This is my first post, so hello everyone! I'm looking to see what you guys think the best course of action would be about my facial microdermal anchor. I've had it for about 6 months now, and I've run into a few issues, and I'm not really liking how it's healed.

So I currently have two mods - both microdermals, one on my face and one on my chest.



First off, a little back story. I got my first anchor on my 18th birthday back in June. It was a shitty placement (RIGHT on top of the most prominent bone on my sternum) and I also didn't take the best care of it. I somehow got the bright idea to try and qtip the crusted lymph that just wouldn't come off with soaks away, which ended up just irritating the fistula and creating hypertrophic scarring. It ended up migrating almost all the way out (most of the post was visible from the side) from all the upwards pressure on it. It settled for awhile, and the post was sticking pretty far up and I felt a little weird about it.

I got my face placement in August, and all was well for awhile, then the same stuff started happening. I got a little obsessive over it looking irritated, and so I pretty much never left it alone. I also hadn't figured out that I needed to avoid the qtips. A few weeks later, the gem from my chest placement got caught on my woven blanket in the night and I accidentally pulled the short end out. I pulled the rest out and went back to sleep. Saddest moment of my life, honestly.

I got it repierced about 4 weeks ago (new piercer, different placement, it's doing great)! She showed me her method of loosening crusties that settle under the gem - toothpicks. I've been doing that for my face ever since, and it's looking so much better. Now that it's finally pretty settled down, I'm a little upset with how it's sitting. Same story as my old chest one - it's very raised, almost like the entire post is sticking out and it's sitting very near to the surface of my skin. It looks happy enough, despite some scar tissue that's still taking its time to fade away, but the way it looks just weirds me out now.

Check em out:

(now the least opportune angle to look at me)


Close up. You can see how far up it's raised.

So I got to thinking. I don't know if I dislike it enough to get it removed and repierced - or if it will even last as-is. I haven't had too much trouble with it lately, but I just don't like how it's sitting, even though it's not very noticeable until you get up close If I were to get it removed, I'm not sure how long I'd have to wait to get it redone. I'd feel pretty naked without it, though.

I'm kind of just stuck in between. Any advice? :)

Go to the piercer that did it, have him/her reset it, and then throw a bandaid on it. Should be good as new.

That'll save you having to get it removed and then getting it redone. It's easier on your skin and it doesn't hurt as much.




Edited by MsAnn - February/14/2012 at 12:19am

Originally posted by erinarney  What metal was the anchor fabricated with? Dermal anchors are fairly simple to heal with sss and consideration of the piercing. The more you abuse the piercing, the shorter life it will have. As far as the jewelry is protruding you should have it removed and make sure your piercer uses titanium anchors.

Titanium, I got it done in the most reputable shop in Phoenix AZ. No issue with the jewelry. It was mostly irritated from, like I said before, me not knowing how to care for it properly, and because I've knocked it around a couple of times in my sleep and such. It's a difficult placement to heal, I've heard.

Originally posted by pierced_celt +1 to all the above, and stop using toothpicks to remove crusties, if they dont come away after SSS then they're not ready to be removed and leave open tissue exposed to the elements

They're ready, they're just trapped underneath with no other way of being released. I have a feeling that's part of what caused the migration. There was so much stuck underneath that there was constant pressure.

i have two micro-dermals under my right eye and i've had one that expeled; tip: force the microdermal down into your skin untill it's deeper, then use a topical corticosteroid and a band-aid to keep pressure on it, keep this on for a week, after so stop forcing the microdermal and keep the band-aid and the corticosteroid, after another week it'll be fine