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.
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.
Yes you can. Just make sure you rinse your ears thoroughly after the shower to make sure that no soap, shampoo, or conditioner residue remains. You should do this by gently allowing warm water to flow over the piercings.
Earrings and jewelry that should not get wet are those containing metals that explicitly react to water. Copper, brass, and bronze are known to turn skin green if they are exposed to water. Silver is also oxidized by water, though it takes place over a longer period of time.
Wear a wound sealing bandage over the piercing. Wear waterproof clothing over your belly button or nipple piercings – and a swimming cap to protect your ear piercings – for short periods of time. Limit the time you spend in the water to avoid submerging the piercing for too long.
If it's wet, dry it by dabbing it with a sterile disposable tissue/gauze or by using a hair dryer on the cool setting. If it's dirty, gently wash around the piercing with a mild anti-bacterial soap and rinse with distilled water or saline.
Do not overclean your piercing. Cleaning more often than twice a day is not recommended. This will cause undue irritation to your piercing with excessive touching and possibly dry out your piercing.
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.
Rinse your piercing daily with fresh warm water in the shower to clean away any excess crusty discharge. Keep yourself healthy! Healthy bodies heal piercings best.
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.
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.
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.
There's no reason to rotate your piercing. You could damage the delicate, healing skin by rotating the jewelry. In the past, rotating the jewelry was recommended, but it has been found to cause damage that can lead to infection and scarring. For happy healing, NEVER rotate your body jewelry.
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.
Sleepers are great for lots of different people, they are some of the easiest earrings to wear. Those with newly pierced ears who are having issues with healing can try sleeper earrings. Since these earrings are lightweight and designed for comfort, you can keep these earrings in until your piercings have healed.
Do: Try not to sleep on the same side of the piercing. This may seem like common sense, but it's worth reiterating. Sleeping on the same side as your new piercing can put pressure on the piercing, and cause discomfort or pain.
Piercing holes heal by forming a layer of cells called epithelial cells. The epithelial cells form a tube-like layer of skin along the inside of the piercing to protect your body from the foreign object. The healing process takes at least six to eight weeks.
-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.
If you don't clean your piercing regularly, you could develop complications like infection, scarring, and inflammation, our experts explain. Additionally, the piercing could potentially take longer to heal. Keep in mind that some types of piercings are more likely to become infected than others.
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.
Trapped moisture around a piercing can cause a buildup of fluid in the piercing channel as well as other complications with healing.