How to Take Care of a New Piercing

Short answer: A new piercing is an open wound and needs proper care. The basic rules: touch it only with clean hands, don't twist or move the jewelry, gently clean it with the sterile saline or saline solution your piercer recommends, pat it dry, avoid friction and pressure, and don't change the jewelry too early. Healing takes anywhere from weeks to months depending on the area. If you have significant swelling, pain, pus or a fever, see a healthcare professional.

Important: This article is general information and doesn't replace medical advice. The instructions from the person who did your piercing come first.

How well a piercing heals depends largely on aftercare. Even a well-done piercing can get irritated, develop a bump or get infected if it's poorly cared for.

The basic rules of piercing aftercare

Do

1. Touch it only with clean hands: Wash your hands with soap before touching the piercing.
2. Clean it gently: Using the method your piercer recommends, usually once or twice a day.
3. Pat it dry: Use a clean, disposable paper towel or sterile gauze. Towel fibers can get caught on the jewelry.
4. Avoid friction: Tight clothing, hats, headphones, phones and touching from your hair.
5. Leave the jewelry in: Don't take it out until healing is complete.
6. Eat well and drink plenty of water: It supports healing.

Don't

• Twist, move or fiddle with the jewelry.
• Touch it with dirty hands.
• Use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, harsh antiseptics or scented products.
• Apply thick creams or ointments (they can stop the skin from breathing).
• Spend long periods in pools, the sea, hot tubs or bathtubs.
• Change the jewelry too early.
• Sleep on it or put pressure on it.

Sea salt and saline solution

The most common recommendation for cleaning a piercing is sterile saline or saline solution.

• Sterile saline solution: Available ready-made at pharmacies (sterile, as a spray or in single-use vials). It's practical and hygienic.
• Sea salt solution: Some piercers recommend it. If it isn't mixed in the right ratio with clean water, it can cause irritation; use the ratio your piercer gives you.
• How to apply it: Soak a piece of gauze or clean paper towel in the solution and press it gently on the area for a few minutes, then pat it dry with a clean paper towel.

Ask the person who did your piercing which method to use.

Should you use a cream on a new piercing?

Most piercers recommend keeping it clean and dry and cleaning it with sterile saline; they usually don't recommend creams and ointments because they can seal off the area and stop it from breathing. If you have irritation or a bump, ask your piercer or doctor what to use.

Stages of healing

• First few days: Redness, swelling, tenderness, a little clear fluid
• Weeks 1–2: Crusting, slight discharge, the area is tender
• Weeks to months: It looks healed on the outside, but the inner tissue is still healing
• Months (depending on the area): Fully healed

Even when a piercing looks healed on the outside, the inner tissue takes longer. So don't take the jewelry out early.

Extra tips by area

• Earlobe: Keep your phone and hair products away from it.
• Cartilage: Avoid sleeping on it; use a travel pillow if needed.
• Nose: Be gentle when wiping your nose; keep makeup off the piercing.
• Navel: Avoid tight pants and belts. Belly Button Piercing Styles and Aftercare
• Lips and tongue: Pay attention to oral hygiene; ask your piercer about using mouthwash. Lip and Tongue Piercings

When should you get professional help?

See the person who did your piercing or a healthcare professional if you notice:

• Increasing redness, swelling and warmth
• Severe or worsening pain
• Foul-smelling, yellow-green or pus-like discharge
• Fever and feeling generally unwell
• The jewelry sinking into the skin

For details, see What to Do If a Piercing Gets Infected .

Good aftercare starts with a good piercing

For a piercing to heal without problems, it has to be done with a sterile needle, the right jewelry and in a hygienic setting. In the TattooVerseCo Artists and Studios sections, you can compare places that do piercings by hygiene, gallery and reviews.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need to do piercing aftercare?

Until healing is complete, which means weeks to months. It depends on the area.

Is it bad to touch a piercing?

Unnecessary touching raises the risk of infection. Touch it only with clean hands and only to clean it.

Should I twist my piercing?

It's generally not recommended; it's common old advice, but it can make irritation worse. Follow your piercer's instructions.

Saline solution or salt water?

Both are common. Sterile saline solution is practical and hygienic; choose based on your piercer's advice.

Why is my piercing discharging?

Clear or light-colored fluid is normal in the first few weeks. Foul-smelling, dark or pus-like discharge can be a sign of infection.

Good aftercare, beautiful healing. Find safe places to get pierced in the Artists and Studios sections on TattooVerseCo.