Here are a few frequently asked questions about nipple piercings.

Q: I've had my nipple pierced for about several months now, and there is
some secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid ( not pus ) still coming out of it. Is this normal? If it's not, what can I do to make it stop ?

A: The whitish-yellow fluid is lymph fluid from the skin with some dead body cells in it and this is a normal by-product of the healing process. At five months, your nipples have probably healed a lot, but probably still are NOT all the way healed on the inside. Just keep gently cleaning this stuff off, esp if it dries on the rings. If any of the "crust" gets pulled inside, it's kinda ouchy.

Q: I have one pierced nipple and one not, and now the pierced one seems a little bit bigger than the one that is not pierced. Should I be worried if something bad is happening? ...cause it doesn't hurt and it's not red or anything. If I take the piercing out in the future, will my nipple heal and shrink back down to normal?

A: Piercing, for many people, stimulates tissue development in the nipples, especially if you are a woman who has not nursed a baby. Some men have gone from having almost no nipple to having nipples like gumdrops. I saw that happen one with a friend of mine. This too is totally normal. However, this is a permanent body change. How your nipple and/or aureola thickens or changes from being pierced is how it will stay for the rest of your life.

Q: Is there any real difference to wearing a ring or a barbell in a nipple piercing? Or do people just do whatever?

A: In my experiences, I've found two things that govern how people choose their nipple jewelry: lifestyle and personal preference. In the end, everyone settles down with whatever style of jewelry fits them comfortably, does not snag or interfere with whatever their daily activities are, and which the wearer finds aesthetically pleasing.

The variety of body jewelry has really expanded in the last twenty years. There are a lot of metals available, and then things like niobium and titanium come in lots of anodized colors. End caps on barbells or beads in captive rings can then be made from precious stones, be metal with insets or fancy pieces that disguise that the ring opens at all.