What should you know about an infected keloid piercing?

A keloid is an overgrown scar that extends beyond the original piercing injury. Infection may cause increasing redness, heat, throbbing tenderness, crusting, pus, or an unpleasant smell. The two problems can occur together, but a firm, enlarging scar is not automatically infected. A clinician may inspect the jewellery site, the skin surface, and nearby tissue before deciding whether local care, medicine, or a scar treatment is appropriate.

Wash your hands before touching the area and clean it gently with sterile saline or clean water. Pat dry, avoid squeezing or piercing the lump, and do not apply harsh antiseptics, acids, or leftover antibiotics. Avoid friction from headphones, helmets, or tight clothing. Do not remove embedded jewellery or force jewellery through swollen skin without professional advice; removal may allow the opening to close over infection, while leaving it in can also irritate the tissue. Once infection is controlled, options for the remaining keloid may include steroid injection into the skin, laser treatment, cryotherapy, or keloid removal surgery.

Arrange prompt medical care if redness is spreading, pain is worsening, pus is collecting, the jewellery is stuck, or the skin is becoming dark or very tense. Seek urgent help for fever, chills, marked weakness, red streaks moving away from the piercing, or swelling near the eye or airway. These signs can indicate infection extending beyond the original site and should not be managed by home care alone.

Ask whether the change is infection, keloid growth, or both; whether the jewellery should stay in place; how to clean the site; and when scar treatment can begin. You can also ask which approach fits the piercing location and whether a sample or review is needed if drainage continues.