How to Take Care of Your New Body Piercings

Many of us see our bodies as an empty canvas which we can add in our own personal flair. This has spawned the tattoo industry, as well as the body modification industry through the use of piercings.

Getting a piercing is a great way to show off your individuality and also accessorize your body. The right piercing can show off your features in all of the right ways, and help you become more comfortable in your own skin. The stigma around piercings is quickly eroding, with many choosing to get new, flashy styles like piercing Brooklyn-style for that Big Apple flair. Like anything related to your body, piercings would require a bit of maintenance and proper care if you expect everything to go as smoothly as possible. Proper piercing etiquette begins right from the moment you get pierced.

On that note, here are the do’s and don’ts of body piercings:

Don’t touch it!

When you first get your piercing, it will be slightly raw and all too tempting to agitate the area by touching it or rubbing it. You must understand that this isn’t going to help the healing process and make the weird feeling go away faster, and could even result in you infecting the piercing by picking at it all the time. Think about all the different things you touch during the day, and then think about whether or not you’d like to have those germs in your newly pierced area.

Have a cleaning routine.

It’s important that you know how to take care of your piercing, and you should be as consistent as possible with your cleaning routine. Cleaning your piercing should start with applying a damp piece of gauze to the area to remove any crusty bits, followed by a thin layer of antibacterial ointment. This way, your new piercing will be cleaned, and there will be a good environment for healing.

Don’t use harsh cleansers

A cleanser that’s too harsh will end up delaying your healing process as opposed to helping it. If your cleanser is too harsh, you’d risk killing off the new cells that are forming around the piercing wound. It can take a while for your piercing to heal fully.

Each day you delay the healing process by using a cleanser that’s much too forceful is another day infection has a chance to take root. Avoid things like rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, as these will do much more harm than good in the grand scheme of things.

Be vigilant.

Sometimes, a piercing gets infected, and there isn’t much you can do to stop it. It happens, so don’t beat yourself up about it if it does. This means, though, that you have to remain vigilant and look for signs of infection like increased redness, increased swelling, or a fever. If this happens, go straight to the doctor for a check-up before it becomes a bigger issue. Typically, it will just be a quick course of antibiotics, and then everything will be back to normal, so don’t try to stick it out yourself.

Conclusion

It turns out there’s a bit more to getting a piercing than going to the mall and just getting it over with. The two months after you get your body pierced are essential to maintaining your piercing health, and for it to heal properly. What’s the point of getting some new body jewelry if you can’t show it off?