Do not over-clean your piercing. Cleaning too often with an overly harsh cleaning solution, or with too many different types of cleaning solutions, can irritate your piercing. If cleaning your piercing twice a day is suggested, don't assume cleaning it ten times a day is better: It isn't.
Handle your piercing ONLY after washing your hands, and ONLY when it is being cleaned. Be sure to follow the cleaning directions outlined in the information below. Overcleaning can slow healing and cause irritation. Overcleaning is just as bad as undercleaning.
Healing Your Piercing
Too much cleansing may undermine the body's natural ability to ward off infection. Remember to always wash your hands before touching the pierce.
Clean fresh piercing
As a reminder, if your ears are freshly pierced, you should clean the holes and the earrings twice a day. A fresh wound is more susceptible to bacterial infection, so you have to keep it super clean. Thoroughly clean your ears with liquid soap and running water during a shower.
The quickest way to heal your new piercing is to leave it alone. If you are twisting your jewelry or touching your piercing too often, you can actually disrupt scabs and clots that are forming, which are the body's way of healing an open wound.
Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing. Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning.
3) It is normal for dried blood or serous fluid (yellow crust) to form around the edges of your piercing. DO NOT pick it away while it is dry.
Spray your piercings entrance and exit holes with sterile saline spray 2 to 3 times a day. You can wipe away any crusty discharge from the jewelry with sterile non-woven gauze soaked in saline but do not pick at it.
Your sweat is sterile to you, so shower like you normally do and clean the piercing afterwards with saline or sterile wound wash. Do not swim in rivers, lakes, hot tubs, pools, or oceans until your piercing is healed.
Clean your piercing immediately after showering or styling to avoid irritation and product build up on your starter piercing earrings. Since you will be cleaning your new piercing at least 3X a day, it's important to use a product created for new piercings.
Of all the body sites commonly pierced, the navel is the most likely to become infected because of its shape. Infections can often be treated with good skin hygiene and antibiotic medications. With this type of infection, jewelry generally does not have to be taken out.
Touching your piercing a lot, while it's still a new, open wound, can also expose it to bacteria that can cause an infection.
Do not remove the piercing. Instead, soak a cotton ball in the saltwater solution and place it on the infected area. Dry the area with dry paper towels or gauze. Repeat these steps up to twice a day until the infection is completely healed.
We suggest cleaning no more than once a day. On average, most piercings will need to be cleaned over the next 3-4 months (unless otherwise stated by your piercer). It is vital that you do not over-clean the piercing. If it has been longer than four months, do not clean the piercing anymore.
The best thing you can do for your piercing is a saline soak 2-4 times a day, completely submerging your piercing in the solution for 7-10 minutes. There are many packaged sterile saline solutions available, including Wound Wash and Blairex.
The only way your piercing will heal properly is if you keep it clean at all times throughout the aftercare phase. Failing to keep your piercing clean can mean infections, which will ultimately make it take even longer for your piercing to heal.
Gently wash your piercings with a mild, fragrance-free soap and water at least once a day. Thoroughly rinse your piercings after washing them.
The single best thing you can do for your piercing is to keep up a regular regimen of salt water soaks. These flush out the piercing, help to draw out discharge, stimulate blood circulation, and soothe irritations. We strongly suggest soaking your piercing at least twice a day—more often if healing is difficult.
Clean 2-3 times daily. Continue the above care regimen for 6-8 weeks. Avoid sexual contact until piercing is fully healed, from 6-10 weeks. To clean use warm water with a cleansing agent of antibacterial soap.
Don't touch a new piercing or twist the jewelry unless you're cleaning it. Keep clothing away from the piercing, too. Excessive rubbing or friction can irritate your skin and delay healing. Keep the jewelry in place.
Lobes heal quickly and need cleaned daily for an average of 10 days with saline to prevent infection, during the initial healing. Cartilage piercings heal much slower and require less cleaning daily but more care overall.
While some people have been able to stop regular cleanings after four weeks, it's safest to go for a full 8 weeks before you stop your twice-daily cleanings. This gives your new piercings plenty of time to heal properly and decreases the chance of painful infections.
Note: Do not let your piercing air dry while healing. If you are having difficulties with drying your piercing, after you've dried all the moisture you can off the piercing, use a hair dryer on a cool setting to evaporate moisture left behind.
If you're someone who moves around a lot in their sleep, it may be best to sleep on your back, or in a semi-upright position to avoid putting pressure on your new piercing. This will also help reduce any discomfort you may feel while sleeping.