6.1 The Healing Process
Description
This article is from the Piercing FAQ, by Anne Greenblatt with numerous contributions by others.
6.1 The Healing Process
General Wound Healing Process
The wound healing process is comprised of three overlapping phases:
inflammation, proliferation, and maturation.
During the inflammatory phase, blood vessels contract and red blood
cells clot the wound while white blood cells collect in the wound to
fight infection.
During the proliferative phase, special skin cells migrate into the
wound beneath the crust (scab) and grow. Granulation tissue fills the
wound and new capillaries form, giving the tissue its red color and
granular texture. The wound begins to contract and the granulation
tissue is soon covered with a layer of epithelial tissue (new skin
cells).
During the maturation phase, also known as the remodelling phase, new
collagen is formed to create a scar. The wound slowly regains strength
as the scar reaches its final size and shape. Scar maturation usually
takes at least a year. A scar is only about 80% as strong as the
original skin.
Piercing Healing Process
During the inflammatory phase, the area surrounding the piercing will
be slightly red, swollen, and may feel warm to the touch. These
symtoms should not worsen and should last no longer than a week.
Unlike a wound such as a scratch or cut, a piercing cannot heal across
tissue layers. A piercing can be thought of as a tunnel whose entire
inner surface must heal. If the body is unable reject a foreign
object, in this case the jewelry, it begins the healing process in
order to create a barrier against the foreign object.
Because the environment within the piercing is moist, the piercing
cannot form a crust. The piercing will produce an exudate (discharge)
of lymph and dead cells. The discharge is white to off-white in color
and dries to a yellow crusty formation around the openings of the
piercing and on the jewelry.
As the epithelial layer forms the piercing may constrict around the
jewelry. The epithelial layer can easily be torn or dislodged; do not
force the jewelry to rotate. The piercing may need to be soaked in
warm water to allow the skin to expand so that the jewelry can be
rotated.
Once the final layers of skin cells form within the piercing, they
must toughen and strengthen. This process often requires 6 months to a
year. As the piercing becomes more cohesive the entrances will round
inwards, like a donut hole, and the piercing will become more flexible
and relaxed around the jewelry. The tissue surrounding the piercing
will soften.
If you plan to keep your piercing do not remove your jewelry for any
length of time while it is healing. If changing the jewelry is
necessary the change must be continuous to prevent the piercing from
shrinking or closing. Please refer to Part 7 of the Piercing FAQ for
information about changing jewelry.
Most body piercings require at least 6 months to a year before the
jewelry can be removed for any length of time without the risk of the
piercing growing closed. After the piercing has toughened it will not
close but will often shrink, in which case the piercing must be
stretched using an insertion taper to reinsert the jewelry.
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