hello! so i have a conch that i got in oct 2021 and its been healing relatively well, save for some irritation bumps and scarring because I've had to take it out a few times for legal and medical stuff nov 2021—feb 2022. tho ive had it for almost a year now, i only got to downsizing last month because life and the pandemic got in the way (tldr i changed piercers a few times because of location convenience and timing issues).

started 8mm earring originally, to 10mm, and then downsized to 6mm. everything was going well until it started getting itchy. i thought it could just be irritation from my environment (because i live in a smog-heavy area), but my other fresher piercings were doing fine...and i change my sheets regularly and don't even sleep on my conch yet.

today i decided to remove the earring just to see what's wrong—and there it was, a big bump on the inside part of my conch. im honestly amazed my 6mm could still move in its hole with how big it is. its the biggest bump ive had on my conch and im honestly just so sad about it because its gonna be a year soon, and somehow it's still not okay.

i do a mix of LITHA and regular saline sprays, keeping everything away from it. ive been prescribed mupirocin before as well and it worked. in the meantime, ive went back to an 8mm to give it some breathing room, but not a 10mm because it gets caught everywhere. im scared this would mean occasional bumps again, but this time bigger. :((( this has also never happened before with my other piercings and downsizing.

if anyone can offer some other advices on dealing with this and preventing it, please let me know! im desperate and i dont want to lose this, but its also just so sad.

Thanks so much!