Caring For Oral Piercings
What to expect. When getting your tongue pierced, you should be ready for it to swell. This happens in the beginning, but your tongue also heals quickly.
Cleaning tips. To keep your tongue or cheek piercing clean, you should use an antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouthwash.
As your oral piercing heals, rinse your mouth about 4 to 5 times a day. Swish the cleaning solution around for 30 to 60 seconds. You should do this after meals and at bedtime especially.
Concerns with eating. When you eat, slowly chew small bites of food. For a tongue piercing, try to keep your tongue level as you chew. With a cheek or lip piercing, youâll want to avoid opening your mouth too wide. Avoid spicy, salty, acidic, or hot foods and beverages in the beginning. Cold foods and beverages can be good to eat, and they can help keep your swelling down.
Tips For Specific Body Piercings
NAVEL
-
Avoid having tight clothing rubbing on your piercing.
EAR AND FACIAL PIERCINGS
-
Shield piercings from hair spray and styling products.
-
Clean your telephone frequently and avoid contact with unclean phones.
-
Avoid sleeping with wet hair if you have a new ear piercing. The moisture can lead to complications.
NIPPLE PIERCINGS
-
You may want to sleep in a clean, tight fitting shirt or sports bra, especially if you have pets that get on or in your bed.
-
Women often find that wearing a bra is far more comfortable than going without during the initial healing time.
GENITAL PIERCINGS
-
While sexual contact is not prohibited, it should be gentle and piercings must be protected from other peoples body fluids while they are still healing . A good quality condom or other barrier is vital to prevent infections. Avoid any lubricants that are not water based.
-
Soap may not be necessary for some mucous membranes.
Maintaining Healthy Ear Piercings
You May Like: How To Connect Phonak Hearing Aids To Iphone
Caring For Ear Piercings
Earlobe piercings are the most common type of piercing. Itâs typically a less risky part of your body to get pierced.
What to expect. When you first get your ears pierced you may see some bleeding, bruising, redness, or experience mild soreness. You may also experience itching and see white-yellow fluid ooze from the wound or crust on the jewelry. This is a normal part of the healing process and isnât pus.
How Often Should I Clean My Piercing
The soap cleaning should be done once per day and salt soaks one to two times per day. As important as it is to clean piercings, you dont want to overdo it.
Cleaning your piercing means touching your piercing, and too much touching will irritate it. This is especially true during the first couple of weeks of healing.
Some piercers even recommend sea salt sprays, so you can avoid touching the piercing during cleaning. However, the topic has some debate. Some say sprays should be used in addition to saline soaks, and others advise against them entirely. Ask your piercer for a recommendation.
You May Like: Sign Language Hungry
How Do You Sleep With A Newly Pierced Ear
If you have a new ear piercing, a thinner travel pillow works great to keep pressure off while youre sleeping. If you dont have a travel pillow you can roll a clean cotton T-shirt or sheet up and place it around the ear so that when you lay on your side, theres no direct pressure on your ear.
Best Saline Solution For Ear Piercings in 2021 | Nose & Navel Sterile Spray
Name |
---|
Make Cleaning Part Of Your Routine
In order to stay consistent about cleaning and to remember it daily, add it into your regular routine. Typically you will clean piercings twice per day. Consider doing it before or after teeth brushing, or attaching it to another routine activity that youre unlikely to forget. This may mean leaving yourself a few extra minutes in the morning before school or work. Make sure to be thorough.
You May Like: How To Say Im Hungry In Sign Language
Avoid Getting Hair Products In Your Piercing
Products like shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray can be irritating to a healing piercing. In order to be sure it stays clean, you might consider cleaning it immediately after you shower. This will remove any stray products from the area. Using a cotton swab dipped in your cleaning solution is typically an effective tool.
Spray Your Piercings With A Sea Salt Solution
Soak or spray your new piercings in sea salt and warm distilled water to facilitate healing.
Use a sea salt solution. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt with 8 oz warm distilled water. Soak your piercings in the solution, or pour into a clean spray bottle and spray directly onto your piercings for speedy healing.
Don’t Miss: Baby Sign Language Hungry
Related: How Do Guys Feel When You Wear Jewelry From An Ex
Dont overdo it with cleaning. People commonly think, Ive got something to sterilize, let me throw this harsh chemical on it, says Tash. But its very harsh. It will make your skin sensitive after a while. I cant say it will happen right away, but if you keep using twice a day, it will make your skin red. The Association of Professional Piercers suggests avoiding alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or other strong solutions. Instead, clean the area around your piercing once a day with a mild fragrance-free liquid soap and soak it once a day in a warm saline solution.
Clean Your Ears With Antibacterial Soap
Clean newly-pierced ears regularly with antibacterial soap.
Clean your ears with an antibacterial soap. I recommend Provon Medicated Lotion Soap with chloroxylenol. Make sure you wash your hands before applying the soap, and pre-rinse your ears so it’s easier for the soap to lather. Do this twice a day.
Also Check: Is Sign Language The Same In Every Language
What Is The Best Piercing Cleaning Solution
What Are The Symptoms Of Infected Ear Piercings
Some pain and redness are part of the normal healing process for pierced ears. It can be easy to confuse those with signs of infection. Symptoms that may indicate an infection include:
- Discharge coming out of the piercing.
- Redness, warmth or swelling around the piercing.
- Tenderness in the pierced earlobe or cartilage.
Read Also: How To Teach Yourself American Sign Language
How Often Should You Clean An Ear Piercing
While some piercers may advise you to clean your piercing twice, others may advise you to do so as many as three or four times per day.
It is worth saying that you can clean a piercing too often. In fact, this is sometimes a problem that people encounter when they get their first-ever ear piercing. In the effort to keep the piercing as clean as possible, many well-intentioned people will actually clean their piercing too much and irritate/inflame the area.
How Are Infected Ear Piercings Treated
Your healthcare provider may recommend a variety of treatments to help an infected ear piercing heal. These may include:
- Applying a warm compress to the infected earlobe or cartilage.
- Rinsing the infected earlobe with sterile saline.
- Using antibiotic ointment on the affected area.
- Taking oral antibiotics for more severe infections.
Don’t Miss: Does Warm Compress Help Ear Infection
Why Cleaning Is So Important
Cleaning your new ear piercing regularly is absolutely vital. Your piercing must be allowed to heal properly, which can take anywhere from weeks to months depending on the area where you get it done. The only way your piercing will heal properly is if you keep it clean at all times throughout the aftercare phase.
Failing to keep your piercing clean can mean infections, which will ultimately make it take even longer for your piercing to heal. Complications from infected piercings are no fun at all, so trust us when we tell you that you have to make every effort to maintain your cleaning regimen.
How To Clean Different Types Of Piercings
Because piercings are so common , its easy to forget that theyre wounds that you have to treat like any other injury to your body. Improper care of a fresh piercing can have dire consequencesincluding infections that can be life-threatening. But dont worry, were not going to leave you in the dark. From your earlobe to your tongue, find out how to clean a piercing below.
Don’t Miss: How To Turn On Hearing Aid Mode On Iphone
How To Clean Ear Piercing With Saltwater
Clean a ear piercing with saltwater is very simple, it is also easy to make saltwater at home just follow the steps I mention before in this article.
But now let see how can you clean the ear piercing with the help of salt water.
What To Avoid While Healing A Body Piercing
-
Avoid touching your piercing, except when you are cleaning it.
-
Avoid oral contact or contact with other peoples body fluids.
-
Avoid using any aftercare products or ointments that were not suggested by your piercer.
-
Avoid getting lotions and/or makeup in or around your piercing.
-
Avoid pools, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, etc. Using a waterproof, breathable bandage is a viable option for some piercings.
Recommended Reading: Mullein Garlic Ear Oil Walgreens
How To Clean An Ear Piercing
While ear piercings are the most common, they may feel funny when you first get them. Expect a little bit of stinging when the piercing is still freshyou did just tear into your flesh after allbut for the most part, your new bling shouldnt bother you. Bleeding, bruising and redness are also common symptoms to expect when you have a fresh piercing. As it heals, you might also notice some itching or crust , which are also normal.
Though its widely believed that rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin are good for cleaning earlobe piercings, these three products may actually do more harm than good. According to Christina Sciblo, a former piercer at Piercing Pagoda who runs the YouTube channel The Piercing Outlet, alcohol and peroxide are a no no because they may cause your ear to dry out, become raw or scab up. Neosporin is specifically made to close wounds, which is the opposite of what you want to happen to your piercing. Instead, use an antibacterial soap such as Provons Antimicrobial Lotion Soap or H2Ocean, a saltwater piercing aftercare solution, to clean the area.
How Not To Treat Your New Ear Piercing
According to Healthline, there are some other guidelines to follow with your new piercing and it’s all about what not to do. It may seem counterintuitive, but avoid cleaning your piercing in the bathroom, where there is likely a high concentration of bacteria. Try not to lie on the piercing when possible not only is that likely going to be painful, but you could be trapping unwanted bacteria in the piercing. It’s also incredibly important to keep hair products away from it. Essentially, treat the piercing like the open wound that it is. Be careful with what you put near it, try not to touch it as much as possible, and definitely don’t remove the jewelry until you’re positive it’s fully healed.
One more tip: Into the Gloss says to avoid alcohol and peroxide for cleaning, because those only serve to take moisture away, and can lead to scarring.
If you follow these general guidelines and the instructions from your piercer, your new piercing should heal just fine. If something doesn’t feel right, or you think it may be infected, get help as soon as possible.
Don’t Miss: How To Turn On Hearing Aid Mode On Iphone
Be Wary Of Bumping Into Things
Particularly at first, your ear piercing is likely to be tender. Avoid getting it caught on clothing, hair, or accessories as avidly as possible. If you typically sleep on your side, you will likely have to adjust your sleeping habits during the beginning of the healing process. Side sleepers frequently transition to their backs in order to avoid rubbing piercings on pillowcases.
And Help Things Along As Best You Can
“It takes a patient mentality to help piercings heal 100 percent. Your body’s job is to get rid of foreign objects, so it’s a little bit of a dance you have to do,” Smith says, “You must be patient and nurse it to health. Sometimes the simple things are the best: Soap and water to clean, and ice for the swelling. If you take your aftercare seriously, you’ll avoid any problems.”
Read Also: How To Turn On Hearing Aid Mode On Iphone
How To Clean Your Piercing
When Can I Stop Cleaning My Ear Piercing
The general time frame for earlobe piercings to completely heal is about six weeks. Cartilage piercings take a little bit longer, with most estimates coming out to about twelve weeks.
There are a couple of things to consider with these estimates, of course. One thing to remember is that the time frames presented here are defined according to the scenario that you have not had any infections or setbacks during the healing process and that your underlying health is excellent. If infections or bad inflammation occur, healing times can take a little longer, and cleaning infected ear piercings can be a little more involved/painful. Some underlying health conditions may also significantly delay healing.
Its also worth noting that piercing wounds heal from the inside-out, meaning that while your ear may look nice and healed from the outside, it could still be regenerating in the middle. If in doubt, ask your piercer.
Don’t Miss: Are You Hungry In Sign Language
Ear Piercing Care Mistakes You’re Probably Making
Weve all heard the horror stories about ear piercings gone wrong.
Uneven piercings because you skimped on the cost of the procedure and went to the sketchy place down the street. Post-piercing infection because your new cleaning routine lasted all of five days.
And who hasn’t experienced the pain of using the pointy starter earring to basically re-pierce your ears because you took them out too soon?
We spoke to a few jewelers who offer ear piercing services in their stores, and they spilled the expert beans on 6 of the biggest ear piercing care mistakes.
Did you know? Mall kiosks and piercing salons aren’t your only options. Ask your local jeweler if they do piercings! |
How Can I Prevent A Pierced Ear Infection
Taking good care of your piercings is key to preventing infection. You should:
- Leave your earrings in day and night until the piercings fully heal.
- Wash your hands before touching your earlobes or cartilage.
- Wash the piercing twice daily with a mild soap or cleanser.
- Apply rubbing alcohol and/or antibiotic ointment to the area twice daily.
- Gently rotate the earrings daily after applying antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to lubricate the piercing.
Read Also: Are You Hungry In Sign Language