How to Properly Care for Piercings

For more than 5,000 years, people have used body piercings for a multitude of reasons, from religious and spiritual, to cosmetic. No matter what the reason, one things remains the same across every country and culture, you have to take care of a piercing properly! Whether you just got your first stud or are well versed in the world of piercings, here are a few ways to make sure your new jewelry doesn’t get infected.

Before the piercing

Before the needle even touches your ear, you could be setting yourself up for a potential infection. Plenty of ear piercing places will use an earring “gun” to pierce your ear. This gun uses a lot of unnecessary pressure to push the piercing through your ear and can cause potential tissue damage. Plus, because it's so bulky, it's difficult to really sterilize. Instead of a gun, request that your piercer uses a sterilized needle.

After the piercing

Now that you have your brand new piercing, it’s incredibly important that you care for it properly — both so that you retain your good health and so that your new piercing looks great! These are a few rules you should be following:

• Turn the earring only when it's wet and sterile.
• Use soap and water or saline solution to clean a piercing. Rubbing alcohol can dry it out and cause it to take longer to heal.
• Wash your hands before you touch or change your piercing.
• Change or wash your bedding every few days. If you got a body piercing, you should wear loose, flowing pajamas to bed so that you don’t run the risk of pulling at it through the night.
• Visit your doctor if you notice something is wrong. If your piercing is bleeding or incredibly sensitive, you may have an infection or other problem that needs to be addressed by a professional.

Florida Ear Nose Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center is an otolaryngology/facial plastics practice committed to providing our patients with the highest quality and personal care, as well as most advanced technology by a Harvard trained, double boarded facial plastic, head, and neck surgeon.