Getting a bump on a piercing is, unfortunately, normal. As much as we don’t want them, most of us will get them, and they can occur well after the initial piercing stage. It is important to know that they are nothing to be afraid of! If it is a small bump it is more than likely a keloid bump (also known as hypertrophic scaring), which, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, is “a build up of collagen”.Quick low-down on collagenMedical News Today describes collagen as the “hard, insoluble, and fibrous protein that makes up one-third of the protein in the human body”. According to Health Line, “when the skin is injured, fibrous tissue called scar tissue forms over the wound to repair and protect the injury, and in some cases scar tissue grows excessively, forming smooth hard growths called keloids”.So a keloid is simply your body trying to kill any bad bacteria that has entered the piercing.Does your piercing bump look like any of the below?