How to Take Care of Piercings

Right after getting a piercing, there might be some bleeding near the hole, bruises, or swelling. Additionally, some white liquid might come out of the wound, and it might get red and itch. Such side effects are considered to be normal and don’t require any medical attention. But in order to avoid complications, it’s better to take good care of the wound from the start.

5-Minute Crafts knows how to keep yourself safe from infections after getting piercings.

Taking care of ear, nose, eyebrow, nipple, and belly piercings

Healing period:

• Ear: 6-8 weeks (cartilage: 2-4 months)

• Nose: 4-6 months

• Eyebrow: 6-8 weeks

• Belly button: up to 6 months

• Nipple: 3-6 months

How to take care of the piercing:

• Touch the piercing with clean hands only. Make sure not to infect the wound.
• Wash the wound with chlorhexidine. Do it at least 3 times a day before the initial symptoms disappear.
• Wear loose clothing to avoid excess irritation of the wound. Also, it’s better not to wear hats or use earphones if you have ear piercings.

What not to do:

• Don’t take a bath, swim in the pool or the sea, or go to a sauna. It’s better to take quick showers. After your shower, don’t forget to disinfect the wound.

• Don’t sunbathe. Don’t go to tanning salons or walk outside when it’s hot.

• Don’t use beauty products. Stay away from using anything aside from medical solutions.

• Don’t do difficult physical exercise. Don’t lift weights and only partake in light workouts.

Taking care of lip and tongue piercings

Healing period:

• Lip: 6-8 weeks

• Tongue: 3-6 weeks

How to take care of the piercing:

• Always disinfect your hands before touching the piercing. Don’t touch the wound with dirty cotton swabs, napkins, or fabrics.

• Use mouthwash. Make sure it doesn’t contain alcohol.

• Wash the mouth after every time you eat. This will prevent the food from getting stuck under the piercing.

What not to do:

• Don’t eat hot, cold, spicy, salty, or bitter foods. It’s better to eat warm, not super solid foods.

• Don’t drink coffee, sparkling water, or other aggressive drinks.

• Don’t smoke. If you’re a smoker, avoid doing so for at least a couple of days until the bleeding stops.

General recommendations

• You can make a salt solution to wash the wound — 1/4 tsp of salt with warm water. Don’t use too much salt or it could cause skin irritation.

• Don’t rotate the piercing. Be extra careful at all times.

• Don’t remove the coagulated blood aggressively. Take a cotton swab, soak it in chlorhexidine, hold it on the wound for a few seconds, and then remove the blood.

• Don’t use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. They slow down the healing process, dry out the skin, and kill the good cells.

• Don’t drink alcohol. You can’t drink alcohol 1 day before getting pierced or 2-3 days after. Don’t drink any on the day of the procedure, not even a little bit.

• Wait for the wound to fully heal. It might look great on the outside but it will be bad inside. Be patient and careful throughout the entire healing process.