Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and I have a question!

I have had both my nipples pierced for about 2 years. The right one got snagged on a soap pouffy thingy during the 1st year of healing, but seemed to be ok, at least initially. From a few weeks after that incident and on, the skin on the outside of the piercing has not healed properly. It appears red and a lil swollen and shiny. FYI, I stopped the regular soaking and aftercare about a year into the healing process.

I noticed a few things that made it better (i.e. scab over):

1) if I didn't shower for a several days (don't judge me lol) - presumably, lack of water prevented irritation.
2) I wore a piercing with a guard that shielded it from the elements (like shower water)

Let me add, the flesh tunnel of this piercing is basically completely healed (not as good as the left one, but sometimes it does express some light pus... no blood though).

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for me in how I can help it heal correctly? Or let me know if healing to be just like the rest of the surrounding tissue is possible? Sea salt soaking seemed to make it worse, so I'm at a loss. I was thinking of putting my piercing back in that had the shield for a few months and seeing if preventing irritation to the area would help.

Any input for a newb is appreciated