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Downsizing Is Important
What Does "Downsizing" Mean?
When you are initially pierced, a long post will be placed inside the piercing channel to accommodate the swelling that will occur as a reaction to your fresh wound. Once the swelling goes down it’s important to return to your piercer for a shorter post/barbell, this is called "downsizing".
Your Body experiences a foreign body response with body jewelry the same way it would with a splinter or a thorn. There are a few important factors that go into tricking your body into allowing this foreign object to stick around without trying to reject it.
The Piercing Must:
- Be thoughtfully placed
- Be pierced perpendicular to the tissue
- Be cleaned properly
- Have implant grade jewelry
- Have jewelry at the proper gauge and length
- Be downsized at the right time by a professional piercer
The Risks of Waiting Too Long
Photo courtesy of body piercer Brenda Martinez.
A few things will happen if a piercing isn’t downsized to a form fitted barbell soon enough. It will get caught and snagged; continuously irritating the piercing channel. This prolongs the amount of time it will take for your piercing to heal.
A long ill-fitted post will never sit flush against the tissue, any amount of pressure on either the front or back of the jewelry will make the whole thing cause pressure. This often leads to irritation bumps due to pressure and movement. When we sleep on jewelry that is too long the piercing is never able to sit naturally which leads to crooked and migrated piercings.
As you can see from the picture to your right, the middle piercing especially has migrated and swelled significantly due to the irritation from wearing an ill-fitted barbell for several months.
The Risks to Your Teeth with Oral Piercings
Photo courtesy of sandiegosmilecenter.com
Damage to your teeth and gums is guaranteed to occur with a barbell that is too long. Remember that damage to the teeth and gums is always a risk with having oral piercings, so it’s important to listen to an educated Piercer as well as your Dentist for advice to minimize this. Annual dentist visits to ensure your piercing is not affecting your teeth and gums is highly recommended.