There will be some pain when you get your nipple pierced. It'll typically be sore for a week after the piercing. You may also bleed, itch, or see swelling or discharge from the wound. Your nipple may feel sore or irritated as it heals over the next few months.
On average, it can take between 4 to 6 months for a nipple piercing to heal. However, it can take as long as 9 to 12 months. It is crucial to keep the piercing clean and comfortable during the healing process.
Your nipples will become more sensitive after being pierced, not less. Nerves in the nipple are spread out and not in one place that can be severed by being pierced.
“At least go three or four weeks and try to keep it to a minimum,” Thompson explains, “but it's not like you have to go six months.” And obviously, wash your hands before touching your nipples.
The most attractive spot for a piercing is the belly button. The least attractive is a tie between the nose and the nether regions.
An estimated 9% of pierced women have their nipples pierced, putting them a mere half a percent behind tongue piercings in popularity.
Rook piercings are located in the cartilage at the uppermost part of the inner ear. The location does go through a thick bit of cartilage so it can be more painful and harder to heal than many other spots on the ear. The Rook is more in line with the Snug when it comes to pain and healing.
Ice your nipples: Some people choose to ice their nipples before their piercing in an effort to numb the area and reduce pain. While there is some debate about the effectiveness of this method, it's generally considered to be safe as long as you use clean, wrapped ice and don't leave it on for too long.
Many people say getting re-pierced is less painful than the first time. Remember fleshy areas such as the lobes are less painful than areas with thicker cartilage like the helix.
With the immediate pain of a piercing or tattoo, you might opt for more intense relief like the Zensa Numbing Cream 5% Lidocaine (our top choice). You can also apply one during post-procedure recovery to dull pain, like the LMX4 Lidocaine Pain Relief Cream, which contains less lidocaine.
It does constrict tissue- this can mean crooked piercings
While topical numbing creams don't fully numb, they can constrict and change tissue texture and tension.
A. Putting an ice cube or ice pack on your ear before the piercing can help. The cold numbs the area and confuses the brain about where the pain's coming from. I don't recommend taking aspirin or ibuprofen beforehand because they tend to thin your blood and could cause more bleeding.
Potential risks include infections (or even breast abscess formation), nerve damage, bleeding, hematoma (a blood-filled cyst), allergic reactions, nipple cysts, and keloid scarring (raised, red scarring). Unfortunately, nipple piercing is also associated with hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection, and even HIV.
9. DON'T: Take out the piercing until it's completely healed. You should never swap out your jewelry before your piercing has completely healed. Doing so can lead to infection, scarring and even a rejection of the jewelry.
Take anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce pain and swelling. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).
Stretch. Pre-piercing stress or anxiety affects your body, restricting blood flow and causing muscle tension. Taking a moment to stretch out your body can release tension and allow you to physically relax. By removing the physical symptoms of piercing anxiety you can reduce your stress overall.
You want to prevent any infections before piercing. Sanitize your needle in a boiling pot of hot water for about 2 minutes. Sanitize again with an open flame for about 5 seconds then wipe off the residue.
Use a warm compress for better circulation
After the initial swelling goes down, you can use a heating pad or hot water bottle for 5-10 minutes to increase circulation. Place a clean piece of gauze between your piercing and the compress for protection. If you're experiencing swelling, use cold instead.
Avoid baths, hot tubs, swimming pools, saunas, lakes, etc. for the first three weeks after being pierced as they contain bacteria which can increase the risk of infection.
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.
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.