What to do with keloid or hypertrophic scar on rook piercing?

So I got my rook (upper cartilage piercing) pierced a little more than two months ago and within the first month, I noticed this bump encircling the hole of the piercing.





Compared to my unpierced rook, my pierced rook has that raised slightly reddish bump and is bigger/more swollen. However, it is not itchy and it doesn't hurt painfully. Just slightly tender when it is touched.





I went to my piercer and he said that it looks to be the start of a keloid. He advised me to do sea salt soaks and use tea tree oil. So I've been doing this for a full week and still I do not see any results. I have to say that doing all that salt soaking and putting on tea tree oil has made the piercing site even more tender. Is this normal?





It is also becoming drier, but I don't see any flaking. The size of the bump appears the same and it is not going away.





What should I do? Should I continue with the soaks and tea tree oil? Have any of you had similar experiences?





Thanks a lot.

What to do with keloid or hypertrophic scar on rook piercing?
Make sure you are doing the sea salt soaks 2-3 times per day. The tea tree oil could be the reason it is becoming dry, even when diluted. Piercees find it to be too strong and very drying. If you continue using the tea tree oil apply no more than twice daily. Vitamin E oil could also help. Just clean it normally and try not to play with it and it should go away with time. A few piercers I know recommend diluted lavender oil. Lavender oil promotes healing and lubricates the wound reducing tenderness. Apply a small amount with a cotton bud after cleaning then move the jewelry gently so it gets into the wound. Remove any excess with a tissue as leaving it on can cause the skin to become irritated.
Reply:to date the only way i know is excision of the keloid and usually its difficult to know if ur susceptible to keloids until theyb already have appeared so i wont discourage you itd be good to know if something works also its good to advise your family members not to get piercings to avoid getting keloids coz theres a possibilty of them getting them its just an abnormal healing process
Reply:That's odd, because it if were a keloid, he shouldn't have advised you to do anything - since there's nothing you can do about them.





It sounds more like a hypertrophic scar anyway. Just keep at it, they can sometimes take a while to go away.
Reply:My artist, who is also a registered nurse told me to use the sea salt, that didn't help so I went back and she gave me a packet of powdered aspirin and I used it for about 3 to 4 days and it was gone and I've never had a problem since. Talk to your artist about it and see what else he can do. It would suck to have to take out your piercing especially with an infection.
Reply:Keloids are very very rare. Because it is red, it is still irritated. Do you talk on the phone with this ear?





I would probably not do the tea tree oil. How are you cleaning it? How often are you doing the sea salt?





This area takes a very long time to heal. If it is not inflamed to the extent of being hot to touch and draining (infected) - I would say give it some more time.
Reply:before you go to bed at night take some BC powder and mix it with a little water to make a paste. apply it to the keloid and leave it over night. keep doing this and you should see it begin to peel and get smaller. i did this with my industrial when i got keloids and it worked! be sure to wash it!!!
Reply:Take the earring out. If it's a keloid, it won't go away. Even if you get it surgically removed, it could still come back. Don't get anymore piercings.