Piercing Care Guide

One of the most important things for you to remember when it comes to piercings is how to care for them after it has been completed! Piercing care is incredibly important as it ensures that the area heals perfectly with no issues due to infection of the area! The place where you receive the piercing should give you a list of specific rules to be sure that you follow, but we here at Kafka INK have come up with a few things to consider! The following blog looks to explain the best practices to be sure to follow when it comes to caring for a new piercing. How Long Do Piercings Take to Heal? There are many different types of piercings that can be done on different parts of your body. As the tissue in these different parts of your body may differ, the length of time it takes for a piercing to heal may also be quite different. Generally speaking, most types of piercings take around 6-8 weeks to heal completely, though this piercing recovery time will differ if proper care is not done. Just like with any wound on the skin, if you do not properly take care of the area, you run the risk of it getting infected and taking far longer to heal! In order to ensure that your piercing heals as quickly as possible, you should be sure to carefully follow the instructions laid out when you get your piercing done! How Can You Tell If Your Piercing is Healing? After a few weeks, you may be wondering whether or not your piercing has healed. There are a few signs of a healing piercing that you can look out for! The first and most obvious way that you can determine if your piercing has healed is just by looking at it. If the swelling has gone down, fluid has stopped leaking into the area and the crusted pieces have fallen off, your piercing should be just about healed! As a body piercing involves puncturing the skin, it heals just as any wound would and looking for these various signs can be a sure way to tell that your piercing is nearly all healed up. The next way to determine whether or not your piercing has healed is by how it feels. The few days and even weeks after you get your piercing, you may find that it is quite sore and tender to the touch. If this pain is beginning to dissipate and you can touch the piercing itself and the area surrounding it without any pain, it means that your piercing should be nearly healed! Another sign of healing is that the area may begin to feel a bit itchy, with crust beginning to form. This is a good sign that the area is healing! Why is Piercing Care Necessary? As explained above, a piercing is technically a wound that needs to go through a proper care routine to heal. As with any other instances whereby your skin is punctured, a piercing needs to be kept clean to avoid the area getting infected. If an area becomes infected, you will notice an irregular amount of pain and swelling in the region. This can cause a large amount of discomfort as bacteria would be infecting the area. Keeping your piercing clean and free from any germs and bacteria is incredibly important as it can help ensure that the region does not get infected. What is Piercing Care? After-piercing care refers to the aftercare procedures done to ensure that a piercing heals properly and as quickly as possible! You will receive a set of instructions after having received your piercing and following these steps will ensure that the area heals properly! The main component of any piercing care plan is keeping the region as clean as possible, with regular disinfection to avoid the area becoming infected. Another large part of ensuring that your piercing heals properly and quickly is to ensure that you avoid touching the area unless you are applying the disinfectant solution. Before applying, you should clean your hands thoroughly so that you are not accidentally exposing germs and bacteria that may be on your skin! Piercing care is vital to ensure that the piercing heals perfectly. If the area gets very infected, you may be forced to remove the piercing and some may even have to go on antibiotics to clear it properly. Following the piercing care routine precisely and applying disinfection solution regularly will help to avoid this from happening. Piercing Care Advice Based on Piercing Types As there are different types of piercings that can be done on different parts of the body, there are different piercing care instructions and advice to be sure to follow for each of these areas. The following looks at these different care instructions! Ear Piercing Care Ear piercings are one of the most common types of piercings to get, with men and women alike wanting to wear earrings. Ear piercing care involves keeping the region clean and as this part of the body is exposed to things like bedding, keeping this clean as well is incredibly important! Following the correct steps of how to take care of ear piercings is much the same as other types, but since the ear is more exposed than other regions of the body to get pierced, you will often have to apply antibacterial solution more regularly! Cartilage piercing care may differ from ear piercings on the lower ear lobe. This is due to the fact that cartilage takes much longer to heal than the regular skin on the lower lobe. You will more than likely have to keep the piercing in for much longer before changing it due to this lengthy healing process. Mouth Piercing Care Piercings in your mouth are extremely important to keep clean as they come into contact with bacteria that sits in your mouth. In order to properly clean your mouth piercing and ensure that it does not get infected, your piercing needs to be cleaned with an antibacterial, alcohol-free mouthwash. Lip piercing care would follow the same sort of guidelines as half of the piercing will be inside of the mouth. This should be regularly done throughout the day, particularly after having eaten meals. For a few days after having received your mouth piercing, it is also recommended that you not eat any hard foods that could lead to further irritation of the area. Sticking to soups and soft foods for a few days after is recommended for mouth piercing care. Nose Piercing Care Just like your ears, your nose is exposed to many different types of bacteria since it is in a location that is not covered by clothing. When it comes to a nose piercing, it is incredibly important to keep both sides of the piercing clean. As bacteria may build up in your nose, being sure to thoroughly clean this area is vital when it comes to nose piercing care. One should also avoid blowing your nose, as any bacteria located within the upper region of the area may work its way into the piercing itself and cause an infection from the inside. Belly Button Piercing Care Belly button piercing care is done like most other types of piercings. It is incredibly important to keep the area clean, particularly within your belly button itself as this region often has a build-up of bacteria that could infect the pierced area. Since this piercing is located where clothing will cover it, it is important to wear loose-fitting clothes as opposed to anything tight. Tighter clothes tend to further irritate the skin since it will rub up on the area. Nipple Piercing Care As with belly button piercings, nipple piercing care involves the regular cleaning of the area, just as you would any other piercing. If a woman has gotten a nipple piercing, it is best not to wear a bra for a few days after as this tight piece of clothing will irritate the area. What Not to Do in Piercing Care? There are a couple of things to avoid when caring for a new piercing, and the following outlines these few things. Let the Crust Fall Off On Its Own: While it may be a bit disconcerting to see crust beginning to form over your piercing, this is actually a sign that it is beginning to heal. While it may be tempting to pick the crust off of your skin, this can actually deter healing and the crust should be left on until it falls off on its own. Avoid Touching the Area Too Much: The skin where your piercing is placed will be irritated for a few days after the procedure. Due to this, it may be red, inflamed and tender. While you may feel the need to continuously touch the area, this only adds to the inflammation and can also lead to the area becoming infected. To avoid this, be sure to not touch the area too often, only when the antibacterial solution has to be applied.