Best Piercing Aftercare Practices

A widespread sort of piercing, ear piercings, are among the most popular. Your lobe, the curvature of bone on the top of your ear, and the creases right just outside of the inner ear are all plausible places for them.

Piercings are quite popular and reasonably safe, but they still need to be treated with care and attention.

This article will go over some of the best ways to clean an ear piercing and look for any warning signs of infection. This article will also go over common questions or concerns youy may have about whether or not you’re ready for your first piercing.

Things to think about before getting a piercing

The location of your piercing should be your first consideration. The following are some of the most common choices:

1. Earlobe Piercings

The bottom of your ear is the best place to have an ear piercing. Therefore this is where you should start. Unlike other piercings, this one is simple to clean and maintain and heals quicker than other piercings.

2. Helix Piercings

The ear’s curved tissue near the top is known as the tragus. After the piercing of the lobes, this is the second most common procedure. Although it takes longer to cure than a traditional lobe piercing, it is very simple to clean.

3. Tragus Piercings

This part of your ear is located just above your earlobe and only a few inches from your ear canal. Because it’s more difficult to care for, it’s less popular than the lobe or helix as a piercing site. Those who suffer from anxiety and migraines may benefit from having their ears pierced.

Make sure you conduct some study on piercing shops after you’ve decided what sort of piercing you want. As a quick reference, consider the following:

1. Is there a team of certified piercers here? The Association of Professional Piercers should certify them.
2. Is the store a well-known one? Do they have a good Yelp or other online reputation? Do they just do piercings there? Avoid retail businesses that sell piercings since they might not be hygienic, safe, or even authorized to do the procedure. Tattoo parlors are another option to consider. Provincial and municipal health departments impose strict regulations on many of these businesses, including the use of certified piercers.
3. Are the piercers taking the necessary procedures to ensure their own safety? Using fresh, sterilized needles for each piercing, do they wash their hands and use new, medical-grade gloves?

How to Take Care of Your Pierced Ears

Now that you’ve had it done taking good care of your piercing is crucial. An initial couple of weeks are really important when it comes to healing. Keeping an ear piercing clean is important to prevent infection. 

What Are the Best Ways to Clean an Ear Piercing?

1. Clean your piercing on the same schedule as you clean the rest of your body: When you clean your mouth or take a bath, take a moment to clean off your ears and remind yourself of the importance of cleaning.
2. Take a shower: Before touching your piercing, use a mild soap and warm water to remove any germs.
3. Use a salt solution on a cotton swab or sponge to disinfect: 1 teaspoon of salt in a mug of warm water will form this solution. Remove any germs from the piercing region by using this a couple of times daily.
4. The piercing should be dabbed, not wiped: To avoid damaging the healing tissue, use a clean cloth or tissue to dry the wound.
5. Perfume-free soaps should be avoided at all costs: Use a mild antibacterial soap and water to clean the skin surrounding the piercing.
6. It would be best if you always cleansed the pierced area after you remove your piercing: This applies to both removing and reinstalling the device. Jewelry may easily get infested with bacteria if it is exposed to the elements or placed on a table or counter.
7. In the bathroom, don’t clean your piercings: That goes double for open ones: There is a large concentration of germs even in the cleanest residential bathrooms.
8. Restrain yourself from lying on the pierced region for prolonged periods of time to avoid infection: Sleeping or laying on your piercing might increase the risk of infection by trapping moisture or germs in the region.
9. The region where the piercing will be located should not be exposed to hair or body care products. Make sure you don’t touch the piercing with items like shampoos, soap, gels, makeup, hairspray, or anything else that might irritate the skin.
10. Check for any discharge that seems out of the ordinary, especially if it has a discolored or irregular appearance: If you see an unusual discharge, contact your piercing parlor or doctor immediately.

How Long Does an Ear Piercing Take to Recover?

In terms of healing, ear piercings are the fastest. A couple of  months is the normal healing time for them.

It usually takes a longer time for cartilage piercings to recover. A spiral or tragus piercing may need six to eight months, sometimes even an year to heal.

Avoid removing the jewelry from you ear for a lengthy period of time when the piercing is still healing. It’s possible that doing so will cause the gap to narrow.

Can you swap out your jewelry at any time?

Everyone has a unique perspective on the solution to this issue. Your healing time and the kind of piercings you received are the deciding factors.

A few months after getting your piercing, consult your piercer if you’re unsure whether you’re ready to switch out your jewelry. They’ll be able to conduct a thorough investigation and provide you with a conclusive response.

If you suspect that your piercing may be infected, how can you tell?

Infected piercing symptoms include the following:

1. The piercing redness, swelling, itching, burning, abnormal yellowish or white discharge causing the ache
2. Consult your physician straight away if you suspect an infection in your piercing.

Conclusion

Ear piercings are among the most popular body art forms. In order to avoid skin damage, or perhaps the loss of the piercing entirely, you must still take careful care of them regularly. If you have more questions about piercing aftercare the team at BodyMods are experts in their field and will be happy to help.