My original plan as far as getting piercings over the next three years goes was one new pair of earlobe piercings (for a total of four lobe piercings per ear), and one non-earlobe piercing – either navel or ear cartilage, never did fully decide.
My original plan, of course, was decided before one of my older piercings got crazy infected. Turns out it’s rare-but-possible to scratch the inside of a piercing when changing earrings and re-infect the whole thing even if it’s five damn years old. Needless to say my existing piercings are now getting daily squirts of antibacterial soap, regardless of age.
Tried home-treatment for a while, which at first just made it worse (pro tip: hydrogen peroxide is way too abrasive for pierced skin) and then made it better (yay vinegar) and then it started getting worse again (dammit). Up until then i’d been leaving the earring in so i wouldn’t end up with the hole closing up and sealing the infection in but after reaching the go-to-the-doctor-and-get-some-damn-antibiotics level i decided to leave it out for the weekend. Because it stung demonically every time i wiggled it around while cleaning it and the antibiotics should make it feel better and it TOTALLY wasn’t going to close up in only two days, right?
Yeah. Totally.
On the plus side, i didn’t actually need to worry about the infection being sealed under the skin, due to a nausea-inducing amount of antibiotics, but still. One less piercing for me.
Now i’m debating between the original plan (which now requires re-piercing one of the old ones as well as getting some new ones) or doing something far less symmetrical. When i was in high school i was really leaning towards four piercings per ear, but all lobe piercings on one ear and half-lobe/half-cartilage on the other. Now i’m back down to two piercings in my left ear, i might just go ahead and do that instead.