Don't touch your piercing at all for 2 to 5 hours. Let it settle. Give it some space. Then dive head-first into a cleaning routine to avoid nasty pus.
External piercings (ear, nostrils, septum, nipples, navel, genitalia, and all other surface piercings) should be washed with either pure saline solution, saltwater (just add 1 tsp. sea salt to 1 pint water) or an anti-microbial soap. But always consult with your piercer--this option is not good for all piercings. Of the soaps, the best cleanser to use is a mild liquid antimicrobial/germicidal medicated soap, such as Provon or Satin. Turn the jewelry (either clockwise or counterclockwise) two to three times every time you take a shower. This is the most important part of the healing process. You must turn the jewelry to clean out any germs and built-up body fluid or pus, and to wash away any cleaning agent. If you don't turn the jewelry, it could cause infection. It's not natural to have a hole in your body, and all of those white blood cells will think you got hurt, so twisting the jewelry is the only way to tell the body "I did this on purpose."
If white or clear secretions come out of the hole, apply a preservative-free saline solution to both the jewelry and surrounding area. That should help keep it clean and heal faster. The secretions are a completely normal part of the natural healing process, so don't freak out. If green or yellow stuff is coming out, however, go see a doctor to get antibiotic cream. The infection should go away in a week or two.
For internal piercings (that means tongue, lip, labret, cheek, or any other mouth webbings), slosh around some mouthwash--like Listerine, Biotene, Rembrandt or Tech 2000--immediately after eating, drinking or smoking. Better yet, don't smoke. Again, with the lip and cheek piercings, just like the exterior piercings, a fluid secretion may accumulate on the jewelry. Let it dry, then clean it off with a preservative-free saline solution. If you experience any pain, take Tylenol or a similar product. And avoid food that is hot, spicy, crunchy or chew-intensive. The mushier, the better.
The process may be a bit different for the tongue, since you pierced something that doesn't have any skin. During the first 3 to 5 days after the initial pierce, the tongue will swell to approximately twice its normal size (that's one of the reasons the barbell is so long). White, sticky secretions are normal, but yellow and green secretions can indicate an infection. Use warm saltwater to remove this goop. Check the tightness on the both ends of the barbell to make sure they aren't getting too loose and falling off.
Although you probably won't have to follow these stringent cleansing rituals for more than a couple of weeks, below is the amount of time it takes for each pierced area to heal completely:
Tongue, labret, Prince Albert (a ring that passes through the top part of the urethra), clitoral hood, inner labia: 3 to 4 weeks Earlobes, septum, nipples, frenum (the loose skin under the penis right near the head), eyebrows: 1 month Upper ears, tragus, nostrils, dydoes (the sides of the head of the penis): 4 to 6 weeks Navel, hafadas, outer labia, surface piercings: 6 weeks to 2 months Ampallang (through the head of the penis, right in the center from side to side), apadravya (through the head of the penis, right in the center, from top to bottom): 2 to 3 months
