Body piercing: aftercare

Your piercing early handling is the same as taking care of a small wound. It is important to take good care of you piercing, especially when the Fistula has not yet formed. Don't wear tight clothing or sales on your new piercing.
Your hands must be disinfected before touching the piercing, after all, hands carry many bacteria.

Rules

* Do not take the jewellery of the healing period. The injury will heal better and do close fast when you remove the jewelry for a short period.

* Do not apply any ointments on the piercing. It is best to keep the piercing as dry as possible. Ointments protect oxygen and slow down the healing.

* Avoid makeup, shaving, cream strong SOAP or scented tips around your piercing.

* Don't hang your jewelry charms until the wound is completely healed.

* Avoid sleep on while the healing piercing.

* Not clean more. The injury of piercing cleaning more than two times a day is not desirable, it will slow down the healing.

* Do not use adhesive plasters on your piercing. There will be not enough air circulation and adhesive can cause irritation.

* Avoid swimming pools, jacuzzis (hot air above the surface of the water feed many bacteria), lakes... If there is marine life, motor oil or children in the water, then it is not enough clean! If you go in the water and you doubt that if the water is clean enough, you can put a sealant non-permeable water injury on the piercing going. It will prevent the dirty water to enter the wound. After the injury of cleaning will not effective to prevent any infection!

* Avoid oral contact or organic liquids that are not your own! Your own body fluids like sweat are not harmful to your piercing, but you have to clean.

Enemies

* Wash hands before of any contact near the healing piercing!

* Porter of the own and permeable fabrics to air around the area of your new piercing. Wear clothing tight around the piercing.

* Your bedding must be clean at all time.

* Leave the jewellery of starter in at least the minimum recovery time.

* A healthy lifestyle will help your piercing heal faster. Stay away from drugs and alcohol, eat nutritious foods and avoid the constraints will show their benefits.

* A shower instead of a bath. A bathtub tends to contain many bacteria. If you insist on swimming, clean the bath with a bleaching product each time before bathing and rinse with water. When leave you the room of bath, rinse your drilling with water.

Cleaning solution.

Fresh sea water permeates is recommended (daily), they give the best results to speed up your healing and increasing your comfort.
dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in a cup (8 oz.) of hot water. Make sure that the Cup is clean. Do not make the solution is higher because too much salt can obtain the piercing to burn. Reverse the Cup over the area and directly soak a few minutes. You can also use a cotton ball soaked in salted water instead of direct soaking when the piercing is a difficult place.

Cleaning instructions.

Clean your piercing twice a day during the initial period of healing. Do not clean it too, it will cause irritation. Stay away from your piercing from the rest of the day.
Before cleaning, wash your hands with hot water and anti-bacterial SOAP.
You must rinse the area of piercing with warm water to ensure that the crusts are formed are deleted. Otherwise, they can enter the piercing and the piercing may contract.
Clean the area and the jewelry with the cleaning solution. Carefully move the piercing jewelry top and bottom for cleaning solution in the piercing. Allow the solution to do his job for a minute.
Normally, you can swim, just don't get any other product then the cleaning solution in your piercing on purpose.
Flush the piercing with running water. All cleaning solutions should be deleted. Pull the jewelry piercing real back and forth gently rinsing so that the solution of the Interior the piercing is also removed.
Pat the area dry with tissue or gauze. Avoid fabric napkins, they may harbour bacteria.

What is normal

Bleeding, bruising and swelling are normal, that they point to an infection.
Tenderness, discomfort are not abnormal in the first several weeks. You can feel burning, tingling, or muscle aches on the first days and outside. It is also very common of itching.

The secretion of a whitish yellow liquid enough liquid form crusts to the openings of the piercing. Is not pus. It contains the blood plasma, the lymph and dead cells. It is normal and indicates the healing process.

Keep cleaning.

If you notice nothing abnormal or piercing gets seriously infected, contact piercer or a doctor.
If your piercing secreted pus, you should go see a doctor for antibiotic treatment. The piercing should be left at any time for the drainage of pus. If the jewelry is removed, the piercing can close, and you can get an abscess... Let your jewellery in!

Time of healing.

Ear lobe: 6-8 weeks

Cartilage of the ears: 4 months - 1 year

Eyebrow: 6-8 weeks

Nostril: 2-4 months

Nasal septum: 6 to 8 months

Lip: 2-3 months

Language: 4 weeks.

Nipple: 3-6 months

Belly button: 4 months - 1 year

Male genitalia: weeks 4-6 months

Genital: 4-10 weeks

For more information, visit the Web site authors body piercing

Body Piercing Aftercare & Healing Essentials

The most important thing to keep in mind after your body piercing has been performed is that you have essentially just sustained an open wound, and you should be caring for it exactly like you would a surgical wound or injury. That is, with the same kind of care, cleanliness and attention that you would to a serious injury to make sure that you don't scar or get an infection. There are two different types of body piercings to consider: non-oral and oral.

Non-oral body piercing aftercare Keeping your piercing clean can't be stressed too much! It just can't. Twice a day, every day, without fail. No excuses. Use a mild antibacterial soap that doesn't have fragrances in it, such as Provon® Antimicrobial Lotion Soap or Satin® Therapeutic Skin Cleanser, both of which are approved by the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). The best place to clean your piercing is usually in the shower, where the warm water will help you loosen and remove those crusties around the base of your jewelry. Use a cotton swab or a Kleenex to remove these, and then throw the swab or Kleenex away. Never use a washcloth -- these things are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria! The same for bath towels after your shower! Then, with clean hands, gently cleanse the area with the soap and turn the jewelry so that the soap gets in the piercing and let this sit for a minute or two. After rotating it again, rinse thoroughly with warm, clear water. Make sure you get all of the soap out to prevent irritation. The rinsing is very important, so try to be thorough without irritating the area. It often helps to cup your hands and drizzle water over the area, since the shower stream can be a little too hard to aim directly on the area. Don't forget your sea salt soaks After cleansing, a sea salt soak helps to draw out any piercing infection and impurities while soothing the area and calming any inflammation that may be present. Mix about ¼ teaspoon of sea salt with 8 ounces of warm water. Using a disposable cup, soak your piercing in this for ten minutes the first time, and five minutes each time after that. If your piercing is in a location that makes this difficult, apply the solution with cotton swabs, tissues or some other disposable product that's soft and clean. Never use a hanky, washcloth or any other item that is going to be reused. Always pat your piercings dry with cotton balls, cotton swabs or tissues -- don't rub them, pat them. This reduces irritation and possible tearing of the skin and helps promote healing. Although it seems to be a minor step, keeping your piercings dry is actually an essential part of piercing aftercare because it reduces the opportunities for bacteria to breed (they love a warm, moist place to play). If you aren't sure about mixing your sea salt soaks properly or it's too inconvenient, there's a new alternative on the market that's less messy and is portable. H2Ocean® Piercing Aftercare Spray is a pre-mixed sea salt solution containing lysozyme, a natural antibacterial that is gentle to the skin. Simply spray it on the area and allow to drip dry; it's easy to use because of their patent-pending compressed air delivery system that produces a fine mist. This product is guaranteed to heal navel piercings in only a month and a half if used regularly and is highly recommended by numerous piercing communities like BME and Prick magazine. H2Ocean® also comes in a portable size for your pocket or purse, which makes piercing aftercare away from home easier. X-pressions Piercing Aftercare Spray is also available for both oral and non-oral body piercings and is a mild antibacterial solution with purified water in a non-aerosol, pump spray with a pleasant, peppermint flavor. Once a day (not more often, because you'll be unnecessarily irritating the area), check that the ends of your piercing jewelry are firmly screwed on. But wash your hands with antibacterial soap first. And now, a few "don'ts"
Don't ever put hydrogen peroxide or alcohol on a piercing -- they are too drying and will delay healing. Don't ever use Neosporin on a piercing -- it can actually trap bacteria. Read the label; it actually says, "Not for puncture wounds." Guess what? A piercing is a puncture wound. Don't ever remove your piercing jewelry before the piercing is completely healed, which may take months or up to a year. If you suspect a piercing infection, see your piercing professional or doctor first. Don't sleep on your piercing until the initial healing phase is over. Don't wear tight clothing over your piercing during the initial healing phase.
Oral piercing aftercare During the first three to six weeks after an oral piercing, rinse your mouth with an antibacterial agent after every meal to kill bacteria and make sure not tiny food particles aren't lodged around your piercing just waiting to fester and turn into problems later. There are several excellent products on the market for this, including APP recommended Biotene and Tech2000 Dental Rinse; these have the proper ingredients and have the right potency to get the job done without being too strong. Don't bother with mouthwash, because it's not strong enough to do anything but cover your bad breath, which won't be much consolation when you have a swollen, tender tongue because of improper aftercare. You can also use a commercial antibacterial rinse, but dilute it so that it isn't too strong. If your tongue develops a whitish or yellowish look, your mouth rinse is too strong and will slow healing. Sea salt rinses ... ahh! Mix the familiar warm water solution of 8 ounces water to ¼ teaspoon sea salt and swish this in your mouth for 15-20 seconds after drinking anything other than water and after smoking. It's not only an aid to healing, but can be very soothing to the pierced area. If your oral piercing is sore or swollen, you can find some relief by allowing crushed ice to melt in your mouth. Popsicles, ice cream and the like also work, but will need to be followed up, like everything else, with a sea salt rinse (or H2Ocean®). Brush, brush, brush You can keep your tongue and piercing as clean as you want, but if you don't brush your teeth well, you'll still have millions of bacteria in your mouth. Try to brush your teeth three times a day during the first several weeks of healing. Buy a new soft-bristle brush that will be gentle on your piercing. Don't use a brush that you've already used before your piercing, as it will harbor old germs. You should also gently brush the balls on the ends of your piercing jewelry to prevent the natural build-up of plaque on your jewelry. Oral piercing "don'ts"
Don't smoke, chew gum or use snuff or rub during the healing period; these increase the risk of piercing infections astronomically. Don't play with the piercing jewelry or click it against your teeth; this can cause cracking of your tooth enamel. Don't engage in any activities, including kissing, that exchange body fluids during the initial healing period of several weeks.
General tips to improve healing success Proper piercing aftercare is the primary reason for a successfully healed body modification, but your overall health and how well you take care of yourself is also a contributing factor. If you are run-down or your immune system is compromised, you will not heal as quickly and you will be more prone to infection. For that reason, you should keep in mind a few things whenever you have any kind of piercing in order to help ensure that your piercing aftercare measures are given the best chance of success:
Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Eight glasses of day at the very least. At least eight hours of sleep a night Try to limit the amount of stress in your life Vitamin C and Zinc supplements to help speed the healing process Lots of fruits and vegetables, and a multi-vitamin if needed If the pain bothers you, take Ibuprofen. If you are comfortable, you are less likely to fidget with the piercing.
Signs of trouble Even with excellent piercing aftercare, there will be some swelling at the site of a piercing for a few days. You'll also have some clear, watery discharge and perhaps some mild bleeding. The bleeding will usually stop within 24 hours, while the discharge may last for several days or weeks. This is simply drainage of the wound and actually helps prevent piercing infection. Signs that the piercing is in trouble include:
Discharge that becomes noticeably thicker and is yellow or green in color. This is a sign or infection and should be checked by a doctor. Inflammation that lasts longer than a few days, with redness and irritation. See your piercing professional or doctor. Red streaks from the piercing site and a fever, along with body aches. See your doctor. Hives, redness, itching and irritation around the piercing, which may signal an allergic reaction to the piercing jewelry. Your piercing professional can try replacing it with an alternative metal. Difficulty breathing or wheezing after your piercing, or a feeling that your mouth or throat are swelling closed. Seek emergency attention immediately!

So how long does all this healing take? If you perform your piercing aftercare properly, your body piercing will heal cleanly and leave you with a beautiful new piercing with no scarring, migration or keloids. The time it takes to achieve this, however, will vary depending upon what kind of piercing it is. The general timeframes listed below are just for reference. All of these depend upon your individual body's response, how much stress you are under and a thousand other variables. Earlobe or Eyebrow: 6 - 8 weeks
Genitals: 4 weeks - 4 months
Labret/Lip: 6 - 8 weeks
Navel: 6 - 18 months
Nipple: 3 - 6 months
Nostril: 3 months - 1 year
Septum: 6 - 8 weeks
Tongue: 4 - 6 weeks
Cartilage: 3 months - 1 year Disclaimer: All piercing aftercare information provided herein is for information purposes only. It is not meant to be a guideline for body piercing aftercare, but a starting point in making an informed decision concerning body piercing. If you have any questions or proceed with a body piercing, please be sure to discuss the procedure with a medical or piercing professional and get complete and clearly understood piercing aftercare instructions at that time. Evaluseek Publishing claims no responsibility for the accuracy of this content, which is based on the general consensus of the piercing community, which is constantly evolving and changing. This article on the "Body Piercing Aftercare & Healing Essentials" reprinted with permission.
Copyright © 2004 Evaluseek Publishing.

About the Author:
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her work because it gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world every day. Right now, she knows a little bit about almost everything, and a lot about body jewelry, piercing supplies and nose rings. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who is not.