Keloid scars and ear piercing

[Storygirl]

DD11 has wanted to get her ears pierced for awhile, but now we are wondering if it wise. She is Hispanic with very dark skin (not black), and is prone to scarring with even minor wounds, like scratches. She has two scars that are keloid-ish, where a larger oval bump of scar tissue formed at an injury site. Our pediatrician was not sure they were technically keloids, though I'm not sure what else they would be. The doctor mentioned kind of in passing that people who are susceptible to keloids should not get piercings, but she did not go so far as to say that DD should avoid them.

 

I'm wondering how we evaluate the risks of scarring with piercing. DD has been looking forward to getting her ears pierced for years, so it will be a big disappointment if we decide we shouldn't do it. I want her to be able to have pierced ears, but I don't want to do something that we will regret.

 

Does anyone have experience with this?

[Ottakee]

I am not sure on this but if you do decide to get them pierced I would try a tattoo parlor that uses a hollow needle vs the mall places that use a gun.

[FriedClams]

I'm not a medical person at all, but I had keloid scars as a kid. I had one on my hip from surgery, and one on my knee from an injury. They've gotten better over time but were more obvious as a teen. I got my ears pierced as a teen and they were fine. I took standard care of them until they healed. I've never had problems with them. Occasionally they will kind of seal up, but I just shove an ear ring in and it's fine.

Edited July 1, 2016 by FriedClams

[theelfqueen]

Our dermatologist had a very serious talk with DS about his keloids and "no piercings, no tattoos, not ever." But perhaps DS has especially severe keloids.

Edited July 1, 2016 by theelfqueen

[FriedClams]

Our dermatologist had a very serious talk with DS about his keloid and "no piercings, no tattoos, not ever." But perhaps DS has especially severe keloids.

I think this is really wise. I'd check with a doctor (even in light of my earlier post where I had no problems). The possibility of failure is permanent and obvious.

[frugalmamatx]

DD & I both get keloids due to Native American ancestry. DD is worse than mine. DD got her ears pierced a year ago, and they are still healing but in part that is due to a metal allergy reaction that got out of hand. Mine took about a year to heal as well due to metal allergies and did form a small keloid inside the ear but it's not visable externally. 

 

I would go for piercing at a tattoo parlor, with a hollow needle. It helps minimize the scaring since it's sharper so it's a cut rather than a dull push-thru which does more damage to the ear. Also immediately begin treating with neosporin as it helps prevent scaring. 

[happi duck]

Hmm. I get these types of scars. I was thinking about getting a tattoo. :(

 

Thanks for this thread. I had no idea I needed to factor that in.

 

I had my ears pierced at the mall as a kid and *never* liked how they felt. I haven't worn earring in 20 years and if I feel my lobes I can still tell where the holes are. I wonder if they're scarred inside? Outside looks fine.

 

On a related note...

People frequently ask if I have NA ancestry. None that I know of. Also, bilingual receptionists and cashiers will often choose to greet me in Spanish instead of English based on how I look.

 

It's interesting that these scars are associated with the ancestry questions I frequently get asked.

[Storygirl]

Thank you for the thoughts. I did an internet search to see for myself what keloid scars on the ears might look like, and, well...don't do your own search, unless you want to be scared off of piercing completely. I'm pretty nervous about doing it now. I'm not sure I'm willing to take the risk, though it makes me sad that she has longed for pierced ears and may not be able to get them.

 

I like the idea of discussing it with a dermatologist. There seems to be some thought that piercing when younger is a safer option, because keloids are less likely to develop (the ped mentioned this as well). But we can't turn back time.

[Hypatia.]

I get hypertrophic scars (which are similar to keloids, they just stay within the boundary of the initial wound) and keloids. When I got my earlobes pierced (professional piercer) I didn't have any problems. The cartilage part of my ear had more of an issue with scarring.

[Truscifi]

I get keloids. My dad really didn't want me to get my ears pierced because of the risk, but my mom decided he was over reacting and took me anyway. I had no problems. I also have two tattoos with no scarring. I made sure to choose an artist known for having a light hand and talk to them before hand about the keloids so they could be extra cautious.