Piercings have been a popular accessory for generations, and it doesn’t look like the craze is ending any time soon. These days, you can get just about anything pierced! Piercings add a sense of identity and a way to express a flair of one’s personality. However, as easy as piercings are to obtain, they’re not as easy as they seem to keep. The challenge of having a piercing comes with the aftercare program. If you don’t look after your piercing properly, your piercing will get infected, and sometimes, the end result can be extremely catastrophic (think ear amputation!). During this article, we will discuss seven simple tips on taking care of your piercings.
Keep It Clean
Regularly clean your piercing with a saline solution or mild soap and water. This will help prevent infection and keep the area clean. You can buy saline solutions online in stores for your piercing, or you can make it yourself by mixing salt with warm tepid water. You don’t want to use scorching hot water, as you don’t want to irritate the area. Similarly, it’s important to not overdo the cleaning of the area. Overly cleaning the area can lead to extremely dry flaky skin and irritation.
Be Careful With Clothing
Avoid clothing that is tight or abrasive. This can irritate your piercing and cause discomfort, especially for those with belly button piercings. it’s best to wear loose and baggy clothes for the first one-two week at least after your piercing. This is to give your piercing enough time to heal and thus avoid any belly button bleeding due to abrasion of the area. You don’t want to be constricting the healing area. This could lead to infection and thus cause you a lot of discomforts.
Avoid Irritants
Stay away from makeup, perfumes, and other products that could irritate your piercing. This is especially important for piercings of the face. At least for the first couple of weeks as your piercing is healing, it’s extremely important to keep the area clear and clean of all makeup and perfumes. Infections of nose piercings are extremely common, as makeup can build up around this area and we touch our noses a lot during the day without realizing it. Do what you can to make sure you don’t get an infection and avoid using any products that could irritate the pierced area.
Don’t Pick
If you have a crusty buildup around your piercing, don’t pick at it. This can cause infection or further irritation. Our fingers and fingertips hold a lot of germs. The number of bacteria on our hands alone can easily infect a piercing if it’s opened up. Make sure to wash your hands and hand sanitize regularly before you clean your piercing. And try not to touch your piercing at any other time other than for cleaning.
Be Careful
Avoid rough play or anything that could snag or pull on your piercing. This includes things like tight clothing, hair, and pet fur. Similarly, when participating in activities such as swimming or contact sports, it’s important to protect your piercing from bacteria and other contaminants. you can protect your piercing by using a sterile bandage or covering it with petroleum jelly.
See Your Piercer If You Have Concerns
If you notice any redness, swelling, or discharge around your piercing, make sure to see your piercer right away. These could be signs of infection. Similarly, sometimes the reasons for any swelling and infection around the area could be due to a botched piercing. The piercer may have either not pierced from a straight angle, or not have cleaned the piercing and area effectively. Similarly, it is up to your piecer to provide you with the correct instruction for aftercare. If they haven’t, then it’s worth complaining and asking for a refund. After all, it is their responsibility to do the job right and see you with the right aftercare.
Have Patience
It can take several months for a piercing to fully heal. During this time, it’s important to be diligent with your aftercare program to avoid anything that could cause irritation or infection. With proper care, your piercing will heal quickly and you’ll be able to enjoy it for years to come. So be patient!
Take Care Of Your piercing!
So there you have it, seven ways you can take care of your piercing to ensure that you never have to incur an infection (or get anything amputated!). However, sometimes, even the most careful people can have issues. If you see anything of concern or something isn’t sitting right with you, go speak to your piercer and express your concerns. Your piercing may not have been done sufficiently, and therefore you’re entitled to some money back or for a re-do once the area has healed. If you’re reading this and you’re new to getting a piercing, then good luck – but be careful! Once you have one piercing, it’s soon easy to get addicted to this trend and have your whole body covered in pieces of gold and silver from head to toe.
