got it done, that will help.

If in doubt, go back to your piercer and have them take a look.  That is part of what you gave them so much money for! ^_-

Good luck!

edited to add: Whatever you do, do NOT take the jewelry out (that will trap the infection) and do NOT put rubbing alcohol or peroxide or any of that other nonsense on it.  Just stick to the sea salt soaks.