Piercing Healing Tips

Performing the correct aftercare is essential in getting your piercing on the path to healing.  Follow these tips and the healing process should go much more smoothly.

• Take care of yourself.  The better you treat your body the quicker and more thoroughly your piercing will heal.  Eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep and so on, you know the drill. 

• It is important to leave the original jewelry in until the healing is complete. Your piercer will give you a time frame for the healing process. When you go back they will tell you if it is ok to change the jewelry and likely will do it for you. 

• With an oral piercing it is necessary to change the jewelry once it is ok to do so.  The initial jewelry is longer to accommodate swelling. 

• Don't remove the jewelry! Piercings of all ages can close surprisingly quickly, sometimes in less than a minute. If you must remove a piercing for a period of time check with your piercer. They likely have a non-metallic alternative you can replace it with. 

• Check on jewelry with screw-on ends. Barbells and rings generally have balls that screw-on and these can become loose. Periodically check to make sure these are tight with freshly washed hands. It helps to carry a spare ball just in case you have one go missing. 

• Wear clean clothes and change your sheets regularly. This is common sense but some may not realize it helps. 

• If an object is going to come into contact with the piercing regularly clean it. For example a cell phone or headset should be cleaned if you have a new lip or ear piercing. 

• If your clothing covers you new piercing try to choose fibers that allow your body to "breathe". Silk and cotton will allow airflow to the piercing while many synthetic materials will not. This will help the healing process. 

• If you normally sleep in a manner that would put pressure on your new piercing you'll need to change positions. 

A good source for more information is the Association of Professional Piercers.

If you follow these piercing healing tips you should see good results and have a healthy piercing.  But remember no matter how well a piercing is taken care of infection is a possibility.  If you suspect an infection please seek a medical opinion.

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Aftercare for Body Piercings

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