How to Care for New Body Piercings

Post-piercing care is a must to ensure proper healing. In addition to the aftercare list provided by your piercer, consider the following useful alternatives.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Loose Clothing
• Isopropyl Alcohols
• Distilled Waters
• Antibacterial Ointments
• Cotton Swabs
• Gauze
• Mouthwash
• Multivitamins
• Sea Salts
• Tea Tree Oils
• Loose clothing

1. Rinse your mouth after eating or drinking anything but water to keep your tongue stud free of debris. Use an antiseptic mouthwash or a sea salt and water gargle twice daily to kill germs.

2. Dilute three drops of tea tree oil in a cup of distilled water and use it as an antibacterial rinse twice daily for any external piercings. Substitute a capful of isopropyl alcohol when tea tree oil is unavailable.

3. Twist or rotate your jewelry gently after applying a rinse. This action allows the antibacterial agents to penetrate the piercing.

4. Blot areas crusted with puss with a warm water compress. Dab a small amount of antibacterial ointment where you notice trace amounts of blood.

5. Keep soap, facial astringents or toners, treatment creams and moisturizer away from the pierced area. Take care that washcloths and towels do not snag on your jewelry.

6. Wear loose-fitting shirts and low-rise pants until a belly button piercing has healed and the tightness surrounding the area has subsided. Be careful not to catch facial piercings on clothes you pull over your head, on your bedding or on any protective facial gear.

7. Take a multivitamin that includes zinc and vitamin C. This will help the body fight off infection and promote healing.

8. Consult your piercer if you have any aftercare questions.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your hands away from your new piercings. Constant fiddling will prolong the healing time.

• Healing times for various body piercings range from a few weeks to a year. You will need to wait at least six weeks and up to 10 months before considering a jewelry change.

• Seek immediate medical attention if you experience throbbing pain, prolonged swelling, lasting heat spots at the piercing point or prolonged redness.

• Never remove your nose ring if you suspect infection, unless under a physician's recommendation. The bacteria causing the infection may get trapped in your system as the hole begins to seal.

• Consider any infection to a nose piercing serious. The nose and brain share the same blood supply, so bacteria infecting the nose may travel up to the brain.