Showering: Shower like you normally do; the last thing you will do while in the shower is clean your piercing. Lather up some mild, fragrance free, non-antibacterial soap in your hands and gently wash your piercing. You want enough friction to clean the piercing, but not so much that you cause trauma to it.
You should avoid swimming for at least 24 hours after having a piercing, and ideally until it has healed properly. While it's still healing, it's important to keep the piercing dry as there's a risk of infection.
We don't expect you to stop using hair products during your healing period, but we DO recommend protecting your new piercing from exposure to hair spray and other styling products, including shampoo and conditioner.
You don't have to wait to shower, just don't get any soap in the piercing and use your piercer-approved saline wound wash afterwards. Can you have a shower with newly pierced ears? Yes you can.
Flip your hair to the opposite side of your head so you can avoid getting an excessive amount of water or any product in the wound. Make sure you stay in this position until you've completely rinsed the product out of your hair before gently patting your ear dry.
First things first – do not attempt to clean your piercing right away when you get home. In fact, don't touch your piercing or the area around it for the first 24 hours after you've had your piercing done. The area will still likely be painful, and you need to let the piercing settle down a bit.
No, you don't have to take out your new earrings when you shower. This is beneficial for proper healing. The running water will clean out any debris and crusts that naturally form. Just make sure that it doesn't come in touch with shampoo.
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.
For piercings to heal it is important that the area remains clean and dry. Swimming may surround the opening of the piercing with bacteria. This may cause infection, through the opening in your skin.
After showering gently dry the piercing, front and back, using a hair dryer or gently pat dry with sterile packaged gauze. There is no need to rotate/twist your jewelry . The body will heal itself, you simply keep the outside clean and dry.
-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.
Avoid getting the piercing wet for at least one to two weeks. So, when you shower, try to avoid putting your face directly under the shower head. You might want to consider taking a bath instead.
DO NOT pick the crusties off—that's just introducing your dirty hands to a healing piercing and can increase your risk of infection. The best way to clean them is to soak the piercing in warm saline solution, softening the crusties which then come off easily.
The anti-tragus piercing is located on the small, curved area of cartilage between your ear lobe and tragus. On the pain scale, the anti-tragus ranks at a 6-7/10 and, while attractive, is one of the most sensitive placements you can get. This piercing takes around 6-12 months to fully heal.
It's essential to give your piercing time to heal. Depending on the type of piercing, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to fully heal. During this time, it's crucial to avoid sleeping on the piercing, and to follow the cleaning instructions provided by your piercer or doctor.
Wait at least 2 months, while following the proper after-care protocols, to start sleeping on the side of a tragus piercing. Avoid using earphones or earbuds during the first 1-2 months after getting your tragus pierced. They can irritate the area and potentially cause an infection.
Some jewelry pieces are made of glass, such as necklaces and earrings. These items can be worn in the shower without any fear of corrosion or tarnishing. But keep in mind that glass can crack or break if exposed to sudden changes in temperature, so you should always be careful with it.
Workout and wardrobe choices
However, as long as you keep your piercing absolutely clean, it is safe to work out after having it done and while it is healing. If you want to be on the safe side, consider taking your exercise outdoors for the first week or so.
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.
It's normal to have some redness, swelling or pain for a couple of days after getting your ears pierced. But your ears should look and feel better each day. If you find that your ears do great and then suddenly start to become red, inflamed or crusty a week or two later, that's usually a sign of infection.
Gently wash your piercings with a mild, fragrance-free soap and water at least once a day. Thoroughly rinse your piercings after washing them. Using petroleum jelly that comes in a squeeze tube, gently apply a thin coat around each opening.
Oral piercings, or piercings that have constant contact with your saliva, tend to heal a lot easier than most other piercings, due to the healing properties of our own saliva. Tongue piercings have the fastest healing duration of all piercings at only two weeks before you can downsize the bar.