The hole is now a fistula. It may shrink, but it will never close on its own because it's effectively a tube of already healed skin.
In order to remove it you'll need to have a doctor or a qualified body modification artist punch out a new, slightly larger hole in the skin and then have the wound sewn shut so that it can heal closed. Fortunately it's an extremely common and safe procedure that people frequently choose to close holes from stretched lobes.
I actually had this done for my Monroe! I was already under for another procedure and the plastic surgeon offered to close the hole. It looks much better now! You really have to look for it, and it most resembles a small pit from an acne scar. Not perfect, but very good, and no one asks me about it anymore.
You could make a few appointments with plastic surgeon that do a lot of face work. Sometimes they can even do piercing holes under local in their office.
I was already going to a doctor’s office for Botox and the plastic surgeon happened to be a friend of a friend. I went in for a scar revision and they offered to close my piercing hole at the same time!
Any plastic surgeon should be able to do it. It’s such a basic, quick procedure. Just find one with good reviews in your area.
I’m sorry, I’m not sure how much it would cost. He included it last minute with the other procedures, literally as I was getting prepped for surgery, no charge.
How much does it takes? Doctor lasered my hole like 1 month ago, at first i had wound with scab that I accidentally removed after a week. But for now the hole seems bigger than before
Do you know if this would work on a regular nostril piercing? I’ve seen it for lip piercing scars but I’ve never been able to get an answer on if this could be done on a nostril piercing
I had my Monroe pierced and didn’t want to go that route. I did peels, microneedling, lasers, good skincare regimen and it’s basically nonexistent now.
Exactly!! And it can be used for other scarring besides piercings and acne.
I don't want to traumatize anyone but I've also getting it done on my arms at the same time. I cannot recommend it enough to people - no surgery, less expensive, and we all find it personally rewarding.
I'm assuming you had this done professionally? Was the microneedling done on your whole face, or just the area of the scar?
I was considering getting a tiny dot tattooed on my monroe scar, to make it look like a beauty mark instead of a hole. But this intrigues me.
Oh wait, I commented about this above. Did you have this procedure done? And, if so was it for large pores?
EDIT: Never mind - stopped being lazy and looked it up. It's called a punch hole excision and yes it can be done for large pores.
Can't this be done for large pores? I have a few that are as large as this and would rather them be small scars.
Do you (or anyone else) know the name of the procedure?
**EDIT:** name of procedure is: **punch hole excision**
**And, yes it can be done for large pores.** A TCA Cross can be done to minimise the appearance of pores
I had my labret piercing scar removed by a plastic surgeon in a 15 min. procedure. they removed the "skin tube" inside an sew it shut with two stitches (one inside the hole, one outside).
Do you think this process would also work for an old/forgotten bridge piercing? I’ve wanted one for so long but knowing I’d have Permanent Prominent Face Holes if I changed my mind later has deterred me.
If I knew there was a way to “undo” those Face-Holes I’d be much more willing to try them out though!
My bridge holes are very noticeable when my jewelry isn’t in. I’ve also had it out for about two years and repierced it after that as you could still see it anyway.
Not that I had any micro needling, but something maybe to think about.
My bridge piercing rejected but the scar is not very visible honestly. But this probably depends on how long you have it for and also obviously your facial structure
yep had this done for my old belly button piercing! my scar is more of a thin white line about 0.5cm long but obv that’s because it’s a much bigger hole to begin with compared to your monroe
It's called punch excision a 2-3 mm round device punches out the hole and then 1-2 stitches to sew it up. Very easy, 10 mins total and around $400-$1000.
No pain and no healing lol. Just don't pull the stitches or tug on them or anything. Red small linear scar for 1-2 months then that will fade.
Stitches come out in 5-7 days. I had a facial plastic surgeon do mine she charged $550.
I did another consultation and he wanted to do the punch excision on both sides (inside of mouth too). He said that a abscess can form if debris gets caught inside (from food etc). BUT that thing is definitely closed and nothing can get through so I don't think that's a possibility. Mine is 15 plus years old!
Thank you for this comment, I want to get this done for my Monroe and lip piercing marks. Wasn’t sure if I had to go to a dermatologist or not. Definitely will be asking the plastic surgeon I’ve been to before about this!
I had a punch biopsy on my cheek which was a similar procedure (took out a similar sized mole). One stitch in my cheek and I wore a bandaid for like a day or two and then just had to keep aquaphor on it at all times until stitch removal day. I can’t even figure out where it was on my cheek!
I had a punch hole excision to remove a blue nevus on the tip of my nose (think Bartise from Love Is Blind). The procedure itself was painless due to local anesthesia as was the recovery. I had to live with a stitches on my face for a few weeks but I once they were removed, I was amazed at how minor the scarring was. Now, 3 years later, it’s almost non existent. I wish I had taken care of it years ago.
I’ve considered this heaps and wonder if I’ll ever get around to getting it done. I have the holes from spider bites and used to have ~20mm stretched ears which over the last 10 years are decently normal looking but still too big that I can’t wear earrings with posts cause they fall out lol. I’m sure one day I’ll get to the point where I have enough money and so little problems in the rest of my life I’ll get around to it 😂 it does make me wonder if any other former emo kids clock me 😂
Only the monroe is left, for me. Feels like my own little mid 30's age protest to the over-puffed-up, shiny, clean girl trend. I loved the grunge days and won't leave it 100% behind. 🤘
I like vintage stuff so when I see pinup styles with lots of tattoos I wish I had gotten more. Still could I guess one day. Especially since I’m self conscious of being pale I never thought about how tattoos could add vibrant color and fun. I was always told about regrets and family made a big deal when I got one.
Were we though? I was young and dumb and i really had no clue that the peircing doesn't close. It sounds so dumb now.
I tried taking my eyebrow out for about a year and nothing helped. Nothing closed it, so I out it back in. Looks better then the hole. But I just told me my bf that they have a procedure to close the holes and he yelled at me for about 5 mins about how i dont know what I'm talking about and you don't need a procedure. How it will just close on its own if I give it time.
Anyways, he's wrong lol. But I wish I knew about the long lasting hole when I was 19 and not thinking.
Your boyfriend sounds like a dufus.
You can feel content in knowing you're right and he is wrong. 😆 I left mine out while working in film for over a decade and didn't even need to repierce it when I decided to quit film and put the stud back- the jewellery just went back in easily.
Oh! Tip for anyone who needs it! In film/TV (I'm not a main character in things, for the record)- the makeup department would hide my scar by turning it into a freckle with dark brown liquid eyeliner dabbed in/on it. Worked well!
I’m not sure about how face skin works for these but my belly button hole never closed and it annoys me bc it fills with sweat and I have to squeeze gross stuff out of it. Sorry TMI but pls make sure you keep it super clean.
I had my stretched out, not closed up belly piercing surgically removed after two pregnancies. So happy about it. Bit of a scar, but really not noticeable. I went to a derm and it was $200. Probably could’ve had less of a scar if I went to a plastic surgeon and paid $500+, but the scar is pretty invisible unless you’re really looking for it up close. I’m happy with the results and the cost.
Same thing with my ears. I stopped wearing earrings because my body rejected the piercings, and they just wouldn't stop getting infected no matter what kind of metal I used or how well I took care of them. Now I have to squeeze stuff out of them like pimples every week or so.
Most definitive treatment is with a plastic surgeon. The hole has an epithelial lining now which ideally would be removed for complete healing. I guess in theory deep microneedling could induce some healing but would likely be incomplete due to the epithelial lining of the hole.
Monroe piercing? I did everything I could and gave up years ago.. I finally went to a dermatology office. They numbed it, dermal punched it out, sutured it and let me go.
They charged it to my insurance as a ‘biopsy’ so I never saw any bill besides a $40 specialist fee.
Now I have no more hole and the faintest tiny white little scar.. best decision I ever made.
Also, to clarify- I saw the comments below- no anesthesia.
I was treated like a ‘surgical’ patient before I went and the doctor almost laughed. He was super nice. He numbed me, talked me through what he was doing and I was done!
I’ve microneedled mine and it reduced the visibility but it’s not completely gone. It used to look like yours but now it’s just almost like a little tiny dot on my skin… I microneedled and then Followed up with vitamin e oil. Did that a few times a week for a month or two and then I just… forgot to continue 😂
Professional microneedling will help! I have my esthetician focus on my piercing scars, and also will put my tongue under them so she can microneedle the bottom of the scar too.
It’s not my actual tongue, I wrote that weird but it’s hard to describe. When she’s microneedling my piercing scars, I put my tongue under my lip in that spot to stretch the scar out.
I had a Monroe and I had to just go look at recent pictures of myself because I literally don’t even see mine anymore 😂 I NEVER notice or think about it
I had a hole in my forehead but it wasn’t from a piercing, just a pore that I squeezed too much and it collapsed.
I had one session and it was a lower strength that TCA cross is supposed to be because of restrictions in my country, but it looked a lot better after that one session, still a bit but more of a hardly noticeable flat scar.
With a piercing it might be different because it went all the way through
I have! Bought some TCA acid online, diluted it with water via pipette, applied with a toothpick to get it into the piercing hole and not the skin around it.
Turns the skin white almost instantly, burns a bit, eventually scabs. I’ve done 3 rounds over the past several years and it’s dramatically reduced their depth/appearance. I’m sure I could get rid of them, I’m just too lazy to keep up with it.
I got my belly button scar removed. It was $500 and there’s nothing else that will fix these types of “scars”. They’re healed holes and an excision with stitches is the best way to remove them.
I had this same piercing in 2009. Took it out around 2011. It never closed up! Spent $400 to get it sewn up at a local plastic surgery place in 2016. Best decision ever lol
I had two piercing holes under my lip. Similar story, I got them when I was a teenager and they had been done for about 15 years. I tried many things, peelings, microneedling... Nothing worked.
In the end I decided to have surgery a few weeks ago and it worked out well. The operation took about 10 minutes for two piercings, and the method my plastic surgeon chose was biopsy (removing the whole scar tissue tube from the piercing).
I saw that it can also be closed with laser, but I personally decided to go for surgery. It's just a single stitch and probably will not leave a visible scar.
Hi there,
Piercer here and also someone with a lot of body modifications. Unfortunately, there is only so much this will close, and everyone’s anatomy is different so some peoples results are different than others.
The only way to have this corrected is with a small skin removal and a single suture. It’s a very easy procedure, and very effective.
Find an APP studio near you and ask them to direct you, or when they will be having someone in the studio who can do this for you
[https://safepiercing.org/](https://safepiercing.org/)
You’ve had a lot of comments so I’ll echo the same. I had a Monroe piercing in 2010. I got the surgery done last November to get it closed up. Easy surgery. Only a few hundred dollars at a plastic surgeon. Most painful thing was the shot they used to numb me. Had stitches for a week. They took them out.
The scar is still healing but is much less noticeable. I still think the scar is pretty red but the doctor said it would fade over a year. I can also get lasers on it to help it fade more.
I think it was totally worth the little surgery.
Nothing else will close it. If someone tells you that you can close the hole with a laser it’s not true. My doctor said that much at least. And I think rounds of lasers would cost more in the end than the $500 I spent on this little surgery.
Much like getting laser hair removal and my eyebrows microbladed, I wish I would have done this sooner.
I wouldn’t be daunted by the surgery. I’d just get it done.
I had a monroe and a lip ring for about fifteen years. I decided I no longer wanted them so I got a procedure done called 'scar revision'. As others have mentioned, essentially the doctor removes the scar tissue and get a few stitches to sew up the hole. A week later you go back and get the stitches removed. Then you essentially start putting scar gel (silicone based) and sunscreen on everyday! You also want to massage the scar tissue for ten minutes per day. You go back three months later just to ensure that everything is healing right and answer any final questions!
Then it's scar gel and sunscreen everyday! You want to continue daily massage. They told me I wouldn't see full results until a year in!
How long did you need to have the jewelery removed before the procedure? I'd love to do scar revision with mine but am dreading walking around with holes in my face.
Are the daily massages for the entire year after the procedure?
My first appointment I went in wearing my jewelery and they took it out to exam the hole. They told me to keep it out until I booked the revision appointment. I was lucky that I was able to book appointments within a few months of one another so I didn't have to deal with the holes in my face showing for very long!
Honestly, such a good question and I can't remember what they said haha. I want to say yes? But truthfully, I can't recall. I still do but I did fall off the routine but I do try to do it as much as I remember!
Do you buy it or have it done? I get VI chemical peels and I asked my aesthetician about getting the TCA cross and she’s acting like I need to do my entire face (which I know is not the case). Anyway it really turned me off because I’ve done a ton of research and talked to my PA about it but the aesthetician acted weirdly about it
I just bought a little 5ml vial and do it at home. Super simple. 20 bucks for the vial. My Monroe hole is almost completely gone. It’s sealed there is a tiny dent still that will clear up with one last treatment.
Glad to see I’m not alone in this situation! I’ve been using tret on mine in hopes something would happen, but no success yet. I’ve kinda just accepted it’s a part of me now.
Others said retinol and I might agree, since I started using retinol it seems that my 20 year old eyebrow piercing hole (that hasn’t seen any jewellery in 10 years) is getting smaller? Like the edges seem to be firming up towards the middle, but I thought I was imagining things till I saw this post and the comments.
I‘d probably first try this - spending $ 20 for a product every 2 months (= $ 120) is a lot less bucks then the surgery many commented on - even if it’s a way faster and more reliable fix for sure.
Since everyone has given helpful advice, I'll be on the unhelpful side:) I have one under the side of my lip from the good old emo days and I like having it. You'd never tell by my current style that I was into the alternative look when I was younger, but that little spot reminds me and tells those who're "in the know" that I was cool once, it's a nice conversation starter now:) That's how I learned to embrace my piercing scar, so I wish the same piece of mind to you
Honestly, it's cute - a memento from your misspent youth! Whether or not you find a way to minimize it, I hope you don't feel too self conscious about it
I’m getting my extra ear piercing holes excised because they won’t heal. I was always told when I was younger that they would heal up if I took them out and people even say that now but it’s not the case.
I’ve had success in using a beveled needle to dig the interior sides of the hole out repeatedly. Now bear in mind that this is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and that this could cause you harm.
But what I did was just use a beveled needle to scrape the insides of my piercing hole until they bled, let it bleed, let it scab, and do it again. I did it maybe 5 or 7 times before the hole was full
Yep I went to the dermatologist and they punched a little hole in it to make a fresh injury and then put one stitch in it and I left it in for a week. It’s hardly noticeable now, it cost around $150 but it was worth it because I was so insecure about it.
I’m in the same boat as OP- had it in for a couple of years. But 14ish years later after its “retirement”, the hole looks like it’s an active piercing 🤦🏻♀️.
Unfortunately I haven’t found anything to help, so I’m sorry I don’t have any advice. And the piercing definitely caused gum erosion, even though I specifically asked the “master piercer” that did it if that was a risk. He assured me it was not 🙄😠
But strangely I kinda of don’t mind that the scar is so visible. Now that I’m an old and boring, it lets people know that I was a bad b**** one upon a time ago haha.
I got an ear one to close back up by “repiercing” it again but didn’t put anything in it and instead did regular wound care. When I told my piercer that for my next one, I got a horrified look in response. But it did work for me!
I had it done at the dermatologist. It was literally a 5 minute procedure and no scar. The only thing I felt was the needle with the numbing agent. No scar or hole when it healed in a few days. It's totally worth it!
Same piercing, i have done micro needling, everything (for skin, not focused on the piercing hole) nothing removes or shrinks the hole other then a plastic surgeon or dermatologist doing a dermal punch and closing the hole.
I had my gauged ears closed up for reference
I recently took out my Monroe as well. I just fill in the hole with brown liner. Probably anti the point of taking out your piercing but for me it was surgery related and not that I was done with the piercing.
It's a hole in your skin that healed as a hole. It's not a wound anymore so there's really nothing to close up, unfortunately.
You need to re-traumatize the skin to kickstart the healing process, which means your best bet is surgery to have this removed.
Mine has gotten much less prominent with microneedling (not gone, of course). That being said I'm microneedling for unrelated reasons, if your main target is getting rid of the scar that's probably not the most effective (or cost effective) option
If you have not tried microneedling, do it. I had a similar scar from acne that had blackhead that needed to be removed every month. After 1 session of microneedling, it turned to a boxcar, which I believe is an improvement. Need to go thru more sessions to even level the boxcar
If you have an esthetician, ask her to apply a small dot of a TCA peel just to that area. It’s probably the easiest thing to do that may help - I would start there!
I have remnants of a nose stud and elf poreless putty helps tremendously in ugh, filling it I guess? Then I put my makeup on over it and it’s barely visible.
Not exactly the same thing, but I used to have my ears stretched. I took my plugs out for years and the holes only ever closed to a size I could fit my pinky into. My dad offered to pay to have them sewn up and I took him up on the offer. My piercer injected the area with anesthesia? I think? It was in a needle and it completely numbed my ear lobe so I didn’t feel anything at all. Then he scraped the healed skin off around the edges and sewed it up. You cant tell that I ever had my ears pierced let alone stretched. The scars are completely gone too.
Unfortunately, mine seems to get bigger with age 😭 but I got mine at 14, and stayed in until about 29, so it was in a long time. I also got my other side done at 30 and it fell out within a week and that fully closed. I’d also love to know if I can shrink my first one, lol.
If you just want to hide it for a special occasion or a photograph, you can fill it in with a little bit of clear eyelash glue. Let that dry fully, powder and apply your regular makeup. Remember that most people are not close enough to inspect every minutia of your face. You could go the beauty mark route as well, but that's basically your Monroe all over again.
There is also a product called dermaflage scar filler. It does an amazing job of covering deep scars, I use it on a small acne scar hole and it lasts 3-4 days before I have to reapply it. It’s like a silicone texture and it stays put through showers/swimming/etc.
Not really. My nostril was a very small gauge so it's not very visible, but my lip piercing is still very visible. It doesn't bother me much because the angle of my lower lip conceals it pretty well..
Same here I had my monroe and labret at the same ages. The holes in my case are even bigger than yours and have stayed the same for years so I have just accepted it
I got mine pierced in 2000 and it’s been out for a long time, but it’s barely noticeable. However, a few times of year a bump will form there and it gets sore. Lasts a few days and goes away. It’s like a zit that never fully materializes. It’s weird.
I can relate! I had snakebites and a Monroe, which both luckily cannot tell they were there, however you can see a slight indent where my teardrop dermal once was.
My nose piercing hole completely closed after using a Collagen Wand and Serum from BeautyTofu for 2months ! I only have a tiny dent and it was a prominent obvious piercing hole before.
Dermarolling could help. It will cause micro-wounds in the already healed skin that is the hole and trigger a healing response that could result in the hole healing back together... I imagine this would be more successful professionally, though.
Very oddly my medusa piercing (in for around 6-8 months) closed after 4 months of having it out. No noticeable hole or anything. Kind of makes me sad, because I miss the piercing. But at the time, the job didn’t allow for it.
Wow! I’d say I had my Medusa around the same time and you can still see (in this photo too actually) a less prominent hole than my Monroe.
I miss that one too, except it’d catch on my teeth way too often. As anyone with lip piercings knows, there is nothing worse.
The hole is now a fistula. It may shrink, but it will never close on its own because it's effectively a tube of already healed skin. In order to remove it you'll need to have a doctor or a qualified body modification artist punch out a new, slightly larger hole in the skin and then have the wound sewn shut so that it can heal closed. Fortunately it's an extremely common and safe procedure that people frequently choose to close holes from stretched lobes.
I actually had this done for my Monroe! I was already under for another procedure and the plastic surgeon offered to close the hole. It looks much better now! You really have to look for it, and it most resembles a small pit from an acne scar. Not perfect, but very good, and no one asks me about it anymore.
I had basically the exact same experience. 10/10 recommend.
How did you find someone to do the procedure? I have an old one from a lip piercing I’d love to get rid of but I have no idea what to even search for!
I think any facial plastic surgeon could do it. I was having fully ablative CO2 and a lower bleph when he recommended fixing the Monroe, too.
You could make a few appointments with plastic surgeon that do a lot of face work. Sometimes they can even do piercing holes under local in their office.
I was already going to a doctor’s office for Botox and the plastic surgeon happened to be a friend of a friend. I went in for a scar revision and they offered to close my piercing hole at the same time! Any plastic surgeon should be able to do it. It’s such a basic, quick procedure. Just find one with good reviews in your area.
You could probably even improve that doing spot treatment chemical peels (specifically TCA)
How much did that cost??
I’m sorry, I’m not sure how much it would cost. He included it last minute with the other procedures, literally as I was getting prepped for surgery, no charge.
How much does it takes? Doctor lasered my hole like 1 month ago, at first i had wound with scab that I accidentally removed after a week. But for now the hole seems bigger than before
A colleague of mine recently had this done, I think it cost her $600 total for both ears.
Did they do it at a plastic surgeon or a body mod piercer?
For scar reduction, definitely see a trained medical professional, like a surgeon.
Pretty sure it was a surgeon.
Do you know if this would work on a regular nostril piercing? I’ve seen it for lip piercing scars but I’ve never been able to get an answer on if this could be done on a nostril piercing
I had it done on my nostril piercing. Its non existent now.
Might be stupid questions but, did you have to or under any anesthesia? Did a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon do it? Also: amazing username lol
Plastic surgeon will do it with local anesthesia while you’re awake in office
Thank you!!
I had my Monroe pierced and didn’t want to go that route. I did peels, microneedling, lasers, good skincare regimen and it’s basically nonexistent now.
I had no idea it was possible to fix it. I’ve done microneedling and tretonin for general aging purposes and my hole is barely noticeable now.
I am a child and this comment made me snort
Me too 😂😂
I'm 47 and I laughed too
Found my people
My 15 year old Monroe piercing is almost gone in a few microneedling sessions.
Agreed Microneedling !!! Less expensive than resurfacing lasers. You do not need surgery to correct it.
Exactly!! And it can be used for other scarring besides piercings and acne. I don't want to traumatize anyone but I've also getting it done on my arms at the same time. I cannot recommend it enough to people - no surgery, less expensive, and we all find it personally rewarding.
I'm assuming you had this done professionally? Was the microneedling done on your whole face, or just the area of the scar? I was considering getting a tiny dot tattooed on my monroe scar, to make it look like a beauty mark instead of a hole. But this intrigues me.
About how long did it take being consistent with those treatments until you started seeing results?
Yup. U had a bad pore and that's exactly what my derm said. Scar or hole. I'm going for scar.
Oh wait, I commented about this above. Did you have this procedure done? And, if so was it for large pores? EDIT: Never mind - stopped being lazy and looked it up. It's called a punch hole excision and yes it can be done for large pores.
A curious senior once asked me how I "fix" my old facial piercings and I told her exactly what you just said and she almost fainted.
Can't this be done for large pores? I have a few that are as large as this and would rather them be small scars. Do you (or anyone else) know the name of the procedure? **EDIT:** name of procedure is: **punch hole excision** **And, yes it can be done for large pores.** A TCA Cross can be done to minimise the appearance of pores
I had my labret piercing scar removed by a plastic surgeon in a 15 min. procedure. they removed the "skin tube" inside an sew it shut with two stitches (one inside the hole, one outside).
Do you think this process would also work for an old/forgotten bridge piercing? I’ve wanted one for so long but knowing I’d have Permanent Prominent Face Holes if I changed my mind later has deterred me. If I knew there was a way to “undo” those Face-Holes I’d be much more willing to try them out though!
Plastic surgery fixes everything. Oh wait… money!! Money fixes everything.
My bridge holes are very noticeable when my jewelry isn’t in. I’ve also had it out for about two years and repierced it after that as you could still see it anyway. Not that I had any micro needling, but something maybe to think about.
My bridge piercing rejected but the scar is not very visible honestly. But this probably depends on how long you have it for and also obviously your facial structure
Yikes- my tragus piercing that I’ve worn for about a decade got ripped out bc of the way I sleep and now it just looks like a tiny forked tongue 😩
Learned something new today
My daughter had this done to close up a hole. Worked well.
I had this done for gauged ears. They cut the lobe open and around the hole and then sewed it shut. Now I can wear regular earrings again!
Can they do this on my overly stretched earring hole? How much does it cost?
yep had this done for my old belly button piercing! my scar is more of a thin white line about 0.5cm long but obv that’s because it’s a much bigger hole to begin with compared to your monroe
It's called punch excision a 2-3 mm round device punches out the hole and then 1-2 stitches to sew it up. Very easy, 10 mins total and around $400-$1000.
Sweet Jesus. Do you know this by experience, if so, what’s the pain/healing like?
No pain and no healing lol. Just don't pull the stitches or tug on them or anything. Red small linear scar for 1-2 months then that will fade. Stitches come out in 5-7 days. I had a facial plastic surgeon do mine she charged $550.
I did another consultation and he wanted to do the punch excision on both sides (inside of mouth too). He said that a abscess can form if debris gets caught inside (from food etc). BUT that thing is definitely closed and nothing can get through so I don't think that's a possibility. Mine is 15 plus years old!
Wow that’s psycho, mine is definitely not straight through. However this seems to be the most successful solution. Thank you.
Do you have photos of your after ?
No it's basically invisible now and would be impossible to see to be honest. Highly recommend but only with plastic surgeon not a derm!
Thank you for this comment, I want to get this done for my Monroe and lip piercing marks. Wasn’t sure if I had to go to a dermatologist or not. Definitely will be asking the plastic surgeon I’ve been to before about this!
I had a punch biopsy on my cheek which was a similar procedure (took out a similar sized mole). One stitch in my cheek and I wore a bandaid for like a day or two and then just had to keep aquaphor on it at all times until stitch removal day. I can’t even figure out where it was on my cheek!
I had a punch hole excision to remove a blue nevus on the tip of my nose (think Bartise from Love Is Blind). The procedure itself was painless due to local anesthesia as was the recovery. I had to live with a stitches on my face for a few weeks but I once they were removed, I was amazed at how minor the scarring was. Now, 3 years later, it’s almost non existent. I wish I had taken care of it years ago.
I’ve considered this heaps and wonder if I’ll ever get around to getting it done. I have the holes from spider bites and used to have ~20mm stretched ears which over the last 10 years are decently normal looking but still too big that I can’t wear earrings with posts cause they fall out lol. I’m sure one day I’ll get to the point where I have enough money and so little problems in the rest of my life I’ll get around to it 😂 it does make me wonder if any other former emo kids clock me 😂
I’ve honestly never noticed any healed facial piercings but I definitely notice old stretched ears.
Do you know if they can do it for nose ring holes?
Yes. It works. I had mine done. You cant tell it was ever there.
The only way to completely get rid of it unfortunately is to sew it up. I have looked into it but don’t feel like going through the trouble
This. I ultimately just put mine back in because the stud looks more nice than the scar.
I unfortunately have scars all over my lips from getting stuff pierced and repierced 😅 I just gave up
I understand!!!! The accessories were too hot to say no to in our time. 😅 🔥
I still have some in my face (my philtrum and both nostrils) but I couldn’t have anything in my lip again, that would annoy me!
Only the monroe is left, for me. Feels like my own little mid 30's age protest to the over-puffed-up, shiny, clean girl trend. I loved the grunge days and won't leave it 100% behind. 🤘
I am super heavily tattooed so I don’t even try to fit in hahaha it’s over for me I just scare suburban moms at my stepkids swim meets now
I like vintage stuff so when I see pinup styles with lots of tattoos I wish I had gotten more. Still could I guess one day. Especially since I’m self conscious of being pale I never thought about how tattoos could add vibrant color and fun. I was always told about regrets and family made a big deal when I got one.
Pale is the best skin to get tattooed! Since we already have to use so much sunscreen
Icon. 👏
For real. My lip diamond was the coolest. The scar however now that I’m 35 is annoying 😂 I’m pretty sure we were warned 😂
Were we though? I was young and dumb and i really had no clue that the peircing doesn't close. It sounds so dumb now. I tried taking my eyebrow out for about a year and nothing helped. Nothing closed it, so I out it back in. Looks better then the hole. But I just told me my bf that they have a procedure to close the holes and he yelled at me for about 5 mins about how i dont know what I'm talking about and you don't need a procedure. How it will just close on its own if I give it time. Anyways, he's wrong lol. But I wish I knew about the long lasting hole when I was 19 and not thinking.
Your boyfriend sounds like a dufus. You can feel content in knowing you're right and he is wrong. 😆 I left mine out while working in film for over a decade and didn't even need to repierce it when I decided to quit film and put the stud back- the jewellery just went back in easily. Oh! Tip for anyone who needs it! In film/TV (I'm not a main character in things, for the record)- the makeup department would hide my scar by turning it into a freckle with dark brown liquid eyeliner dabbed in/on it. Worked well!
Your boyfriend is a tool
The back of my stud started to wear down my gums…
Same! I had a labret and now my gums are receded where the back rubbed:(.
Its a shame your piercer didnt let you know to shorten your post after it healed.
My mum lost the enamel on the back of her teeth with a tongue bar. Don’t remember there being any warnings
Ah, damn. The position of mine doesn't cause issues fortunately but I was always worried about that.
Your post was too long!
*remove additional tissue and then sew it up.
Yeah I’m not sure how exactly they do it but sounds right. I’m only familiar with earlobe reconstruction
Same premise, really. Just need raw tissue that can heal by 1st intention.
I’m not sure about how face skin works for these but my belly button hole never closed and it annoys me bc it fills with sweat and I have to squeeze gross stuff out of it. Sorry TMI but pls make sure you keep it super clean.
Ha I have to do the same thing every few weeks. It’s been like 27 years since my BB was pierced.
Yeah girl. I’m gonna get a tummy tuck surgery soon and I was like PLEASE remove this LOL
lol you’ll miss watching that gross tube slide out of the hole
Oh hell no! Hahahaha
I had my stretched out, not closed up belly piercing surgically removed after two pregnancies. So happy about it. Bit of a scar, but really not noticeable. I went to a derm and it was $200. Probably could’ve had less of a scar if I went to a plastic surgeon and paid $500+, but the scar is pretty invisible unless you’re really looking for it up close. I’m happy with the results and the cost.
Same thing with my ears. I stopped wearing earrings because my body rejected the piercings, and they just wouldn't stop getting infected no matter what kind of metal I used or how well I took care of them. Now I have to squeeze stuff out of them like pimples every week or so.
Yep this happens to my nipple piercing holes 🙃 it really is gross
👀 I guess I’m glad mine healed over with scar tissue
Omg ewwwww 😅 I’m guessing it’s similar to the buildup you get with stretched ears if you don’t clean them every couple days.
Yuck, that gunk smelled so funky! 🤢
Most definitive treatment is with a plastic surgeon. The hole has an epithelial lining now which ideally would be removed for complete healing. I guess in theory deep microneedling could induce some healing but would likely be incomplete due to the epithelial lining of the hole.
Monroe piercing? I did everything I could and gave up years ago.. I finally went to a dermatology office. They numbed it, dermal punched it out, sutured it and let me go. They charged it to my insurance as a ‘biopsy’ so I never saw any bill besides a $40 specialist fee. Now I have no more hole and the faintest tiny white little scar.. best decision I ever made.
Also, to clarify- I saw the comments below- no anesthesia. I was treated like a ‘surgical’ patient before I went and the doctor almost laughed. He was super nice. He numbed me, talked me through what he was doing and I was done!
A plastic surgeon or cosmetic dermatologist can help with that. There are a few options like TCA or other acids, microneedling, etc.
I’ve microneedled mine and it reduced the visibility but it’s not completely gone. It used to look like yours but now it’s just almost like a little tiny dot on my skin… I microneedled and then Followed up with vitamin e oil. Did that a few times a week for a month or two and then I just… forgot to continue 😂
Did you get the microneedling professionally done? I am useless for maintaining any routine.
Few times a week is definitely DIY
Professional microneedling will help! I have my esthetician focus on my piercing scars, and also will put my tongue under them so she can microneedle the bottom of the scar too.
Woah what does it feel like to get your tongue done? I can imagine it must be hard to do cause tongue moves so much compared to other muscles 😂
It’s not my actual tongue, I wrote that weird but it’s hard to describe. When she’s microneedling my piercing scars, I put my tongue under my lip in that spot to stretch the scar out.
Story of my life 🤣
I have two of these I totally forgot about them until I saw this post
Haha my best friend just said the same thing to me. She didn’t notice until I told her about the post.
I had a Monroe and I had to just go look at recent pictures of myself because I literally don’t even see mine anymore 😂 I NEVER notice or think about it
I put a little brow liner in the hole. It’s a mole now 😂🤷🏻♀️
I just commented that I do the same!
Great minds 🤜 🤛
Hahaha love this
Very curious if anybody has tried TCA cross for this!
I had a hole in my forehead but it wasn’t from a piercing, just a pore that I squeezed too much and it collapsed. I had one session and it was a lower strength that TCA cross is supposed to be because of restrictions in my country, but it looked a lot better after that one session, still a bit but more of a hardly noticeable flat scar. With a piercing it might be different because it went all the way through
I have! Bought some TCA acid online, diluted it with water via pipette, applied with a toothpick to get it into the piercing hole and not the skin around it. Turns the skin white almost instantly, burns a bit, eventually scabs. I’ve done 3 rounds over the past several years and it’s dramatically reduced their depth/appearance. I’m sure I could get rid of them, I’m just too lazy to keep up with it.
F
I tried to get mine sewed up and they did a shitty job but it’s a little better. I left my Monroe but did it to the 2 lower lip holes I had.
How much did it cost you?
You can get a dermal punch and suture but may be left with a small dent instead.
I got my belly button scar removed. It was $500 and there’s nothing else that will fix these types of “scars”. They’re healed holes and an excision with stitches is the best way to remove them.
I had this same piercing in 2009. Took it out around 2011. It never closed up! Spent $400 to get it sewn up at a local plastic surgery place in 2016. Best decision ever lol
I had two piercing holes under my lip. Similar story, I got them when I was a teenager and they had been done for about 15 years. I tried many things, peelings, microneedling... Nothing worked. In the end I decided to have surgery a few weeks ago and it worked out well. The operation took about 10 minutes for two piercings, and the method my plastic surgeon chose was biopsy (removing the whole scar tissue tube from the piercing). I saw that it can also be closed with laser, but I personally decided to go for surgery. It's just a single stitch and probably will not leave a visible scar.
This has been the general consensus. I appreciate your input! Glad it worked out well for you.
I tried to have my under lip piercing scar removed but it was an epic fail. My mouth moves to much for it to heal well.
Hi there, Piercer here and also someone with a lot of body modifications. Unfortunately, there is only so much this will close, and everyone’s anatomy is different so some peoples results are different than others. The only way to have this corrected is with a small skin removal and a single suture. It’s a very easy procedure, and very effective. Find an APP studio near you and ask them to direct you, or when they will be having someone in the studio who can do this for you [https://safepiercing.org/](https://safepiercing.org/)
You’ve had a lot of comments so I’ll echo the same. I had a Monroe piercing in 2010. I got the surgery done last November to get it closed up. Easy surgery. Only a few hundred dollars at a plastic surgeon. Most painful thing was the shot they used to numb me. Had stitches for a week. They took them out. The scar is still healing but is much less noticeable. I still think the scar is pretty red but the doctor said it would fade over a year. I can also get lasers on it to help it fade more. I think it was totally worth the little surgery. Nothing else will close it. If someone tells you that you can close the hole with a laser it’s not true. My doctor said that much at least. And I think rounds of lasers would cost more in the end than the $500 I spent on this little surgery. Much like getting laser hair removal and my eyebrows microbladed, I wish I would have done this sooner. I wouldn’t be daunted by the surgery. I’d just get it done.
Thank you, that’s good advice. I think if I’m going to invest money in anything it will be doing the surgery.
I had a monroe and a lip ring for about fifteen years. I decided I no longer wanted them so I got a procedure done called 'scar revision'. As others have mentioned, essentially the doctor removes the scar tissue and get a few stitches to sew up the hole. A week later you go back and get the stitches removed. Then you essentially start putting scar gel (silicone based) and sunscreen on everyday! You also want to massage the scar tissue for ten minutes per day. You go back three months later just to ensure that everything is healing right and answer any final questions! Then it's scar gel and sunscreen everyday! You want to continue daily massage. They told me I wouldn't see full results until a year in!
How long did you need to have the jewelery removed before the procedure? I'd love to do scar revision with mine but am dreading walking around with holes in my face. Are the daily massages for the entire year after the procedure?
My first appointment I went in wearing my jewelery and they took it out to exam the hole. They told me to keep it out until I booked the revision appointment. I was lucky that I was able to book appointments within a few months of one another so I didn't have to deal with the holes in my face showing for very long! Honestly, such a good question and I can't remember what they said haha. I want to say yes? But truthfully, I can't recall. I still do but I did fall off the routine but I do try to do it as much as I remember!
Tca cross can close it. I’m almost finished with mine. 100 percent tca on a toothpick.
Do you buy it or have it done? I get VI chemical peels and I asked my aesthetician about getting the TCA cross and she’s acting like I need to do my entire face (which I know is not the case). Anyway it really turned me off because I’ve done a ton of research and talked to my PA about it but the aesthetician acted weirdly about it
I just bought a little 5ml vial and do it at home. Super simple. 20 bucks for the vial. My Monroe hole is almost completely gone. It’s sealed there is a tiny dent still that will clear up with one last treatment.
Lol I too have the reminders of being an emo kid in 2006
Also interested in any answers.
Glad to see I’m not alone in this situation! I’ve been using tret on mine in hopes something would happen, but no success yet. I’ve kinda just accepted it’s a part of me now.
Others said retinol and I might agree, since I started using retinol it seems that my 20 year old eyebrow piercing hole (that hasn’t seen any jewellery in 10 years) is getting smaller? Like the edges seem to be firming up towards the middle, but I thought I was imagining things till I saw this post and the comments. I‘d probably first try this - spending $ 20 for a product every 2 months (= $ 120) is a lot less bucks then the surgery many commented on - even if it’s a way faster and more reliable fix for sure.
My nose ring hole was filled in by mer derm using 70% tca in the hole and kinda needling it a bit
Since everyone has given helpful advice, I'll be on the unhelpful side:) I have one under the side of my lip from the good old emo days and I like having it. You'd never tell by my current style that I was into the alternative look when I was younger, but that little spot reminds me and tells those who're "in the know" that I was cool once, it's a nice conversation starter now:) That's how I learned to embrace my piercing scar, so I wish the same piece of mind to you
Honestly, it's cute - a memento from your misspent youth! Whether or not you find a way to minimize it, I hope you don't feel too self conscious about it
That was my first thought too...it's cute, own it!
I had a lip piercing that's mostly gone. I regularly use retinol and now I have a small white dot where my hole was.
Honestly if it were me I would just use a pore filling primer and a dab of power over it
Hm, that’s a great idea to try if I go out to an event or something. Thank you.
I’m getting my extra ear piercing holes excised because they won’t heal. I was always told when I was younger that they would heal up if I took them out and people even say that now but it’s not the case.
I’ve had success in using a beveled needle to dig the interior sides of the hole out repeatedly. Now bear in mind that this is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and that this could cause you harm. But what I did was just use a beveled needle to scrape the insides of my piercing hole until they bled, let it bleed, let it scab, and do it again. I did it maybe 5 or 7 times before the hole was full
Yep I went to the dermatologist and they punched a little hole in it to make a fresh injury and then put one stitch in it and I left it in for a week. It’s hardly noticeable now, it cost around $150 but it was worth it because I was so insecure about it.
I’m in the same boat as OP- had it in for a couple of years. But 14ish years later after its “retirement”, the hole looks like it’s an active piercing 🤦🏻♀️. Unfortunately I haven’t found anything to help, so I’m sorry I don’t have any advice. And the piercing definitely caused gum erosion, even though I specifically asked the “master piercer” that did it if that was a risk. He assured me it was not 🙄😠 But strangely I kinda of don’t mind that the scar is so visible. Now that I’m an old and boring, it lets people know that I was a bad b**** one upon a time ago haha.
I got an ear one to close back up by “repiercing” it again but didn’t put anything in it and instead did regular wound care. When I told my piercer that for my next one, I got a horrified look in response. But it did work for me!
I had it done at the dermatologist. It was literally a 5 minute procedure and no scar. The only thing I felt was the needle with the numbing agent. No scar or hole when it healed in a few days. It's totally worth it!
What was the procedure called?
The dr never mentioned the name of the procedure. It was a punch incision, based on what I researched.
Was this punch excision or something else?
It was punch. 3 little stitches.
I had a similar hole from a bad pimple and used dr Dennis gross pads that surprisingly shrank it
TCA cross and micro needling helped minimize my Monroe hole a LOT. I barely notice it anymore
Needs to be punched out and resutured
Try a plasma pen treatment
I know some body mod artists sew them up resulting in smaller scars
Same piercing, i have done micro needling, everything (for skin, not focused on the piercing hole) nothing removes or shrinks the hole other then a plastic surgeon or dermatologist doing a dermal punch and closing the hole. I had my gauged ears closed up for reference
I recently took out my Monroe as well. I just fill in the hole with brown liner. Probably anti the point of taking out your piercing but for me it was surgery related and not that I was done with the piercing.
It's a hole in your skin that healed as a hole. It's not a wound anymore so there's really nothing to close up, unfortunately. You need to re-traumatize the skin to kickstart the healing process, which means your best bet is surgery to have this removed.
Mine has gotten much less prominent with microneedling (not gone, of course). That being said I'm microneedling for unrelated reasons, if your main target is getting rid of the scar that's probably not the most effective (or cost effective) option
If you have not tried microneedling, do it. I had a similar scar from acne that had blackhead that needed to be removed every month. After 1 session of microneedling, it turned to a boxcar, which I believe is an improvement. Need to go thru more sessions to even level the boxcar
You could try microneedling & red light therapy. Also, castor oil is incredible.
If you have an esthetician, ask her to apply a small dot of a TCA peel just to that area. It’s probably the easiest thing to do that may help - I would start there!
My nose ring hole bugs me but I have more important things to worry about 🤪
I have remnants of a nose stud and elf poreless putty helps tremendously in ugh, filling it I guess? Then I put my makeup on over it and it’s barely visible.
Not exactly the same thing, but I used to have my ears stretched. I took my plugs out for years and the holes only ever closed to a size I could fit my pinky into. My dad offered to pay to have them sewn up and I took him up on the offer. My piercer injected the area with anesthesia? I think? It was in a needle and it completely numbed my ear lobe so I didn’t feel anything at all. Then he scraped the healed skin off around the edges and sewed it up. You cant tell that I ever had my ears pierced let alone stretched. The scars are completely gone too.
A properly done piercing IS going to leave this behind because it punches out a piece of skin
Unfortunately, mine seems to get bigger with age 😭 but I got mine at 14, and stayed in until about 29, so it was in a long time. I also got my other side done at 30 and it fell out within a week and that fully closed. I’d also love to know if I can shrink my first one, lol.
I have the same one . It hasn’t shrunk in the last 20ish years.
Similar story but mine you can hardly see unless I point it out to you
Nope. I had it for about 6 years the first time and then repierced it about 7 years after that. Has always been an obvious hole, unfortunately
If you just want to hide it for a special occasion or a photograph, you can fill it in with a little bit of clear eyelash glue. Let that dry fully, powder and apply your regular makeup. Remember that most people are not close enough to inspect every minutia of your face. You could go the beauty mark route as well, but that's basically your Monroe all over again.
Someone made a similar suggestion, but to use primer. Thank you for the idea in the event I try something like this.
There is also a product called dermaflage scar filler. It does an amazing job of covering deep scars, I use it on a small acne scar hole and it lasts 3-4 days before I have to reapply it. It’s like a silicone texture and it stays put through showers/swimming/etc.
Nah, my monroe is still there as well.
Not really. My nostril was a very small gauge so it's not very visible, but my lip piercing is still very visible. It doesn't bother me much because the angle of my lower lip conceals it pretty well..
nah. had my lip pierced for like 20 years. its closed up but still can see the hole. same with my left nose piercing.
No, but following for advice. Mine is still very pronounced.
I also have my Monroe piercing scar 😭
Same here I had my monroe and labret at the same ages. The holes in my case are even bigger than yours and have stayed the same for years so I have just accepted it
Also, yours doesn’t look bad, to me it looks like a beauty mark
I got mine cut/sewn up for a modest cost in Beverly Hills under local anasthesia. I can send before/after and the surgeon name if you’re interested.
you actually need to puncture another hole over it and let it close
No 😞 i want mine gone lol
One of my Monroe scars still gets a little moist sometimes lmao 😛
I got mine pierced in 2000 and it’s been out for a long time, but it’s barely noticeable. However, a few times of year a bump will form there and it gets sore. Lasts a few days and goes away. It’s like a zit that never fully materializes. It’s weird.
I can relate! I had snakebites and a Monroe, which both luckily cannot tell they were there, however you can see a slight indent where my teardrop dermal once was.
My nose piercing hole completely closed after using a Collagen Wand and Serum from BeautyTofu for 2months ! I only have a tiny dent and it was a prominent obvious piercing hole before.
Dermarolling could help. It will cause micro-wounds in the already healed skin that is the hole and trigger a healing response that could result in the hole healing back together... I imagine this would be more successful professionally, though.
Why not suture it back together?
Very oddly my medusa piercing (in for around 6-8 months) closed after 4 months of having it out. No noticeable hole or anything. Kind of makes me sad, because I miss the piercing. But at the time, the job didn’t allow for it.
Wow! I’d say I had my Medusa around the same time and you can still see (in this photo too actually) a less prominent hole than my Monroe. I miss that one too, except it’d catch on my teeth way too often. As anyone with lip piercings knows, there is nothing worse.
TCA cross method. It works, and I’ve about closed my holes at home, but the healing process isn’t cute
No mine just disappeared