How to Care for Pierced Nipples

Nowadays it’s possible to pierce just about everything on the body, but very popular is the nipple piercing. Caring for your pierced nipples is more difficult and can often times be more painful that getting the piercing itself, but with the proper treatment and care, you can make the healing process go a little quicker and be much more bearable. A nipple piecing is essentially an open wound and you should treat it as such. Work in a sterile environment and be sure that all of your equipment, including you, is clean and sterile.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Epsom salt
• Anti-bacterial soap
• Emu Oil
• Saline Solution
• Cotton balls
• Q-Tips
• Small paper cups or small water glass
• Clean washcloth
• Paper towels

1. Be gentle. Nipples are an extremely sensitive area of the body and are full of nerves. One of the things that makes healing nipples so difficult is that they are constantly being stimulated by external and internal triggers. Be gentle when cleaning the area and try to touching them as little as possible until they are completely healed.
2. Wash your hands. One of the mistakes that people make when caring for their new piercing is that they will take all the necessary precautions to disinfect their nipple, but none of the same steps to disinfect themselves. Your hands will be involved in every part of the cleaning process, so it is important that they are clean and disinfected. Wash your hands for at least 30 seconds using soap and warm water.
3. Soak your piercing. Fill your small water glass or paper cup with warm water. Dissolve about 1/4 tsp. of epsom salt into the water. Bend over the sink and dip your nipple into the water and press the mouth of the cup into your chest to create a seal. Once you’ve created a seal, you may stand up, but be sure to hold the cup to your chest. Soak the nipple for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Clean your piercing. Once you’ve soaked the area, you need to properly clean and disinfect it. Use the wash cloth or a cotton ball to wipe away the water from the soak. Be careful around the area where the piercing enters the skin and avoid pushing the scab crusts into the hole. Wipe away all the dry, dead skin. Apply liquid soap with a Q-Tips and clean the jewelry, skin and piercing holes. Rinse the area with warm water and be sure to get all of the soap.
5. Rinse with saline solution. After you've soaked and thoroughly cleaned your piercing, you can finish with the saline solution. Saline solution is great for the healing process and it is very soothing to sore nipples. Place a cotton ball on the skin under your piercing and squirt the entire area with the solution. The cotton ball will prevent the solution from dripping down your stomach.
6. Rotate your jewelry. You will hear the argument against rotating your jewelry, but this is an important step in the healing process and will prevent your jewelry from growing into the skin. With that said, you need be very careful when rotating your jewelry to prevent scab crusts from getting pushed into the wound. Only rotate jewelry when you are in the shower, after the area has soaked for about 10 minutes. Make sure that all of the dry, dead skin has been removed from the skin, piercing holes and jewelry before your rotate the jewelry. With your fingers, apply some soap, and then slowly rotate the jewelry back and forth a few times. Rinse and rotate a few more times, being sure that all the soap is completely rinsed off.
7. Make your nipples off limits. You don’t have to abstain from sex, but you do have to take your nipples out the equation for a while. Tell you partner to stay away from your chest and nipples until the area is completely heeled. The human mouth is one of the most bacteria-filled organisms on the planet and if her mouth is on your nipples before they are healed you could get a nasty infection. In addition, you’ll need to avoid pulling, pinching and any other groping to your nipples for about 2 months.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use a cloth wash cloth, it must be freshly washed each time you use it. Used wash cloths harbor bacteria and germs and these can be transferred to your open wound. If you don’t have a clean wash cloth, use a paper towel.
• If you’re not using disposable cups for your sea salt soak, make sure that the glass you are using is properly disinfected between uses. The best way to disinfect a glass is by running it through a dishwashing cycle, which uses much hotter water than you can bare when washing in the sink.
• Sometimes the body will reject a piercing by pushing the jewelry out of the skin. Watch for signs of rejection. If the body is rejecting a piercing it will never fully heal and the skin above the piercing will begin to appear thinner until you can begin to see the jewelry under the skin. If this happens, you need to remove the jewelry before your body does it for you.
• Do not use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide when cleaning your piercing. This will irritate and dry the skin.
• Do not use antibacterial ointment. This will clog the and prevent the skin to breathe and heal.