Guidelines for healing your piercings - UPDATED

Pierced Off

Part of your problem is the tight fitting bar and the small ball. Get yourself a slightly longer, plain titanium bar. Clean the area and put in the new bar. Now treat it as a fresh piercing and for good measure you could try Lavender oil. I recommend a 5% concentration in a carrier. It helps to promote healing.
The piercing needs to breath to heal. As your bar is tight, its not allowing breathing space. Its the same reason that when stretching a piercing, using a natural material for your plugs promotes healing and stops the smellyness associated with piercings/ stretching.

hdowney

yea i would have said the tight bar can't be helping. when i got my lip done they put a hella long one in for swelling, and the thing didn't swell. the bar was REALLY akward, catching on ANYTHING i tried to eat etc, and was never gonna heal if it kept catching so i got a new bar to replace it with. however this one was very tight, like the ball was right on the front of my lip - no give. i found that rather uncomfortable and tight and also every time i spoke or moved my mouth it worked the ball so it fell out. i got one that was a tiny bit longer, with a little bit of give so it doesn't catch but isn't too tight and i find that my lip is more than happy.

also your taking the piercing in and out all the time certainly will not help the thing to heal, so although you have had it over a year, if you were taking it out while it was still relatively new then it never got the chance to heal properly.

one more thing. you mention you had it pierced before, when you were inter-railing and didn't give it the care you should have. is there any chance it could have gotten infected then? as if there was an infection when the piercing closed up, then there is a chance that some remnants of the infection was still present???

just my two penny worth

kitsuune

I think I confused everyone a little with that post sorry. Basically, the time that I had it pierced before was only relevant to me spending a lot of time/money searching for a good length bar and I finally found a length and a size that I was really happy with in the size that I currently have, which is what I meant. (Your description of the bar being too long when it swells is so familiar... really really unpleasant!)

It's not *completely* tight to my lip, it just means that it can be a little awkward trying to get the bar clamped so that I have enough room to tighten the ball on the end when I put it back in, because the ball itself is also quite small. Basically it's all just a bit fiddly!

I had already had the piercing for a year and it was well healed when I had to start taking it out for work everyday for about 2 months, and it was in really good condition that whole time, not a single problem.(just a pity that the piercing shop in France couldn't seem to grasp the idea of a retainer when I went in to look for one :rolleyes:) I was only away for the first say 2 weeks of having it done and then was back to the land of civilisation. It definitely didn't heal with an infection, and I don't think it was ever really badly infected, just a little unhappy maybe. Although it had never occurred to me that the piercing could heal with an infection still present? I had always assumed that an infection would just keep the wound open - my bad!

It drives me insane when you can see too much of the bar, and I'm pretty sure that if I get the next length up it will be a bit too long. I'm planning on ordering some stuff online in the next few weeks, so I might order an in between size and get the next one up.
But I will probably just take it out to clean more often. I soaked it yesterday and I'll see how long that solution will last for.

kitsuune

Oh, and I didn't mean that I wasn't going to take your advice and get a slightly longer bar either, in case anyone thinks I'm just not taking the advice. It's more that I have a complex about buying new jewellery, because I have gotten it wrong so many times (I'm a girl what can I say haha), and am going to have to measure and triple check the sizes of everything to figure out what I need first lol /retard!

hdowney

hehe no worries. i never realised it could heal with the infection still in it at first either, but as it can close up sooo quickly it would close around the infection.

yea my bar can be somewhat fiddly to get clamped around and putting the ball in. i find latex gloves help you get a purchase on it (cos for me the more i tried to do it the more it felt like i was sweating and couldn't get a grip on the ball - the latex gloves eliminate this) or possibly internally threaded balls?

good luck on yours

vicecreamsundae

hope this is the right place for this!
got my nose pierced (ring) about two months ago. first couple weeks were grand, then a bump formed next to/on the piercing. some days it's not too noticeable, somedays its more red. crusties and the odd bout of pus..

i've been cleaning with hot water and sea salt. though not religiously, i admit... but still enough that i feel it should have cleared up by now! how gradually do these things disappear? will it slowly shrink and shrink?

i popped into the piercer today to ask for advice. bit disappointed actually -at the time of piercing he seemed really professional, but today he just took the quickest glance at it -didnt even ask if i had been cleaning it -and just said to get a cream with loads of zinc in it..
he didnt even name a cream, which didn't make me feel too confident!
went to Boots asking for cream with lots of zinc, and they just suggested Sudocreme. (which i have and yep, it seems to be the main ingredient.)


Should i just keep up washing with hot seasalt water, and then putting some sudocreme on it before bed?!

Thanks for any advice. It's not particularly painful or anything, but it's making me more self conscious of my nose than proud of my new piercing!

Princess18

I Got A Surface Piercing Last Week.. Sternum.. It Was Very Painful, The Clamp Was Very Akward & I Still Have Marks From It.. I've Used The Solution I Got 3 Times A Day Until Today.. So That Was For One Week.. From Today Im Using The Camoille Tea Bags, I Hope It Heals Soon I Love It, & I Dont Want It To Start Rejecting Or Get Infected.. Im Going On Holidays At The Easter Hols So Hopefully By Then! .. Thats My 9th Piercing I Have! Ha

hdowney

my bad - forgotten where the sternum is again!!?!

i don't think me and surface piercings will stick, they generally go where you put your clothes at times, and i can see me yanking them out!!! i am bad enuff with facial and ear piercings - my tongue piercing never got a chance!

i'll stick to tattoos on the rest of my body methinks!

Princess18

Between The Chest..! Tis Awesome.. Yeah I've My Tongue Peirced.. Sea Salt & Boiling Water Did The Job For Me! Had No Solid Food For About A Week.. First Thing I Had Then Was Macdonalds! Ha Mmmm

Pierced Off

Princess18 wrote: »

I Got A Surface Piercing Last Week.. Sternum.. It Was Very Painful, The Clamp Was Very Akward & I Still Have Marks From It.

I don't wish to criticise your piercer, but it is not normal to clamp a sternum surface piercing. The jewellery should be staple shaped and clamping will only allow you to pierce straight. Therefor the chances of migration are fairly high. Keep a close eye on your piercing and seek professional advice if you notice anything strange or untoward happening.

Princess18

Thanks For The Advise, He Did Use A Stable Bar, But Il Defintly Keep A Close Eye On It, And Be Careful With It

Princess18

Hey, I Have A Question I Hope Someone Can Answer Me..
Im Going On Holidays Next Week, I Got A Surface Piercing Back In February, And Is It Alright To Sunbathe With It Exposed Cos Its On My Chest So It Will Be Constantly Out In The Sun, Just Woundering Is There Anything I Need To Be Careful Of?

Will

How has it healed? Don't let it get burned anyway, bit of sun should be good for it though

Princess18

My Sternum Has Been Healing Great, Had It Since February But Out Of The Blue Today When I Was Cleaning It, Blood Started To Come Out.. And Now Im Really Worried.. Is It Starting To Reject?

Will

You could have caught it in your sleep or something, best bet is to head to your local piercer and ask them to take a look for you.

niamhzie

hi i've been searching a lot of threads, but sorry if this has been asked before.
i've done a lot of research into caring for a navel piercing, from US and other sites, and i've come to the conclusion that one should wash the piercing with anti-bacterial soap in the shower [never take a bath, never use TCP or alcohol], and saline soak twice a day by adding a little bit of sea salt to boiling water, pouring into a shot glass, and inverting that over my tum for 5+minutes.
Can somebody confirm this, or add/change info?
Also, how many weeks will i need to keep this up for? will i be able to cut down to one soak per day after a while?
finally, what specifically is "antibacterial soap"? like regular radox/whatever hand soap from the bathroom or something more like a shower gel?
of course i will ask my piercer these same questions, and what does he recommend as a cleaning solution, but a second opinion is always welcome.

PS somewhere i read that you can use saline contact lens fluid instead of the old-fashioned way... thoughts?

Atavan-Halen

Yes doing a sea salt soak is the best way to heal your piercing. You don't need to use soap or anything like that as the sea salt is sufficient enough. Although, wait until the boiling water cools down to being warm and then add in a 1/4 teaspoon per mug of it and apply. Make sure it's pure sea salt and not table salt as table salt has iodine in it which is not great for piercings. You can get a big bag of natural sea salt in any health food shop for about €1.50. After Applying the sea salt, gently wipe away any crusty bits with a cotton swab and then dry the area gently with a sheet of kitchen towel or something. Navel piercings can take a while to heal, sometimes even as long as 12 months but that's in exceptional circumstances. You'll kind of know yourself once it's healed. Keep up the twice daily sea salt soaks for a month or two then you should be ok to do one a day.

Anti-bacterial soap is generally non scented stuff you might be able to get in a chemist but there's really no need. Don't use any old soap on it as it'll irritate the piercing.

I've heard you can use contact lens cleaner too but to be honest it's just as easy to make up some fresh sea salt soution and that way you know it's clean and ready to use when you need it.

love not hate

I just got my first lip piercing last week and have found all the tips here very helpful, thank you

LindseyErin

I haven't read the past several pages. But has anyone tried emu oil? This is proven to reverse or minimize keloid scars. I recently got a nasty hypertrophic scar on a piercing that I got about two months ago

I'm not sure what this is even called. It's not classified as a daith or forward helix. Anyways, I noticed bump starting to form that was bright red and kind of oozy (if you google pressure blister on piercings you can get a genuine idea of what this is). I was told by my piercer to clean it with a q-tip with antimicrobial (not antibacterial...two different things) soap and do 2 sea salt soaks a day. However....this was not helping.

So I tried something different. I stopped using a Q-tip to clean it (piercings in the cartilage area are VERY sensitive and HATE being moved around. Moving a piercing around jostles the cartilage and this is how these nasty things are formed). So, I tried to keep the piercing as still as possible by switching to a shorter barbell and not using the Q-tip to clean it and instead cleaning it gently with soap in the shower. I stopped doing the sea salt soaks and instead began to apply emu oil (derived from the fat of emus) to the area twice daily.

The bump has drastically shrinked in size. Moral of the story is... it helped me to not clean it so vigorously and let my body try to help it itself (by avoiding the salt soaks), and the emu oil definitely helped to reduce the scarring. It looks great now. Hope this helps.

Atari Jaguar

There's many a thing to watch out for when choosing to get a piercing. These are some of the big things:


Is The Shop Clean?

A fairly basic one. Unfortunately in Ireland piercing and tattoo shops are not regulated and don't get visited by health inspectors. So when choosing a shop make sure it's kept spotless. Any visible dirt in the piercing area is a no-no. Dust, dirt or things littered on the floor are an instant bye bye.


Is Your Piercer Friendly?

This comes across in most public facing jobs but especially important as a piercer. Not because if they aren't super happy friendly they are bad at piercing, but you need someone that can help you relax. Being tense during the procedure can lead to fainting or being sick etc. Always remember to take a deep breath in and out and never tense yourself or hold your breath. Just breathe.


Is Equipment Sterile?

When is it safe to reuse a needle? That's right, never. Any needle used (Cannula or hollow "The Blades" needles) should come right out of a sterile pack and be disposed of in a sharps bin right away. If you notice the bin is overfilling then, you guessed it! Leave.


So What Do I Get Pierced With?

A needle! But when it comes to jewellery a titanium bar or dermal. How do you tell the difference? Shine. Titanium is less shiny than steel and is the only safe metal to use. It has zero nickel and does not tarnish or react to sea salt etc. If in doubt, leave. Better to be 100% sure than 100% wrong.


Bullcocky! I Was Pierced With a Gun What's The Problem With Them?

I got ran over by a car once. I didn't die, but I don't advise you walk into traffic. The reason we advise not to be pierced with guns or metals apart from titanium is risk management. A gun is made from cheap plastic that is impossible to sterilise with an autoclave. Plasma and blood from prior customers remain in the many moving parts and mean you are at risk of HIV, AIDs, Hepatitis etc. It can often feel "easier" to be pierced with a gun, but in reality a needle is cleaner, safer and less painful. Does it hurt to get a piercing? No, not really. It's a little cat scratch for the most part. Some hurt more than others (your ear lobe will hurt less than your helix for example), but the moment of slight discomfort is just the start. You have months and years of potential trouble when pierced with guns. It's just not worth it.


Aftercare?

Aftercare of your piercing varies. But the standard practices for the most common ones are;


Ears (including cartalidge)

Use 1/4 of a teaspoon of NATURAL sea salt mixed to a half of pint of boiling water, cooled to body temp and use a disposable cotton swab to clean around it 2-3 times a day. Do NOT twist, turn, pull, touch, sing to or by your piercing dinner. Seriously. Don't touch it.

After 6 weeks change the bar to whatever one you like, even if you like the one you have in - change anyway. You'll very likely need a shorter bar anyway as you would have been (ideally) pierced slightly longer to allow for swelling.

And please do not panic if it swells. Even if it swells almost the length of the bar as long as it doesn't go beyond the allowed space there's no need for panick. I just today was told of someone who had their eyebrow pierced and took it out within a few hours because it got swollen. It's normal just leave it alone.

An ear lobe should heal completely within 6-8 weeks, if you're planning to stretch your ear please let it be for the longer side of that, 7-8 weeks should be okay, but don't try too early or you're gonna have a bad time.

Oral Piercings

If you get your lips or inside your mouth pierced please abstain from alcohol and smoking for at least 6 weeks. If you absolutely must partake in such activities then for god sakes use a NON alcoholic mouthwash that is a ZERO ALCOHOL mouthwash to rinse your mouth out afterwards. I don't understand why some people think kissing your partner is a bad idea but again if you do rinse out right away. For tongue piercings it'll probably be too uncomfortable to do so for a few days anyway.

Tongue piercings are a bit of an exception to the 6 weeks don't touchy jewellery rule, you can shorten the bar after about 5-7 days usually. And I would greatly recommend you do so as it will allow you to return to eating and drinking properly as well as save your teeth. Lips and other mouth area piercings, 6-8 weeks no sooner. It doesn't matter if it doesn't hurt it's not healed.

Facial Piercings and Body Piercings

The nipples and eyebrow, nose etc are pretty much the same as your ears clean 2-3 times a day with a 1/4 teaspoon of NATURAL sea salt and a half a pint of boiling water cooled to body temp. For nipple piercings and belly button piercings a great way to get the nasty stuff out is using a small cup of your saline and holding it to the area and lying back creating a suction effect that sucks up all the dirt that hides behind the bar.

With nose piercings I'd recommend wearing a small circular plaster over it at bed time to stop it getting knocked out. If it does get knocked out and you can't get it back in, don't keep trying to force it you'll only make it swell more. Go to your piercer and they'll do it, pain free and extra swelling free.

Dermals

Dermals need a lot of caring for. For the first 8 weeks do not try to change the top and if possible to use the soak cup method to help clean them as dirt can build up behind the tops easily enough. On your face use a cotton ball soaked in saline and let it sit on the dermal for a short while to loosen up dirt. After it's healed some wax free dental floss is great for getting the dirt that can build up. Wear a plaster every night for 8 weeks and I recommend all day for 1 weeks to help the dermal settle properly.

Genitals

No sex for 6 weeks. Sorry but that's just the way it is. I know I said earlier no alcohol or smoking with oral piercings but if you must then wash it well but sorry for genital piercings absolutely no sex or anything of the sort for 6 weeks. Keep it very clean, using sea salt and water and I would say no to soap especially anti bacterial because we are full of good bacteria that promotes healing and antibac is my enemy.


Hopefully helpful for anyone with or thinking about getting a piercing! Take good care of it!

Star Lord

Some good advice there, figured it'd go well here, and help bring back up this old topic that's full of good advice.

Atari Jaguar

Just to add some things to NEVER use to clean a piercing:


TCP, Tea Tree Oil, Surgical Spirits, Alcohol, Antibacterial creams/gels/soaps/wipes, table salt.

When we say NATURAL SEA SALT we don't mean Magical Tree Sap or TCP, those are just way too strong. It needs to be made clear that when cleaning a piercing you want to remove dirt and bad bacteria, but our body is full of good bacteria also. These aid healing of all wounds and that includes a piercing. I have heard piercers recommend using Dettol before which just makes me wince to be honest. I did mention the correct way to mix a salt water (saline) solution above but just for ease I'll say it again here:



1/4 of a teaspoon of NATURAL (non iodised) Sea Salt, to half a pint of boiling water. Cool it to body temperature and away you go.

Throw out whatever's left, it's not okay to reheat later or use cold. The cold water let's the salt recrystallise, and will aggravate a piercing. And too strong is no better than too weak, even if your piercing is a little more upset then usual don't mix a strong saline to combat that. And of course wash your hands first.

And natural sea salt is available in any supermarket. If there's ingredients listed - it's not natural. Saxa sea salt is readily available in Dunnes, SuperValu, Tesco etc. It's not exclusive to health shops etc