Steph Simpson
Eyebrow piercings are currently all the rage and have been steadily growing in popularity for the last two decades or so. Whilst body piercings in general can be pretty tricky to care for and look after, eyebrow piercings in particular, are especially tricky due to the fact that they’re located so close to the eye, and that rejection rates amongst eyebrow piercings are pretty high. Eyebrow piercings are located anywhere on the eyebrow. They can be either horizontal or vertical. As well as full blown rejection, eyebrow piercing migration is another common issue because the piercing has to be carried out exactly right in order for it to stand the best chance of being successful. If you’re thinking of undergoing an eyebrow piercing, or if perhaps, you’ve recently had your eyebrow pierced but are not sure about how it should be looked after and cared for, and how quickly it should take to heal, here we’ll be taking an in-depth look at eyebrow piercing aftercare and healing processes to help ensure that your eyebrow piercing stands the best possible chance of being successful. So, without any further ado, let’s begin by taking a look at the healing process.
Healing – Although there is no definitive answer as to how long it will take for an eyebrow piercing to fully heal, you can get a general idea of the average time by looking at other cases where the piercing has been carefully cared for and maintained. Generally speaking, it will take around 3 – 4 months for an eyebrow piercing to fully heal, inside and out, and so for that reason, obviously you’ll want to ensure that it is healed fully before you begin messing around with it too much. Don’t worry however, because after around 6 weeks, most experts agree that you can change your jewellery and remove the piercing for routine cleaning and maintenance etc, although obviously you will need to ensure that you’re careful and that you aren’t too rough or heavy handed. As the healing process can take up to four months on average, sometimes more, sometimes less, it is vital that you care for your piercing, which brings us onto the next part of our article.
Eyebrow piercing care and aftercare – Now we’ll take a look at some of the most common and effective ways of caring for your eyebrow piercing, and ensuring that it stands the best possible chances of being protected against migration or rejection.
• Clean your piercing twice a day for the first week – New piercings are notoriously vulnerable to infection and damage caused by bacteria, so keeping your new piercing clean, and indeed the surrounding area, is absolutely essential. Use warm water and an anti-bacterial soap, carefully clean the area, using cotton wool or cotton wool buds, and ensure that you rinse it thoroughly using clean water once you’re finished. Clean it at least twice a day, once in a morning, and once in an evening before bed.
• Use tissue to dry your piercing after bathing – Whether you’ve just washed your piercing or have just had a bath or a shower and want to get dry, make sure that you use soft tissue to dry your piercing as towels are notorious for retaining bacteria. If you do insist on using a towel, ensure the towel is clean I.E fresh out of the washing machine.
• Clean once a day after the first week – After a week has passed, you can then begin cleaning your piercing once a day instead of twice.
• Pluck eyebrows carefully – Eyebrow hairs can cause irritation to new piercings, so it may be worthwhile carefully plucking any hairs located near to entry and exit points of your piercing. If your piercing is itching, becoming swollen, and becoming tender, eyebrow hairs could be the cause, so take your time to pluck any visible ones near to the piercing itself.
• Always clean your piercing after you sweat – Let’s face it, when we get hot or when we physically exert ourselves, we sweat, mainly from our foreheads. Sweat can contain and can pickup bacteria and other hidden nastiness that could potentially enter your piercing and lead to infection/complications, so if you do find yourself sweating, make sure you wash your face and piercing using anti-bacterial soap and clean water, as quickly as possible.
• Don’t keep touching your piercing – This should go without saying, but the more you touch and remove your piercing/jewellery, the more damage will be caused on the inside, and the higher the risk of migration and rejection will be. For that reason, try to leave your piercing alone and only touch it/remove it when you absolutely have to.