How to Care For Your New Piercing
How to Care For Your New Piercing
So you got a new piercing? Great!
Before showing off your latest accessory, you need to know how to care for your new piercing. The pierced area needs time to heal, whether you got your cartilage pierced or a larger body part.
Effective piercing aftercare prevents infections and excessive swelling. Follow these steps to ensure that your new piercing heals correctly.
Cleaning Essentials
The first and most critical step in new piercing aftercare is cleaning it.Essentially, you should consider your new piercing as a wound, so keeping it clean to promote healing is necessary. Keep these tips in mind when cleaning your new piercing.
Use Saline Solution in the Morning and Evening
Cleaning your new piercing twice a day will remove any unwanted bacteria and prevent infections. However, cleaning too often will slow down the healing process, so be sure to stick to the specific instructions of your piercer.
Always Wash Your Hands
You touch a lot of surfaces throughout the day, which means your hands constantly collect bacteria. Therefore, it is important to wash your hands before cleaning your pierced area to prevent the bacteria from transferring.
Use a Cotton Pad or Swab When Cleaning
Using a soft material to dip in the saline and clean your piercing makes for a more gentle and effective cleaning.
Dab, Don't Rub
Rubbing or wiping the area when cleaning damages the healing tissues. When washing or drying the pierced area, make sure to use a soft material such as cotton and gently dab it.
Clean the Pierced Area When You Remove the Jewellery
Jewellery quickly collects bacteria from the surfaces you lay it on. Cleaning the area both before and after putting in your jewellery clears away bacteria and keeps your pierced area clean.
Don't Let Any Hair or Beauty Products Get in the Pierced Area
The tissues around your pierced area are the most sensitive when healing. Products such as hair spray and perfume can easily irritate the area and cause infections.
Look Out for Discharge or Discolouration
If you spot excessive or discoloured discharge as your piercing heals, it could be a sign of infection. Contact your doctor or piercer to determine the best course of action.
What To Avoid
Proper new piercing aftercare requires more than a thorough cleaning. Avoid these habits to encourage healing and prevent bacterial infections.
● Stop touching your piercing. Unless you need to clean the area, you should avoid touching or rotating your new piercing, as this increases the likelihood of bacterial infection.
● Try to avoid sleeping on it. Laying on the pierced area increases moisture and bacteria build-up.
● Avoid pools, hot tubs, rivers, and lakes. Basically, you should avoid any water that isn't coming out of your shower during the healing process.
● Don't remove your piercing yet. Your piercer will tell you how long to leave your jewellery in before you can swap it out. Removing a piercing too early can result in your skin healing too quickly and closing the piercing hole.
What To Expect During the Healing Process
As your new piercing heals, you can expect some minor swelling, bleeding, and tenderness. This typically lasts only a few days and is completely normal.
You may also notice some clear discharge coming out of the newly pierced area. This liquid is an essential part of the healing process and is not a cause for concern unless you notice significant discolouration.
Following these tips and the specific instructions of your piercer will ensure proper healing and a healthy piercing. To learn more about piercing aftercare or to schedule a new body piercing, contact Mezi today!