I just wanted to put up an informational post about keloids, since it comes up fairly often and it's a pretty nerve-wracking thing to think you might be forming one. Keloids themselves are fairly rare, and there are several things that are often mistaken for keloids, so here's the down-low:

- Keloids: A true keloid is an overgrowth of scar tissue (caused by buildup of collagen within the scar tissue) that forms a bump or ball. They are very firm and often colored differently than the surrounding area. They can be painful, but not always, and they continue to grow beyond the original wound, forming large (and un-cute) lumps. Keloids (to my knowledge) do not respond to salt water compresses or other healing tactics, since they are in fact healed skin - just healed in an abnormal way. A keloid is considered a benign tumor since they continue to grow beyond the wound in an abnormal production of skin cells. Here is a picture of a true keloid: www.entusa.com/Ear_Photos...eloid-2.jpg

- Hypertrophic scarring: This is, in my experience, the #1 culprit for keloid-mistaken-identity. Hypertrophic scars are also abnormal scars, like keloids, but they do NOT expand beyond the boundary of the original wound, whereas keloids do. They are often reddish, but not normally tender in the long term. Hypertrophic scars can be faded with Vitamin E oil (provided you don't have a reaction to it) and other topicals like cocoa butter. Hypertrophic scars around piercings can appear to be reddish, somewhat firm bumps. Here is a picture of a hypertrophic scar on a navel piercing: www.painfulpleasures.com/xcart...ue.jpg

- Abscesses: Another reddish bump culprit, this is an irritated/infected area around the piercing that fills with pus. These do hurt most of the time, as they are inflamed from your body's immune response. This can be a reaction to infection in the piercing, or it can be a reaction to the piercing jewelry itself. Always be sure your jewelry is inert! Cheap jewelry can cause you a lot of grief, and even cost you your piercing. In extreme cases, infections can spread, and you really don't want that. Abscesses can also form later in the piercing's life due to OVERcleaning - that is, cleaning with the wrong product (such as hydrogen peroxide, which actually destroys new skin cells) or cleaning too often/when the piercing doesn't need cleaning. As a general rule, you should not be cleaning an older piercing every day. It is healed skin and it can manage on its own, barring excessive dirt/yucky stuff. For example, my nose piercing is over 7 years old, and aside from washing my face and taking out the stud/ring and cleaning with with hydrogen peroxide now and then (I let it dry before reinserting), my piercing takes care of itself. Plus, I keep my nose clean. Wink wink. I couldn't find a decent picture of an abscess that was on a piercing site. Pus is the big indicator of an abscess. Infections can, in some cases, require the use of antibiotics.

Remember the pierce-ee mantra: If something is funky, I will talk to my piercer. They are trained, and they know what to do. (Repeat as needed). If you for a moment suspect your piercer isn't that bright, go talk to someone else!