Dry holes (piercing holes of course...)

The skin around my eyebrow pierce got really dry and itchy from the anti-bacterial soap I was using, so I used vitamin E oil and it not only got rid of the dry skin, it seemed to make the pierce heal much faster.

<<Moisturizer is out of the question for the healing navel , maybe the lobe could take it ... ( its a couple of years old )>>

I use moisturizer on fresh piercings. My skin is so dry that it really flips out if I don't use lotion. I just use something super-gentle like Aveeno or Lubriderm and apply it sparingly, so it doesn't gunk up the piercing.

My nipples and navel are doing fine despite being exposed to lotion.

I remember reading a few years ago that putting Vitamin E directly on a cut could prolong healing. Is that not right? Nina probably knows.

I've used it on my navel, and it worked very well. I got some vitamin E capsules, broke them open with my fingernails, applied just a little bit to the end of a q-tip and swabbed the dry area. I don't know if this is necessarily a good or bad idea but personally it proved to be effective.

I never heard that about vitamin E but it could be true ... I gave it a try last night and it seemed to help. I'll see over time how it goes. But it's also nice to know that someone can put moisturizer on a piercing without getting a lovely pussing piercing ! Thanks a lot for the comment Meghan !

I remember hearing the same thing. Vitamin E taken internally is good. Vitamin E on unhealed skin is bad. Vitamin E on scarred but fully healed skin is good.

Again, since I cannot remember the source, I can't say anything about the validity of the information.

<<I remember hearing the same thing. Vitamin E taken internally is good. Vitamin E on unhealed skin is bad. Vitamin E on scarred but fully healed skin is good.>>

Again, since I cannot remember the source, I can't say anything about the validity of the information.>>

Hey, you triggered my memory! It was Sassy magazine, probably about '94 or so (before it was bought out, for sure).

The headline of the snippet was titled 'EEEEEEEE! Don't Put Vitamin E on That Cut!' It seems they had mentioned to do so in a previous issue, on the assumption that since it helps you heal when you take it internally. The thing I read was a correction on that

<<But it does bring back question number one: what to do to help moisturize AND heal my navel ...>>

I don't use anything to 'heal' piercings other than daily washing with soap and saline soaks. When I had my nostril pierced a year ago, I did use a blend of lavender (not that I got the idea from Bertrang or anything), ti-tree oil, and vitamin E, but I don't think it did anything to heal the piercing.

<<Maybe I'll try the Aveeno moisturizing cream like Meghan said, if I get over the fear of getting it infected that way! *lol*>>

Seriously, just apply the lotion with a light touch and you should be fine. I don't work it through the actual piercing hole, I just lightly rub it into the area immediately around the holes. And using a pump bottle reduces the chance of contaminants getting into the lotion.

Incidentally, I had really good luck with Aveeno when healing my tattoo, because the oatmeal in it helps the itching.

No, but I know where to look it up .
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query? uid=7983592&form=...

'Healing time was significantly decreased for wounds caused by intermediate exposure of the copper-vapor laser and either pretreated with vitamin E or treated with the wound dressing'

But also: Ehrlich HP, et al. [See Related Articles] Inhibitory effects of vitamin E on collagen synthesis and wound repair. Ann Surg. 1972 Feb;175(2):235-40. No abstract available. PMID: 5059607; UI: 72110246.

Apparently, not always: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query? uid=10417589&form... 'The results of this study show that topically applied vitamin E does not help in improving the cosmetic appearance of scars and leads to a high incidence of contact dermatitis.' 33% of the people in this study became allercic to topical Vit. E.

Personally, I am against putting anything repeatedly into a normally healing wound. It's much easier to inhibit healing than to promote it. Which is why I try not to move my piercing jewelry around during healing, and refrain from washing the inside of the piercing canal and putting anything inside it. .

FWIW, I had dry skin around the holes of my snug piercing this morning. I went ahead and soaked a q-tip in hemp oil and applied that on the dry skin. I don't think it will do any damage

By the way, I use regular moisturizing liquid hand soap in the shower to clean my piercings. I buy it in gallons.

It's cheaper than provon, and not as drying as Dial or Softsoap. Dr. Bronner's irritated the shit out of me