Two days ago in installed my first implant (NeXT) in the L0 position, and the ship rested ~1cm away from the injection site. I used the bandage included with the kit for the first day (so I couldn’t really see what was going on below), and yesterday switched to smaller “shot” bandages that will only cover the incision site. It’s healing extremely well, and the incision is barely visible. There has been no pain and no bruising.
My concern is that the implant seems to be migrating a bit, which I understand is just part of the process, but mine is moving forward towards the injection site. It’s now only about 3mm away. Since the incision is still healing I am concerned that my body might push it right back out. There has been no movement in any other direction, it’s stayed right in the channel created by the needle. It’s just closer to the opening now.
Initially I tried to gently push it further back into the channel, but it didn’t seem to move much at all (maybe 1-2mm). I decided to check the forums, and saw that trying to muscle it to where you want is not really recommended. I did read about the toothpick method, and saw one post about (carefully) using a magnet to keep an implant from migrating. I’m not sure if either of these methods would help much, as it seems to be getting pushed forward by the channel closing/healing behind it. I’m willing to try, though being in the L0 position it might be a challenge to actually keep a toothpick box in place with normal hand movement (even if I try to minimize it).
I thought I’d ask here, as I know I can’t be the first person to have seen this. How likely is my body to push it back out through the healing incision site? The incision does seem pretty well-healed already, but I know that the tissue is still weaker there right now, regardless of its appearance.
Thanks for reading, and for any advice/input you can offer! And thank you all for all the knowledge that you’ve shared on these forums. It’s been both enlightening and entertaining to read through, I’ve learned a lot from you guys already.
Yeah, you sound like you have done some quality research and already have some answers.
The toothpick is definitely more common, but just give everything a go.
What may also really help you is start taking some prenatal vitamins.
It will help increase your collagen production to speed up the encapsulation process.
The prenatal vitamins are on my shopping list, and I was going to pick them up later today. I think I wasn’t sure if they’d help out in this case, since I know that any increase in collagen production would be instantaneous, and my biggest concern is the tag getting pushed out in the next couple days. Ideally I should have perhaps started taking them BEFORE I installed, but hey, next time I will be (I’ll start today).
I’ll give the toothpick method a go. Really I only need one, I’m only trying to stop movement in one direction, and one will probably be easier to keep in place than four in a box.
Thank you for your response and suggestions! Enjoy your Friday.
Just in case you still had concerns about this, I would wager to say that it’s exceedingly rare for the body to just straight up push out an x-series implant.
A little migration is usual with these, and the steps that you’ve obviously done your research on will help to minimize the migration, but you shouldn’t worry about straight out rejection usually (especially in L0 - rejection might be a bit more common in more unorthodox places, but that placement is really not so harsh that the body would push it out).
I just got an NExT too and was wondering the same thing.
This is what it looks like now after 5 days. It doesn’t hurt when I do that, but I’m not sure if it being so far away from where I usually see it is problematic.
(The line directly above it isn’t the injection site. That’s the one to the right. My hand looks like a crime scene, because I did this myself. I pierced the skin but didn’t go in very far a few times before I had the nerve to stick the needle completely in my hand.)
It should be fine. I would only be concerned about an x-series pushing out if within the first 24 hours while the wound was still “open” it was pushed all the way to the entry wound and you could physically see it under there. That would really only happen if you installed way too shallow or you had some blunt force trauma to the install site.
Migrating most of the way to the entry wound is normal. Your body wants to push it out like a tooth paste tube, but the implant is just too large in relation to the wound diameter, and there’s too much surface area providing friction. It’s much more important for your body to close the hole and keep out infection that to reject the foreign body that’s basically inert, so that’s what it does.
Thanks for the input! I feel better knowing it’s not likely to just get popped back out. There’s been zero inflammation or any signs of rejection, so I’m not worried about that aspect, I know what to watch for there. It just seemed like the channel was healing from the furthest end first, and as the tissue was returning to it’s factory default settings it was sort of pushing it back towards the way it came, kind of like when you’re camping and try to squeeze the hotdog from the package without actually touching it (the hotdog).
Since I first posted though there’s been no further movement from the tag. I did the toothpick method, and marked the back of the tag so I could see any additional shifting without removing the bandage and everything. So far so good!
Thank you! That’s great–just what I was hoping was the case. There’s been no further movement forward, so I’ll continue with what I’m doing now and just keep an eye out for any more. After a day with the toothpick secured in front of it, the tag seems like it may have actually backed up .5-1mm. Good times!
Ah, apologies. When I assume I make an ass of the world map and the International Date Line. The important part is that you did. But pretend I said weekend.
I really appreciate your help, and the quick support of everyone here who came to my aid. It’s looking pretty good now, and I feel much more at ease. I think the toothpick trick convinced the tag to backstep a hair or three, which is better than my original hope of it just not shooting back out. It reads great, so if it ends happy right where it is, so am I.
One more question regarding the prenatal vitamins, if you happen to know: Which component in them boosts collagen production? I looked at the ingredients before I bought them, and was a bit surprised at what was and wasn’t there. I figured they were mainly things like folic acid and iron, but the ones I saw didn’t even contain folic acid. I already take most of the ingredients as supplements anyway (and folic acid), but the one compound I hadn’t expected to see was choline bitartrate. I’m hoping that maybe the other components are what helps us produce more collagen, as I can’t take choline supplements, but I’m guessing that it’s probably the (bulk of) the good stuff we’re looking for in this application.
Thanks again @Pilgrimsmaster, this has all been a warm welcome to the forums in my time of need.
Well, before I came to these forums, I thought vitamin C and amino Acids did that for you, I have never taken Prenatals myself and had no issues with migration. But that is what is recommended here, I just regurgitate the info as it appears to yield positive results
When I researched it a while ago, it was something like Hydroronc Acid( spelling?)
Age is also a factor. Younger the better, I think it was after 25yo Collagen production begins to decline.
THANKS GOOGLE ( I was close )
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the body, but it decreases as we age
I know at the Dr’s office they often say to not look at the needle, but in this case probably best that you do. /s
I’m obviously new to this too, but my understanding is that the tags often move around a bit before finding their forever home (and based on other posts here, apparently some are just ramblers and never seem to settle down).
Like was suggested to me above, check out the prenatal vitamins. Make sure it’s safe for you to take whatever ingredients they contain first though. The vitamins evidently help your body to produce more collagen, which (as I understand) help give the tag a nice envelope and something to hold onto. If the lacerations near where the tag is aren’t the actual incision point that you injected from, I don’t think you have to worry about the same concerns I had. I don’t have a camera right now, but mine decided to move straight forward to the injection point in the same channel I made with the syringe.
But again, I’m new to implants like this, so my input at this stage is probably not going to be as helpful as others’ here will be. I worked closely with our medics and I can suture a laceration that needs it in a pinch, but I’m more knowledgeable at making sure the stuff you already had inside of you stays there than putting something new in.
For reference I’d check here, it was one of the first posts that came up when I had my concerns about tag movement. If nothing else it might help you better understand what goes on when a glass tag gets injected into the fascia, @amal gives a good explanation here. New implant has suddenly migrated
I’ve been thinking more since my last post. I had the toothpick in place, but it seemed so low-tech, and I still had either (1) the edges of the (cut) toothpick digging into my hand; or (2) a stick too long and was dislodged while I slept.
I can’t deny that I think it’s helped. My tage seems to have moved back a camel’s hair–or at least not moved further towards the incision. But I came up with something I think might work better than a toothpick, while still accomplishing the same task. Let me know your thoughts please, and I’ll keep the thread apprised of any results (unless the feedback is to just go back to the damn toothpick, which I’ll respect and actually do).
Instead of a toothpick, I cut a length of ~20-22g insulated copper wire, and bent it into a ‘U’ shape. I placed it so that the apex of the curve is directly in front of my implant, just behind the actual incision, and taped it down with the adhesive portions of an extremely sticky name-brand bandaid. I’m allergic to most adhesive tapes, but I can keep this type on for ~36 hours before getting reactive bumps on my skin. I’ll take breaks a couple times a day, scrub the excess adhesive with isopropyl alcohol and let it air out for a while before reapplying.
I took some snaps, so I’ll also post them here, either as a decent idea or a bad one to not be repeated…I’ll let you know (unless I hear back I should abort and move back to the toothpick.
Once again, I want to thank everyone here more informed than myself for helping me in this journey. I can’t imagine anywhere else where I could get honest feedback aside from, “You did what?! Are you serious?? Of course it’s going to go wrong!”
My only regret is waiting so long to stop just lurking and participate in the community discussion.
For what it’s worth, I think that is a great idea.
The most difficult bit I imagine would be getting the backward pull on the tape, but by “hooking” the tape around and under your thumb webbing, you have achieved that plus a little downward.
I think you could also achieve some more downward with the same technique going across the hand ontop of the copper.
and nails 
but thanks 
When I assume I make an ass of the world map and the International Date Line. The important part is that you did. 
