Congratulations if you’ve got your dream piercing, but now it’s time to learn how to best take care of it so that it can heal faster. If the piercing you got was performed by a skilled professional in a safe and sterile environment, you have nothing to worry about, just work on the aftercare.
To help you in this process, we made a guide to piercing aftercare. Check out these tips for the aftercare of different types of piercings.
What to expect from your new piercing
How your new piercing behaves depends on numerous things, but mostly on the location of it. Generally, new piercings can be swollen, tender, itchy, and bruised for a couple of weeks. Even some bleeding or secreting of a yellowish fluid is expected in some cases.
If that’s something that happens to you, use ice or a cold compress to slow down the building and reduce the swelling. Also, never pick and prod the piercing with your fingers, especially if it’s secreting or bleeding.
Different people have different experiences with their piercings. For example, you might not experience anything like this.
The aftercare of new piercings
The aftercare of new piercings is crucial because it will encourage your body to heal itself. Proper piercing aftercare consists of learning how to clean your piercings and what to avoid.
How to clean your new piercings
To be able to properly clean your piercings, you will need some cotton pads or gauze. Also a sterile saline solution for wound washing. You can buy any wound wash saline or you can invest in a specific piercing aftercare spray that contains saline, that’s up to you.
Clean your piercings regularly every morning and evening during the initial healing period. Start the cleaning by always washing your hands before making contact with your piercings or the areas around it. Then, spray your piercing with a sterile wound wash saline twice a day. Spray both sides of the piercing and then pat the area dry with cotton pads or gauze.
Also, when doing this, do not remove the jewelry because, during this initial healing process, the wound can close pretty fast.
When showering, do your best to keep the shampoo, gel, soap, and other products away from the piercing. Additionally, be sure to thoroughly rinse the area after showering.
What to avoid during the healing process
As mentioned, during the healing process, you should avoid touching, pulling, and picking your piercing or any dried matter on it. You can touch it only when cleaning it but with clean hands. Also, don’t twist or turn your jewelry, and do not take off the jewelry!
Try to avoid using other cleaning products such as alcohol, Neosporin, or similar products. These chemicals and products might irritate your wound.
Do your best to avoid getting makeup, lotions, creams, moisturizers, and similar products in your piercings.
Aftercare tips for piercings by their location
All ear piercings – lobes, Helix, and advanced
Proper ear piercing aftercare consists of washing your piercing twice a day with saline solution and avoiding getting makeup and hair products in contact with your piercings. When sleeping, try swapping your regular pillow for a travel pillow that has a hole in its middle. When showering, use a gentle spray to rinse any debris from your ear piercings.
Nose piercings
Once again, be careful when using products such as face wash, makeup, creams, and serums, try not to get them directly on the piercing. Be gentle when blowing your nose.
If you have a septum piercing, avoid using any nasal sprays that aren’t saline. And don’t rotate your jewelry!
Lip and oral piercings
If you have a lip piercing, don’t put lipstick, lip gloss, or any other similar products on your piercing. As for oral piercings, try to stay away from spicy foods, acidic fruits, and alcohol, in the initial healing stages.
Nipple and navel piercings
As you can guess by now, body lotions, creams, and moisturizers shouldn’t come in direct contact with your new piercings.
Avoid wearing tight clothing and make sure the clothing that comes in contact with your piercings is clean. We suggest showering instead of bathing for a couple of weeks.
Dermal piercings
If you have just got a dermal piercing, refrain from using body lotions, creams, moisturizers, or perfumes directly on the piercing. Don’t wear jewelry that will sit directly on top of your dermal piercing. And be careful with bag straps and handles.
Genital piercings
Stay away from lubricants and creams for a couple of weeks. And also avoid heavy play so that your piercing can heal properly.
Bottom Line
Piercing aftercare is essential if you want to help your body heal quickly and properly. As you can see, the aftercare isn’t complicated, simply follow the tips from above and your piercings will heal in no time.
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