Healed lip piercing issues

[inherentvolition]

Hi I've had a lip ring for almost two years and so far it hasn't been problematic but for the past two days it's been red and sore. I'm very concerned because my piercer isn't working due to the pandemic and im worried if it's an infection or if i have to change the jewellry. I haven't changed the jewellery at all btw. So im asking for any advice and I'll insert a pic here if anyone can tell if it looks really concerning. I'm also quite sad because a couple of months ago i had to retire a nostril piercing before it even healed because it was rejecting and now I'm worried this will happen again.

[Mazzy]

Hi inherentvolition. Have you got any rock salt to make up a SSS? It is not the salt you put on your dinner table though it is the more coarse one. I would put a pinch of rock salt in half a cup of boiled water. Cool it down to as warm as you can stand and soak it with a cotton wall ball. The warmth should ease the pain away. I only SSS my piercing's when they really play up as my body isn't too keen on them but, often it can help. I haven't got my lip pierced but, a few of my piercings have become irritated lately. The warm weather we were having set mine off.

Is any mess coming out of it at all? I think it looks more irritated. An infection it is often mentioned on this forum that you would know if you had one. They are really bad. Can anyone else on here advise more please?

[-yv-]

Unlikely to be an infection.

My experience says that piercings sometimes get irritated. Often it is if you are otherwise unwell or even just run down, for example my tongue piercings play up when I have a cold.

I'd say leave it for a while. Salt soaks would be OK but please leave it alone as much as possible

[inherentvolition]

Thank you for the advice, I'll definitely be using the salt soaks but not too much of course. It does not have pus or anything but it has become slightly swollen like what I'd get before getting an irritation bump but I've never had a bump on this piercing before so i hope it won't show up at all and the swelling will go down with the salt soaks.

[Mazzy]

No problem inherentvolition. Hope your piercing feels much better now. That is good you have no puss. It sounds more irritated.