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.
Along with the nostrils and belly button, the earlobes are the safest and most common body part to be pierced. The flesh of the earlobe heals well when the area is cleaned regularly and the piercing is done at the proper angle.
Surface piercings are the most common types of piercing to be rejected by the body. Surface piercings travel along an area of skin, rather than going directly through a body part. The jewelry punctures only a small amount of the skin's surface. Examples of surface piercings include eyebrows, neck, hip, and wrist.
“Piercings that go through ear cartilage are much more likely to become infected and are more difficult to treat than infections through the ear lobe or the soft tissue just above the lobe,” Dr. Kaplan says.
Always get your ear lobes pierced with a needle instead of a gun. A needle will cause less trauma to the area and is a more hygienic option. Double lobe piercings are a great option for individuals who already have their single lobe holes and want to ease their way into getting another piercing.
“Piercings that go through ear cartilage are much more likely to become infected and are more difficult to treat than infections through the ear lobe or the soft tissues just above the lobe,” Dr. Kaplan says.
Even with proper care, about 20% of earlobe piercings become infected and 30% of cartilage piercings become infected. Most commonly, an infected ear piercing is caused by bacteria entering the wound, which can happen in several ways. Handling with unclean hands.
If you don't clean your piercing regularly, you could develop complications like infection, scarring, and inflammation, our experts explain.
As you can see your choice of piercing can influence how likely it is to reject. For example, there is less chance of a Daith piercing rejection or nose piercing rejection compared to an eyebrow piercing rejection or bridge piercing rejection.
The septum piercing (a.k.a. a piercing through the soft tissue in between your nostrils) is one of the fastest-healing and lowest-irritation piercing zones. Unlike the nostril, the septum is exposed to fewer bacteria and is known to be a quick healer.
If you're looking for the TLDR of it all, just keep in mind that earlobes, nostrils, and lip piercings are generally the safest ones to go with, though they still come with their issues.
With proper care, most mild earlobe infections will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks. It is common to have mild infections come back without daily earring care.
Make sure you get the soap everywhere, but rotating your jewelry is not necessary as long as you work the soap around the piercing and jewelry completely. If you do rotate the piercing, this could introduce bacteria from the jewelry into the wound, causing irritation or even infection.
Signs of an infection
It is important to note that your piercing may be tender or painful for up to 3-5 days after the procedure was performed. This is normal.
Touching the piercing too often with dirty hands or not cleaning the area can lead to infections. Also, earrings that are too tight may not allow the wound to breathe and heal.
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.
These discharges mixed with dirt from lack of cleaning can also oxidize, leaving a black or grey gunk. This gunk can be pushed out with a clean earring or washed out with warm soap and water. You can enter a clean earring into the hole from the front or back to try and budge the gunk.
However, the most common causes of earlobe irritation are piecing infections and contact metal allergies—specifically to nickel, copper and cobalt. The best earrings for sensitive skin are made from pure metals; specifically gold (14 karat or higher), sterling silver, titanium and platinum.
Infection, specifically, is relatively rare, especially if you're strict about the aftercare. But it can definitely still happen because, as with any type of piercing, you're essentially cutting a hole in the skin and inviting bacteria to crash the area.
The mean number of piercings per pierced participant was 2.1 (range 1-16; SD ± 2.0). In particular, 54.6% of the 406 pierced freshmen confirmed they had only one, 24% two, 11.7% more than three, 9.6% three. There were no significant sex differences in the average number of piercings per person (p = 0.79).