Steph Simpson
Tattoos and body piercings are currently more popular than ever before, and if recent trends are anything to go by, the number of people getting tattoos and piercings is only going to increase with each passing year. Body piercings are particularly popular due to the fact that they aren’t that expensive, there isn’t a several month waiting list before you can be seen by an expert, and the entire piercing process is far more relaxed and straightforward than with other processes such as tattoos. Body piercings when done correctly and well looked after, look absolutely fantastic, yet unfortunately a decent percentage of people tend to encounter various issues with their piercings due to the fact that they fail to correctly care for and look after them after they’ve been made. To help ensure that your piercings don’t encounter any problems following the procedure, take a look at these handy aftercare tips for body piercings and your piercings will be happy, healthy, painless, and stunning looking in no time at all.
Know what counts as normal – Following a new piercing, it’s not uncommon for the piercing to bleed slightly, to encounter localized swelling, bruising, and some tenderness to the pierced area. During the healing process, it isn’t unusual for the piercing to itch slightly, to discolor a little bit, and, as gross as this may sound, to secrete a yellow/white fluid which forms a slight crust on the piercing. This is a perfectly normal occurrence and it is NOT pus. Around the jewelry the tissue may become tighter as well. Once the piercing has healed however, it shouldn’t move freely and should remain firmly in place.
Don’t keep removing new piercings – Even established piercings shouldn’t be removed regularly, and as for new body piercings, the less you remove them, the better. The idea is to let the tissue surrounding the piercing begin to harden and firm up, until the piercing is no longer able to move freely.
Don’t keep touching your piercings – Another very effective, and very underrated aftercare technique for piercings is to resist the urge to keep touching them until you’re confident that they’ve fully healed. With new piercings, we may find the piercing itching as it heals, which of course will make us want to scratch it. You should resist the urge at all costs because the more you touch a new piercing, the higher the chance of infection becomes, and as you know, an infected piercing is the last thing you want. Only touch your piercing when cleaning it, and if you do need to touch it for any reason, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap first.
Use specially designed cleaning solutions – There are several effective cleaning solutions you can use to help clean and care for new body piercings, though the two most popular examples are: Sterile saline solutions free from additives, and non-iodized sea salt mixtures. You can create this yourself by mixing a quarter of a teaspoon of iodine free sea salt into a cup of warm, distilled water.
Soak in Saline – As mentioned previously, saline cleaning solutions are very popular and also very effective when it comes to looking after new body piercings and keeping them clean and healthy. For best results, experts recommend that you soak your piercing(s) in a saline solution for around five to ten minutes each day. The most effective way of doing this is to invert a small cup or glass of warm saline solution over your piercing(s) until it creates a vacuum which will help hold it in place. If this process is too awkward, you can also soak a cotton wool pad or clean gauze in plenty of saline solution, and again, apply it directly, but carefully, to the piercing for between 5 and 10 minutes per day.
Use anti-bacterial soap – Good old fashioned soap and warm water is also an effective cleaning method for new body piercings, though you should only wash them with soap for a maximum of two times per day, and if possible should always go for an anti-bacterial soap. It’s also important that you rinse your piercing carefully, as even the slightest traces of soap suds can irritate the piercing and can lead to swelling, itching, and inflammation.
Always wash away sweat or any other contaminants as soon as possible – We all sweat from time to time, and we all find ourselves occasionally getting dirty from time to time. If you’ve recently had a new body piercing however, if you were to get any sweat and/or dirt or grime in, or around the pierced area, this could again lead to infection so you should wash it as quickly as possible. If you go to the gym, for a run, or even just work up a sweat doing housework, as soon as you’ve finished, hop into the shower, clean yourself with anti-bacterial soap, rinse thoroughly, and again soak the piercing in saline solution for a few minutes.
