* Avoid cola, energydrink, dairy, and hot or spicy food during the healing process to prevent infection. * Try to give the jewelry as much rest as possible. Too much moving might damage the tissue, gums or enamel. Also try to avoid playing with the jewelry after the healing to protect the teeth.
Plain clean water. Bottled or filtered water is preferred. Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label). This is not for internal use but external use only (like cleaning the outside of your lip piercing).
THE DON'Ts
Don't use alcohol-based mouthwash at all while your lip piercing heals. Alcohol is drying, and it can delay the lip-piercing healing process. Don't French kiss anyone, engage in oral sex, share food or drinks with other people, chew on foreign objects like pen caps, or soak/swim in communal water.
Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol for at least 3 weeks. Don't engage in any kissing or oral sex for at least 3 weeks after the piercing. Stop yourself picking at any scabs that form as they prevent bacteria from entering the body and causing infection.
Don't eat spicy, salty or acidy foods or liquids while you are healing. Avoid hot drinks such as hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. Eat cold foods and drinks as they lessen swelling. Be extra careful when eating crunchy foods.
Avoid eating, drinking, and smoking for the first 3 hours.
For as long as possible, and certainly for the first 3 hours after receiving your piercing, leave your lip piercing alone. Avoid talking as much as possible. Until your piercing is completely healed, you should also avoid: Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and drugs.
Initially, the main concern with oral piercings is reducing the initial swelling and getting it to go away as soon as possible. We find it's important to avoid irritants like smoking/vaping/etc., harsh chemicals like mouthwash and toothpaste, spicy foods, strong acids like lemon juice, alcohol, and excessive salt.
Don't drink alcohol or caffeine before or right after your piercing. This can cause blood thinning and lead to excessive bleeding, bruising around the piercing site, and extra pain. Drinking directly afterwards can also slow down the healing process.
After getting a piercing, wait at least 24 to 36 hours before you have a drink. To completely metabolize and eliminate alcohol from the body, the process can take up to 12 hours.
A lip piercing is more prone to infections, because it regularly comes in contact with things like food and drinks, makeup, and bacteria from your mouth. If you notice discharge, swelling or redness that doesn't go down, tenderness, burning, itching, or intense pain, your piercing is most likely infected.
Your sweat is sterile to you, so shower like you normally do and clean the piercing afterwards with saline or sterile wound wash.
* Avoid cola, energydrink, dairy, and hot or spicy food during the healing process to prevent infection.
Our mouths are also exposed to a lot of bacteria through eating and drinking. Therefore, you may need to saline-treat your lip piercing more often than other piercings: at least 3 times a day. The most effective way to speed up your lip piercing's healing is to avoid anything that might irritate it.
Any break in the skin, including a new piercing can bleed or bruise. These are not indications of any complication. Reduce intake of aspirin, alcohol, and caffeine.
Stay out of pools, hot tubs, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water while your piercing is healing. Don't fiddle with your piercings. Don't touch a new piercing or twist the jewelry unless you're cleaning it. Keep clothing away from the piercing, too.
-Avoid using cotton or q-tips to clean your piercing. These fibers can get wrapped around your jewelry and harbor bacteria, which can cause infection.
It's recommended that you eat soft and relatively cool foods like pudding, ice cream and yogurt. Avoid taking solid foods because they might bruise the fresh wound or become trapped in the piercing.
"You can eat any food that you like, as long as it's not painful or uncomfortable," said Pearce. "Be sure to drink cold bottled water after consuming your meal and beverage to help remove residual food debris."
Avoid wearing lipstick and lip balm during healing, and choose the proper jewelry.
Don't panic; you can give your partner love pecks while your lip, cheek or oral piercing is healing, but you need to avoid open-mouth kissing until your piercing is fully healed. Most oral piercings heal within 4-6 weeks, although cheek and lip piercings can take longer for some people.
Eating & Drinking:
Products to avoid for at least 3 days: Dairy products only if not pasteurized (ice cream, yoghurt, cheese, etc.), hard alcohol, cigarettes (nicotine in any form), and chemical products like teeth whitener. Ice is allowed, but do not lick ice cubes.
Don't eat or drink a lot of sugar as sugar breeds bacteria and less sugar residue in your mouth will help promote healing. Don't take drugs or drink alcohol for the first 24 – 48 hours as they can get into the piercing and cause excess swelling.