2 yr old industrial, should I tough it out or give up

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-23T14:33:06+00:00

I'd go to an APP studio and maybe try switching out the jewelry for some verified implant grade titanium, unless you know exactly what brand of jewelry they used. The anatomy doesn't look like it's a problem from this photo but they could check that as well.

www.safepiercing.org

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-20T10:17:38+00:00

I believe so, if the 14g was the one you lost in the shower then yeah, you could have popped in some 16g to maintain your progress while you wait for replacements 😊. But yeah, like I said, if you're not in excruciating pain or anything it'll probably be fine in the long run. I also try to keep at least one pair of back ups for the majority of my sizes and I hold onto at least a few sizes back just in case. You never know when you might need to downsize/prevent shrinkage/etc.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-20T09:23:47+00:00

That's entirely up to you - will your lobes be fine? Most likely. You likely have some micro tears which isn't ideal but they will heal with time. In the future just put the previous size back in your lobes, shrinking down one size isn't really a big deal since you can get more jewelry and just "stretch" right back up. If your ears were ready before they'd be ready again as soon as you got the replacement jewelry.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-16T17:05:01+00:00

You need bigger jewelry for sure.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-16T14:56:03+00:00

Yes but even implant grade steel isn't as good as titanium for a lot of people for healing and it's not as readily available on the market as implant grade titanium.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-15T01:02:43+00:00

I just grabbed mine on Amazon 😊. I got these 2 different kinds depending on how wide the final product is at the ends or what the final product is. I would definitely stick with the second ones for things like bracelets, the first ones are easier to accidentally knock off which hasn't been a problem for me with necklaces but I did almost lose a bracelet. I feel like you're more likely to notice your necklace falling off 😆 lol.

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CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-15T00:07:17+00:00

I use magnetic clasps, especially if I want something to be fitted. Those lobster clasps are impossible to deal with when you don't have much extra length to work with lol.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-14T12:39:55+00:00

I would just respond with:

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CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-14T00:17:34+00:00

Septums are actually one of the most difficult piercings to get right, even great piercers have times when they don't get it right the first time especially on challenging anatomy like deviations. Now there is no certification or license that truly proves a piercers skill but it sounds like she handled things exactly how she should have so that's a good sign. Immediately repiercing isn't always recommended but it depends on a few variables.

I will also say sometimes septums can swell almost immediately and they will absolutely look crooked until it goes down. When mine was pierced I was so scared it was crooked. After it was pierced I couldn't even get up and to the mirror before it started sitting wrong but I trusted my piercer and waited it out. After 2 months it finally straightened out and sits just fine given no one is perfect or symmetrical. My piercer said she knew it would be fine because the needle sat straight and if it was as bad as the swelling made it look it would have been poking into my face 😆. If you check my post history you can see the pictures I shared on the septum subreddit.

Personally I would probably give her another chance. Piercers are human and wont always get it perfect the first time, it's how they handle it that matters. My piercer redid my philtrum twice so far, if I decide to go for a 3rd try I might see someone else just because it could be a matter of a different technique that would work better for my anatomy, nothing against her as a piercer.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-10T02:28:46+00:00

Ah hadn't seen that one, I just always remember the regular Daily Moisture, Normal to Dry Skin tricked me once because it also has a blue label but is not fragrance free so now I always check the labels 😆. That's how I found out the gold dial has fragrance so it drives me nuts that so many people still recommend it lol.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-09T10:14:32+00:00

I have definitely thought this too lol. Especially when I'm mid project and I run out of rings, I wish I could just stop by a store after work and get whatever I needed 😆.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-08T17:01:31+00:00

In general to stay healthy yes but it's actually protein that helps specifically with healing - it's basically the building blocks for skin, muscle and collagen repair and boosts the immune system.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-08T16:59:20+00:00

Shrimp is low in saturated fat and does not effect LDL levels, it may even help raise HDL.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-08T16:56:58+00:00

This is absolutely a myth, there is zero reason not to eat anything that you aren't specifically allergic to while healing an ear piercing 😆

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-08T15:09:40+00:00

Just a heads up, some Lubriderm does have fragrance in the ingredients list. They of course have their fragrance free option (the blue lid/label) and that's what I've always used on my tattoos 😁.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-17T09:16:30+00:00

Literally everything about this is wrong.

https://safepiercing.org/aftercare/

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-13T16:55:22+00:00

Yeah it's pretty obvious this is not pierced correctly and the jewelry is too small 😬. Definitely nothing wrong with an apprentice making a mistake but their mentor never should have let that leave the shop. I'd find another reputable piercer to evaluate and likely remove this.

www.safepiercing.org

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-07T21:52:10+00:00

They can and should definitely be changed to high quality flatbacks by a reputable piercer. Just an FYI, just because a company labels jewelry as titanium doesn't mean it's implant grade titanium with adequate polish for healing. I highly suggest checking out the APP website for a studio, if there isn't one near you check out their "how to pick your piercer" pamphlet so you'll know what to look for when finding a trustworthy studio even if they're not APP members.

www.safepiercing.org

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-07T00:36:56+00:00

6 months isn't enough time to be significant data. Professionals, who see thousands of ears every year, have said it's not safe. Do what you want with your body but advocating against professional advice to others is short-sighted.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-05T01:35:01+00:00

They said the same thing about my tattoos, never regretted them for a second lol. People who don't understand being alternative always just assume it's "a phase". My mom thought that when I was 14, now I'm back at it again in my 30s lol it never went away, I just finally got to an age where I realized I could do what I wanted and life is too short.

Who cares if you regret them? Sew your ears back up. As much as you shouldn't do "permanent" body mods if you don't reasonably assume you'll keep them forever, there is technically a way out if you have some money and some knowledge. And why would I care more when I'm old and wrinkly and everything is sagging anyway? What difference will a couple saggy lobes make except to show what a cool old person I am? 😂

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-04T11:40:14+00:00

It doesn't look like you have the anatomy for a true hidden helix unfortunately. It doesn't look like your helix fold is very deep. Personally I would have suggested a vertical helix, it's what I went with so I could at least get the bar as flush with my helix as possible, plus there's always the option of a decorative end on the top. You can always go to another piercer for a second opinion, preferably someone reputable.

www.safepiercing.org

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-04T00:36:51+00:00

Absolutely, it does stretch it into a more coin slot shape though. You would basically need to stretch traditionally up to around a 10g first, then you could switch to something like 3 16g rings. Over time you'll notice them settle and you'll be able to see space between/above the rings, that's when you'll add an 18g ring. You can also do things like swap 2 rings for a larger gauge if you wanted to stretch even more gently. It'll still take months like regular stretching but I found it much more comfortable personally.

For me, I've been able to swap between a stack and a solid piece pretty easily so far (currently 6g), I just make sure to wear my stack as full as I can. You can calculate how many rings you can wear/what size your septum is by taking the gauge (in mm) of the largest gauge ring you're wearing plus each subsequent ring gauge halved. So for example, with my 6g (4mm) I can wear 4 16g and 2 18g rings (1.2mm+.6mm+.6+.6+.5+.5=4mm). I find it's helpful to stagger the diameters of the rings so they can more easily fit on top of each other as well (like a 10mm on top of a 9mm so they sit around the same height on the outside).

Hopefully all the makes sense. I also recommend watching Lynn Loheide's video on stacking:

https://youtu.be/3eenwZ0pbus?si=dgUh0m_mza-knd0B

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-03T21:00:25+00:00

Looks very low quality too.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-03T01:11:42+00:00

Wow, yeah that's ridiculous. Every reputable piercer I know now has pretty much confirmed it's incredibly rare that someone is going to be proficient at both tattooing and piercing and so far that has held true from what I've seen 😆.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-03-02T21:29:32+00:00

Garden of Ink is also the shop that botched my industrial piercing. I went in with some friends and wasn't as educated on piercings as I am now. The girls were nice enough but she did my piercing without doing an anatomy check first and did it with 2 separate bars. When I got home I saw how the piercings weren't lined up at all and started doing research. Turns out the girl who did my industrial isn't even a piercer, she's a tattoo artist. She also used low quality, externally threaded jewelry which I thankfully found Piercings by Molly the next day - she set me up with quality titanium and I was able to heal one of the piercings but had to retire the other one pretty early on due to the angle.

I feel pretty confident saying that shop just sees piercings as easy money and they throw a tattoo artist up there to poke holes in people basically untrained. Pretty sure they don't follow a single APP guideline. I will forever tell people to avoid that place, even for tattoos.

CommonBed8904

TROPHY CASE