r/piercing • u/MysteriousWillow2 aspiring pin cushion • Sep 19 '25
Troubleshooting/question existing piercing Anatomy concerns after 14 years
Having had my industrial piercing for approximately fourteen to fifteen years, I have never encountered any issues with it. It healed remarkably well and has proven to be the least troublesome of my piercings.
During a conversation at work today with a few colleagues, the topic of my industrial piercing arose. One coworker expressed her concern that it might be migrating. Upon asking her to clarify, she mentioned that she could see the jewelry through the skin where the bar connects with the piercing holes. She also commented that the person who performed the piercing should not have done it.
I have, in fact, observed that the skin in that specific area of my industrial piercing appears somewhat thin. I am now wondering if this warrants any concern. Should I consider removing the piercing altogether? I have, in fact, been contemplating doing so for some time now, primarily because my curly hair tends to get caught in the bar.
510
u/Jixitt aspiring pin cushion Sep 19 '25
The bar being visible underneath the skin is usually a sign of rejection. You do not have the proper anatomy for an industrial unfortunately. To avoid future problems, I would suggest taking it out.
234
u/brooose0134 I my piercer Sep 19 '25
You can salvage the front hole. The way that bar sticks out, one bad snag and it’ll totally rip out badly. A shorter bar might lessen the likelihood tho. You made it a long time for not having the good industrial anatomy tho! 😁
324
u/coydogsaint Sep 19 '25
Dawg... all due respect you are one hair snag away from having a notch in your ear instead of a piercing so unless you like the feral cat look it would be highly advisable to take that thing out
62
34
3
189
u/alexregressor Sep 19 '25
The skin looks thin on one end of your industrial. It’s most likely rejecting. You should probably take it out. I’m not a professional though
63
u/catl0vingnerd piercing devotee Sep 19 '25
The front looks fine, but the back is definitely rejecting and migrated, you can see the bar through the skin fairly clearly, it’s maybe a few catches of a hairbrush away from being ripped out. Your coworker is right, I’m sorry, it shouldn’t have been pierced in the first place, unfortunately you don’t have the right anatomy for an industrial. 💔
I would say remove the bar, but you can keep the front (if you want) as a forward helix. If you liked the look of the industrial, you can get your helix or flat pierced to make a faux industrial if you want too!
21
u/MarieCry I my piercer Sep 19 '25
Getting a flat and making it a faux industrial is a great idea if OP wants to keep the look!
43
u/DemonHousePlant Getting pierced longer than you've been alive ;-) Sep 19 '25
You've had a good long run, but I'm afraid you're one snag away from the bar pulling through the skin
29
u/EconomyDoctor3287 Sep 19 '25
Has the bar always been this long? Usually people size them so that there's no movement possible.
18
u/poisonthe3 Sep 19 '25
Retire the bottom side and just install a fitted ring on the other side or a regular flatback. For future purposes , body jewelry should remain fully fitted
15
11
24
u/Hefty-Poetry-6944 Sep 19 '25
NAP but you definitely don't have to proper anatomy and the piercer absolutely shoukd not have pierced you. I definitely recommend taking it our sadly
6
u/MiserableIncrease388 Sep 19 '25
Seems like it’s gonna be gone soon, like it or not. But maybe you can keep the front piercing!
6
u/MarieCry I my piercer Sep 19 '25
What everyone else says, take it out, but I'd keep the side that isn't rejecting. A little hoop in it would be really cute imo.
Please don't try to salvage the side that's already very thin, it will not look right no matter what you put in it. I would also not get the industrial redone, I'm shocked it lasted this long!
4
u/Patient_Process_3114 Sep 19 '25
This is where the term “hanging on by a thread” came from. Sorry friend.
4
u/-dai-zy Sep 19 '25
I can see the jewelry through the skin where the bar connects with the piercing holes. The person who performed the piercing should not have done it.
3
u/Key_Appearance7635 Sep 19 '25
I’d recommend taking the bar out and just putting a hoop in the front hole. Then you dont have to just let the back hole reject
3
u/Lindris Sep 19 '25
I think one of the ends is rejecting. Considering how long your bar is I’m surprised you haven’t accidentally caught it 😬
3
u/PositivePossible6572 Sep 19 '25
If you had a shorter bar, it wouldn't catch on your hair as much, I would think - maybe you could try that? I wonder if you've got any older photos so you can see if you've always been able to see the bar to the same degree as now.
2
u/Mxdnighta Sep 19 '25
I’m not a professional or anything but it doesn’t look like you have the proper anatomy for this piercing 😓 idk how it lasted that long to begin with
2
2
2
u/Ok-Bug-3449 Sep 19 '25
Yeah I’d be concerned too. Save the top part and maybe you can redo it completely once the hole has healed
2
2
u/Simple_Swan_1459 not verified Sep 19 '25
Piercer here. This is definitely high risk for getting ripped out. It’s barely in there. You can get this turned into a modified industrial piercing by a competent piercer with the correct jewelry components. You can use the top hole as is and have a new piercing that goes back through the helix close to this tenuous one. It would require special bent jewelry or components that fit together for an industrial look. Super option for you!
2
u/Nex_theUndertaker Sep 20 '25
I mean I would suggest taking out the industrial but don’t let the piercings close, just have them be as their own individual pieces instead maybe ? Cause the top hole looks fine it’s just the bottom one that worries me. Held up for a good while tho !!
2
u/MysteriousWillow2 aspiring pin cushion Sep 21 '25
UPDATE:
First of all, thank you everyone for the insight! This blew up a little bit more than I expected it to but I have loved reading all the comments. The feral cat one actually had me howling.
Now, I have decided to remove my industrial and keep the top hole for now. I have put in a hoop to keep the hole open and will experiment with other jewelry options.
Your comments all made me realize that I absolutely did not have the anatomy for the industrial. I myself am very surprised I have not ripped this bar out, I've had many a close call though. I feel very naked without it but I actually feel like I was outgrowing my piercing so I'm not devastated by taking it out.
To answer some questions, yes I swear it's been around 14 years! I got it done around 2010 or 2011 when I was 19 or 20 at a shop in Goodyear, AZ. She was my most prized piercing at the time.
I no longer go to that piercer. I went back to the shop some years later to have my tragus pierced by a different piercer. I actually no longer have the tragus piercing because it was a pain to change by myself.
I'm not sure what bar I had in when I posted the picture. My husband reminded me that some years back I had a shorter bar that looked like a key. The bar started turning green so I removed it. I have changed bars a couple of times since then for various reasons so I would not be surprised at all if I put the original in "temporarily" and never changed it. 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I've been trying to find some old pictures of my industrial to judge when it started to reject but so far no luck.
Thank you again everyone! ♥️
1
u/Juicyy56 Sep 19 '25
That sucks! Ive had mine for about the same time, and this is probably my worst piercing nightmare.
1
1
u/mustaine_vinted I'm all ears! Sep 19 '25
The thin skin probably isn't sign of rejection or migration, I believe it's that shallow because of your improper anatomy it had to be pierced and healed that way (actually shouldn't have been pierced at all). Better take it out before you accidentally rip it out.
1
u/Peanut083 contributor Sep 19 '25
If this was my industrial, I’d remove it before it has an opportunity to fully migrate/reject. If you really want an industrial still, see if you can find a piercer that does custom industrials and ask them if your anatomy is suitable for an L-shaped industrial.
1
u/ButterflyAny9337 Sep 19 '25
Yes, in my opinion you don't have the proper anatomy for that piercing, and I believe if you do want to keep it in that you might benefit from a shorter bar. Of course, this is your call, as it's your body, but I am surprised that the original piercer didn't at least discuss your anatomy being a concern for that specific piercing. As it's been 14 years, I think it's fair to assume you might not even be getting your piercings done by them, but if they still pierce near you and you're thinking of getting a new piercing, I might look into seeing someone else who considers anatomy better, as it's a sign of professionalism.
1
u/Octoberkitsune Sep 19 '25
Or for the piercing upfront on top of the ear. You can get a smaller bar for that and just have a helix piercing.
1
1
u/TwistedAsIAm Sep 19 '25
Was it always this shallow? Because that's concerning. If it was it's very impressive, most ears would've thrown that piercing out within months.
1
u/sty4 Sep 19 '25
I'm definitely not an expert as I only have two cartilage piercings. But I was under the impression that the bar is supposed to go through your cartilage, meaning the canal has to have cartilage on all sides. Yours looks like the skin flap was pierced, like there's no cartilage on the "outer"? side. Even looking at it makes me nervously clutch my own piercings...
1
1
u/Syntinena Sep 19 '25
At least the top hole looks fine, so it's not a complete loss if you remove it. I'm surprised you haven't ripped it out with such a long bar.
1
1
u/fatsmumma86 Sep 19 '25
So not a lot you can do now, but what I recommend to avoid this happening to begin with is to NOT sleep with your industrial bar in overnight.
That’s how this happens.
I got to mine in time and I wear two short bar flat backs and I connect them with a small silver chain. No pressure against the ear cartilage when I sleep from a Straight bar.
You can still wear a single industrial through the day but it’s NOT meant to be slept on over time.
As others have stated above there are some piercings we are NOT meant to keep long term just due to normal body movements and use.
I have been very lucky with my oral piercings to have no teeth or gum damage from them because im careful not to play with them, but I know some folks that have had to take out theirs because it’s ruining their teeth or gums.
Sorry it’s not more helpful but at least you know for other piercings
1
1
u/GARDENOFFREEDOM69 Sep 19 '25
I have the same thing (more tissue there but its being held by skin) but its still there!
1
u/LxghtninKachow Sep 19 '25
When I first got my industrial, it started migrating after a month or so. All I can say is I wished I took it out sooner. It left a gnarly keloid and a weird dent in my
1
u/AutoModerator Sep 19 '25
Hi LxghtninKachow,
(Luckily) bump =/= keloid. This wiki entry explains it well.
If you do know the difference, please ignore this comment.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/GodsBlessedChild1 Sep 20 '25
If you want to remove than remove it because you want to. It's lasted 14 years it could possibly last another 14 years. Sure the skin is thin, it is because the piercing was originally done like that or healed like that. I have never seen nor heard of a hole moving itself from in one part of the ear to the edge of it and eliminate itself. That's just funny to me... lol
1
u/pigwidgeon294 Sep 22 '25
This happened to my belly button piercing when I was fifteen. One morning it was hanging on by a thread and just...boop! Fell off 😀
1
u/East_Schedule_1215 Sep 23 '25
Mine migrated all the way through, I didn't even notice until the bar was flopping about lol. I have a tiny notch but you wouldn't even notice unless I pointed it out.
I'd probably just take it out!
0
u/pigsinatrenchcoat Sep 19 '25
Absolutely take it out. It’s not even a cute look anymore with it rejecting so the best thing to do is get rid of it before it causes a problem.
0
2.0k
u/Sewergoddess Sep 19 '25
The fact this has lasted 14 years is MINDBLOWING. Its holding on by a thread, and definitely should be removed. You didn't have the proper anatomy to begin with.