This is what happens when you have the wrong Metal (316L surgical steel) up against an open wound. The metals in the alloy starts to seap into your wound and causes irritation, inflamation, and dermititis. The skin cells actually die, thus creating an even bigger wound! Your immune system kicks into high gear and starts to try to fight whatever has invaded you, which is just the bad quality jewelry. Once that is removed and replaced with a Medical Grade piece, your body will finally start to heal like it is supposed to. Your body does not detect Medical Grade Jewelry! So, your skin cells just heal normally because they do not know something is there.      

The American Society of Testing and Materials says this metal is for nuts, bolts and screws. Who am I to argue with them?

Most people spend more time picking out a pet than picking out a trained tattoo artist or body piercer.

  Always keep medical Grade Jewelry in permanently

        Nickel can enter your body when you breathe in air containing nickel, when you drink water or eat food that contains nickel, and when your skin is in contact with nickel. Nickel can enter your bloodstream after being placed on your skin.

    After nickel gets into your body, it can go to all organs, but it mainly goes to the kidneys. Much of our knowledge of nickel toxicity is based on animal studies. Effects on reproduction and birth defects also were found in rats and mice. The most common adverse health effect of nickel in humans is an allergic reaction to nickel. People can become sensitive to nickel when jewelry or other things containing nickel are in direct contact with the skin. Wearing earrings containing nickel in pierced ears may also sensitize people to nickel. Once a person is sensitized to nickel, further contact with the metal will produce a reaction. The most common reaction is a skin rash at the site of contact. In some sensitized people, dermatitis may develop at a site away from the site of contact. For example, hand eczema is fairly common among people sensitized to nickel. Less frequently, some people who are in contact with nickel can have asthma attacks following exposure to nickel. People who are in contact with nickel have reactions to it, and some highly sensitized individuals get ill imediately. More women are sensitive to nickel than men. This difference between men and women is thought to be a result of greater exposure of women to nickel through jewelry and other metal items.