The Pain After a Tongue Piercing

Take proper care of your piercing during and after the healing process.

A tongue piercing can be a fun way to modify your body. Because a piercing causes a major change in your body, some discomfort is normal as your piercing heals. With proper piercing procedures and aftercare, it is easy to keep your initial piercing pain to a minimum. Your piercer will give you specific piercing aftercare instructions to help you keep your piercing healthy.

Swelling

Like most piercings, the area around your fresh tongue piercing will swell up. For this reason, a longer barbell is used for the initial piercing and is later replaced with a smaller barbell once the swelling has subsided. The American Association of Professional piercers notes that "significant swelling, light bleeding, and tenderness" at the sight of your piercing is common within the first few days.

Sensitivity

In your first week of the healing process, your tongue may be sensitive to certain types of foods and drinks that can irritate your piercing. In a Bellaonline.com article titled "Tongue Piercing Healing and Aftercare," body art editor Rae Schwarz suggests avoiding foods that are particularly hot or spicy, or that may otherwise irritate your swollen tongue. Ice water is soothing and does not require you to wash out your mouth after you drink it. For anything other then water, you will need to rinse your mouth with a non-alcohol-based mouthwash to keep your piercing clean.

Irritation

Using a harsh mouthwash, consuming alcohol and smoking can all cause irritation to your piercing. This can prolong the healing process or even increase swelling, as you may not be able to rinse out your mouth after you drink or smoke. It is best to avoid irritants until your tongue piercing has completely healed. With proper care, most tongue piercings heal within a three to six weeks.

Allergic Reaction

While it is normal to have some discomfort and swelling associated with a new piercing, an allergic reaction to the jewelry is not normal. Most body jewelry is made of surgical or stainless steel. However, 14-karat gold and other metals are available for particularly sensitive people. Alert your piercer of any allergies you may have to jewelry or metals before your piercing is done.

Infection

Proper piercing procedures and aftercare can help reduce the risk of infection. However, all piercings pose some risk of infection. You may develop an infection from improper aftercare or from having your piercing done by an unqualified person. The Young Women's Health website notes that "redness, swelling, discharge, bad smell, a rash at or around the piercing site, or a fever" can all be signs of an infection. If you are concerned that your piercing has become infected, make an appointment to see your primary care physician as soon as possible.

References

• American Association of Professional Piercers: Suggested Aftercare for Oral Piercings
• Bellaonline: Body Art - Tongue Piercing Healing and Aftercare
• Young Women's Health: Body Piercing