My navel piercing is very red & tender around the top hole, is this normal?
I got this navel piercing with a 14kt White Gold curved barbell (the guy I got it from said it was not made with nickel) last Saturday (06/13), so I've had it for six days. I recently developed a very red ring around the top hole of my belly button piercing and it's very tender. I noticed that for the first two days when I used Glycerin soap to clean, the ring was pink. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not but when I switched to Provon, the ring turned more red. I went to my piercer and he said it looked infected and he "suggested" I put Neosporin* on it and/or go to a doctor. I went to my doctor today and he said it was not infected at all and he told me to put Bacitracin on it and just watch to make sure the redness does not spread, no unhealthy discharge develops, and that it does not swell up. He did say it could be the start of an infection but there are really no signs. *I've read you're not supposed to put any kind of ointment/cream b/c it reduces the oxygen to the piercing / can collect bacteria So here are the symptoms or lack there of: Very red No pus Hardly any discharge (only after I clean it, and it's white) Tender/Sore Not abnormally hot to the touch I just don't know what to do about the redness, can anyone tell me what will help? And how long does this period usually last? Is it an allergic reaction to the metal? The beginning of an infection? I've been cleaning it with Provon 2x, Sea Salt Soaks 2-3x, Emu Oil, and H20cean (when I don't have time to soak). I guess I'll I'm asking for is some reassurance that this is normal, preferably from ppl. who've had their navels pierced or who are professional piercers themselves, but any sound advice will suffice. Thank you so much and I apologize for the size of this question!
Is clinique redness solutions line worth the money? 10 points! :]?
No it is not. Here is the ingredient listing in the ........ Redness Solutions Urgent Relief Cream active ingredient: hydrocortisone acetate 0.50% ingredients: water/aqua/eau, cyclopentasiloxane, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), cetearyl alcohol, squalane, butylene glycol, glycerin, sucrose, isostearyl neopentanoate, avena sativa (oat) kernel extract, camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria), cetearyl glucoside, hydrogenated lecithin, cholesterol, linoleic acid, methyl glucose sesquistearate, sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, carbomer, sodium chloride, stearic acid, disodium phosphate, potassium carbomer, citric acid, disodium edta, phenoxyethanol, sodium dehydroacetate. The main ingredient is Cyclopentasiloxane. Cyclopentasiloxane is a silicone fluid, silicones put a seal on the skin not allowing it to breathe, hence blocking pores and causing acne. There is some good things in this, but they are trumped out by the high amounts of silicone. The other disturbing thing is the hydrocortisone, constant use of this breaks down the outer layer of your skin and can result in patchy skin pigment and see through skin patches. It's not a good thing to constantly be putting on the skin. You can check the safety of the ingredients here.........http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/product.... Be careful what you put on your skin as it can have long term effects. I deal with many of my clientele who have rosacea and I personally use Faerie Organic Minerals on them as they are good for your skin, and they are anti-inflammatory due to the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They have a free sample kit too so you don't have to invest big money. Their website is http://www.faerieorganic.com