Piercing Aftercare

Purchase sea salt and a bottle of gentle, liquid antibacterial soap containing Triclosan, such as:

• Dial Liquid Antibacterial Soap
• Lever 2000 Liquid Antibacterial Soap
• Almay Hypocare Antibacterial Soap

With a cotton swab (Q-tip), remove the softened crust. Next, lather up a few drops of the antibacterial soap and apply it to the piercing. Wash the piercing using the lathered soap. While the soap is still applied, move the jewelry through the piercing a few times, and then rinse the piercing with clean water. Do not allow any soap residue to remain in the piercing or on the jewelry.

Clean the piercing no more than twice a day. Cleaning more than twice a day may damage the delicate skin cells, and cleaning less than twice a day may invite an infection. When you are not cleaning the piercing, leave it alone. Dirty hands are the most common cause of infection.

Do not use gels, jellies, creams, Neosporin, bactine, A&D, bacitracin, hydrogen peroxide, glyoxide, alcohol, betadine, or iodine on your piercing. These will irritate or clog up the piercing and actually slow the healing process.

Once a day, mix ¼ teaspoon of sea salt with eight fluid ounces of warm water in a cup. Place the cup over the piercing (navel, nipple, male genitals, etc.), or dip a white paper towel into the sea salt mix (ear, nose, brow, lip, labret, female genitals, etc.) and hold it to the piercing. Keep the cup or paper towel over the piercing for at least ten minutes. This soaks the piercing, softens the crust, relaxes the skin, and balances out the pH of the skin so the piercing heals well. After ten minutes, remove the cup or paper towel and wash your hands.

Purchase a bottle of antibacterial mouth rinse, such as:

• Tech 2000 (Use straight)
• Biotene (Use straight)
• Listerene (½ water mix)

Brush your teeth as you normally would. Then rinse your mouth with the rinse for two-three minutes. Do this morning and night, every day for two months. The rinse is more than enough to clean your piercing every day. Do not use glyoxide.

During the day, make sure to rinse with clean water every time you eat, drink, or smoke. Rinse your mouth five-six times for three-five seconds each time you rinse. This is to remove any excess food, smoke, or drink particles, which could hinder the healing process. Refrain from kissing. The mouth is a petri dish of bacteria, and introducing bacteria from another person's mouth can cause problems, including infection.

Many people have found that vitamin C (3,000mg in mineral Ascorbate form), multivitamins, and a Zinc supplement (women 60mg, men 120 mg, for two-three weeks) can speed the healing and regeneration of tissue. Avoid wearing tight belts, tight pants, tights, or restrictive clothing for a couple of months if they come in contact with the piercing. Similar activities which constrict the area are discouraged (for example, sit-ups when you have a belly piercing). Any sexual activity should be gentle (nipple, navel, tongue, labret, lip, genital, etc.) when near the piercing. Be sure to use protection (condom, dental dam) if you use your piercing during sex for the first few months.

To reduce swelling usually found with oral piercing, some people find that anti-inflammatories such as Alleve or Midol can help. The active ingredient, Naproxen Sodium, relieves much of the swelling associated with tongue piercing. You may also find it helpful to suck on ice cubes, ice pops, Italian ices, Slurpees, etc. Remember, when eating, take time to chew slowly and wait until hot food cools off. Refrain from spicy foods.

Your piercing may not be completely healed for several years. Even after the piercing has healed, reinsertion can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Jewelry should not be changed during the initial healing period, usually the first couple of months. Be sure to always wear appropriate jewelry in your piercing, even when fully healed. Jewelry designed for ear piercing from "Piercing Huts" in the mall are not appropriate for any piercing, even ears. They may cause irritations or allergic reactions. If you must remove the jewelry temporarily, use a piece of non-colored, lubricated monofilament or a retainer to hold the piercing open until you can put the normal jewelry back in.

It usually isn't a problem to permanently remove the jewelry. In most cases, a small indentation will remain. If the piercing is in fact infected, DO NOT REMOVE THE JEWELRY. Call the shop or stop in.

Infections are caused by contact with bacteria, fungi, or other living pathogens during the healing process. Piercing infections can usually be traced to one of the following activities:

• Touching the piercing with unwashed hands (yours or anyone else's).
• Oral contact with the piercing (saliva from others or yourself).
• Allowing bodily fluids to come in contact with the piercing.
• Contact with hair, cosmetics, oils, unwashed clothing, bedding, or other agents.
• Going into a pool, hot tub, lake, ocean, or other unclean body of water.

While these symptoms may also indicate other problems, look for the following indications of infection:

• Redness and swelling.
• A sensation of heat at the piercing site.
• Pain, especially throbbing or spreading pain.
• Unusual discharge that may be greenish, yellowish, or greyish.

While it is never inappropriate to see your piercing-friendly physician, a call or visit to your piercer may save you a trip. Also tell them about any circumstances which may have led to an infection.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THE JEWELRY! This may aggravate the problem by closing off the drainage. Doctors often recommend this, but it isn't always the best thing to do. This may cause you to need to have the infection drained, because the piercing holes close up.

The effectiveness of oral antibiotic depends on selecting the right one for the job. This should only be done by a doctor. Many people are sensitive to antibiotics, and a doctor can help you choose one if needed.

Navel, eyebrow, and nipple piercings tend to migrate toward the surface as they heal. If the piercing is too shallow, the jewelry is inappropriate, or if you don't follow the aftercare instructions, the body may reject the piercing (push the jewelry out of the body). If you suspect the piercing is rejecting, visit your piercer immediately. The solution may be as simple as changing your jewelry.

Over cleaning, vigorous cleaning, or using a soap or cleanser that is too strong can produce symptoms that look very similar to an infection. This can make the skin appear tender and shiny and have a clear discharge.

Friction or pressure caused by tight of heavy clothing, rough sexual activity, excess movement in the area of the piercing, or sleeping on the piercing can cause redness, keloids, discharge, and rejection/migration of the piercing.

Stress, poor diet, or illness can cause longer healing times, migration, and/or rejection.

Reactions to metal are extremely rare. Reactions to cleansers or other problems are often mistaken for a metal allergy. Always be sure to use surgical steel, niobium, or titanium for the first few months of a fresh piercing.

The selected jewelry may not be appropriate. If the jewelry is too thin or too heavy, too large or small in diameter, or not the right style, you may experience healing problems.