I wonder this same thing too! I just encountered a person who waited so long before coming into a shop. She came in to see me a few days ago with an industrial inquiry. The ball has been sinking into her ear for a couple of weeks and she was pushing it out and putting peroxide on it like the piercer told her to do. When I looked at it, it was almost completely sunken in because of jewelry that was way too short and there was a lot of swelling going on.  When I asked her why she didn't go back to her piercer, she said the girl was rude. When I asked her why she didn't come into another shop sooner, she said "I thought it would fix itself". I mean...it's hard to not sit there and just be blown away sometimes! She wouldn't have an incredibly swollen ear if she had just gone into a shop the day she saw it starting to happen. It's amazing to me that many people think things like that will actually "fix" itself.

Originally posted by Cale I wonder this same thing too! I just encountered a person who waited so long before coming into a shop. She came in to see me a few days ago with an industrial inquiry. The ball has been sinking into her ear for a couple of weeks and she was pushing it out and putting peroxide on it like the piercer told her to do. When I looked at it, it was almost completely sunken in because of jewelry that was way too short and there was a lot of swelling going on.  When I asked her why she didn't go back to her piercer, she said the girl was rude. When I asked her why she didn't come into another shop sooner, she said "I thought it would fix itself". I mean...it's hard to not sit there and just be blown away sometimes! She wouldn't have an incredibly swollen ear if she had just gone into a shop the day she saw it starting to happen. It's amazing to me that many people think things like that will actually "fix" itself.

i think the whole "it'll fix itself" idea is a huge reason. i think a lot of people have about the same amount of knowledge of their modifications as they do about getting a cut... or they really think the two are identical, and so they act the same way. if no one ever taught them about basic signs of infection, the minute they see any form of discharge IT'S OOZY INFECTED PUS, which is obviously not always (or even usually, it seems) the case.

a lot of people grow up watching tv, and they see that people who have cuts can put antibiotic ointment, so, if a piercing is acting up, it may, in their heads, be the logical thing to apply. a lot of people don't like going to doctors if they don't have to--it's a hassle to get there and wait, and it can be embarrassing to talk about what's wrong. i'm sure this is also the case a lot of times with bodymods. either the person thinks the artist was untalented and did something wrong, or s/he is embarrassed at the idea that s/he did something wrong, so going back to the studio may take too much effort in terms of convincing one's self that it's worth the trip.

obviously none of this is the case 100% of the time, but it does seem to be rather common, at least to me.

i think that more and more, it's almost like someone should have to take a test about everything s/he would need to know about the procedure and aftercare before getting work done..

Edited by evalution - February/22/2012 at 6:40pm

I think Mel, Eva and Janine pretty much hit the nail on its head. At times it is merely a case of hope being the last to die.

I've never let it go to that stage, but I ended up with long-term complications because the piercer was stumped. I didn't go to a different one because the only other piercer in town has a major attitude problem that I prefer not to deal with, so yeah, the piercer's personality had a lot to do with it. I came straight on here though so I got good advice... it just came on too quickly to be easily solved. I caught it in the evening and the next morning it was scarily close to embedding.

Its interesting that ego takes such a part in this. One of the first things I try to explain to someone in a situation of a failing is mod is, its not there fault and they have nothing to be ashamed of.

I tell them its my job to answer questions about mods and I ask what they do for a living. I try to lightheartedly make a comment about if I ever need advice in their occupation I would ask them because its not my job to know how to do their job.