When we are healing a piercing we have our immune systems to thank. Our immune system steps up the moment we are injured, working hard to rebuild the damaged cells at the site of the injury and keep us healthy and safe. Our immune system is so incredible that the moment your piercing is done and we are inserting your jewelry, it’s already working to heal that piercing that was made a mere moment before. Without our immune systems, we couldn’t do all the amazing things we do with our bodies. So what happens when our immune system is overwhelmed during the healing process? What happens if we get sick? How does that affect our piercing’s healing? Let’s take a look.
Getting Sick
Our immune systems are constantly working to protect us from bacteria, viruses, fungi, or unhealthy cells such as cancer cells. It is constantly detecting harmful things and working hard to fight them off and prevent us from getting sick or hurt. However, this process isn’t always successful, and sometimes these harmful viruses and bacteria make it past our bodies’ natural defenses, and we end up getting sick anyway. Our immune systems consist of many working parts, affected by things like nutrition, diet, sleep, stress, and other health concerns. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, our immune system may not be strong enough to fight things off. Other times, the virus or pathogen may be particularly skilled at slipping past immune defenses and infecting a host. Sometimes bacteria multiply too fast for our immune system to keep up with. Whatever the case, something has gotten us sick, and now its I’m for our bodies to fight back.
In fact, most of the symptoms we associate with being sick are actually our body fighting off whatever is hurting us. For example, viruses often make us sick by killing cells and disrupting cell function. Our bodies usually respond by producing a fever as heat can inactivate many viruses. Often we assume the fever and feverish symptoms are from the virus, and in some ways it is, but it's our bodies actually trying to fight them off. Likewise, when you are sick and have lots of green mucous in your nose, that’s a sign that lots of white blood cells have been working overtime to fight the infection in your body. That green color and increased mucous production are a result of your body working hard to keep you healthy.
But when our bodies are dealing with fighting off illness, they have little time or resources left to worry about our piercings. Especially piercings that are still healing. So if you end up getting sick during the healing process of a piercing, you may find that not only are you sick, but your piercing is as well. With the body’s efforts focused on fighting off whatever ails you, it often neglects to tend to your piercing. Many folks may experience increased secretions, redness, tenderness, and even irritation bumps cropping up while they are sick.
The type of piecing can also change how affected things are. For example, if you catch a cold while healing some earlobe piercings, it’s likely they might become a bit irritated or tender but will probably bounce back easily. But if you are healing a nostril piercing, the constant nose blowing and rubbing may cause further physical irritation to the piercing on top of the internal strain on your immune system. This often makes irritation bumps likely to form.
This can even happen to healed piercings. One of my colleagues recently had a bad cold, and lamented to me that she ended up removing her septum jewelry because it was getting so irritated from the constant nose blowing. From the physical symptoms of your illness to the effects of dealing with them, when you are sick your piercings may have a hard time!
What to do
Now if you do find yourself sick and dealing with grumpy, angry, irritated piercings- what do you do? Well, the best thing is to focus on getting yourself better. Unfortunately, while you are sick your piercing is not likely to make major improvements. So rather than worry about your piercing- focus on getting yourself better. Get lots of rest, stay hydrated, and make sure to eat some nutrient-dense food. Soup with lots of veggies is perfect for this. Try not to push yourself too hard, and make sure to give yourself time to fully recover. Once you are better, then you can focus more on your piercing. Getting a followup with your piercer is never a bad idea in these situations. They can take a peek at what’s going on and suggest any aftercare methods tailored to the irritation you may be experiencing.
When you are sick, your whole body is sick- this includes your piercings! And with piercings often taking 6-9 months to heal, it’s fairly likely you’ll end up sick during some portion of the healing process. Please be gentle to yourself, focus on feeling better, and know that irritation with your piercings is normal. As you nurse yourself back to health, your piercings will improve too. Happy healing!