How to Clean a Hip Piercing

Hip piercings require care similar to navel piercings.

Body piercings have gone from a counterculture symbol and tribal custom to mainstream fashion accessory. You can pierce everything from ears to the surface of skin, but all piercings require proper maintenance and hygeine. Without proper care, piercings can become infected or your body may reject them. Surface piercings, like hip piercings, can prove especially prone to rejection. If you follow some basic hygenic practices and cleaning techniques, you can successfully clean a hip piercing and prevent infection and rejection.

Things You'll Need

• Non-iodized sea salt
• Distilled water
• Antibacterial soap
• Paper towels
• Cotton swabs
• 16-ounce glass
• Dish soap
• Sterile saline solution

Instructions

1. Add 1/4 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt to 8 ounces of distilled water in a clean glass and mix thoroughly.

2. Wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap and dry them completely with paper towels.

3. Apply a small amount of the sea salt solution to a cotton swab.

4. Dab the piercing with the cotton swab, gently wiping away any debris or discharge from the exposed part of the piercing and the surrounding skin.

5. Pour the remainder of the sea salt solution into a clean, 16-ounce glass.

6. Place the mouth of the glass against your skin so it surrounds the hip piercing, forming a tight seal.

7. Lay down comfortably so the glass remains sealed against your skin and the sea salt solution soaks the piercing. Allow the piercing to soak for approximately 5 to 10 minutes and dispose of the sea salt solution.

8. Rinse the piercing with sterile saline solution and allow it to air dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not rub the piercing roughly or too much with the saline-soaked cotton swabs. Do not attempt this method with an infected piercing.

References

• Montana Body Art: Jewelry Cleaning Info
• Precision Body Arts: Body Piercing Aftercare
• Rockstar Body Piercing: Suggested Aftercare