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In this post, we’re going to talk about post-piercing inflammation and how to prevent it. After a piercing is performed, the skin is naturally susceptible to inflammation caused by exposure to bacteria. However, there are some simple steps you can take to avoid an inflammation occurring.
1) NEVER touch your piercing with your bare hands, as a pair of unclean hands are a hive of bacteria and fungi, not least because they’ve been in direct contact with your mobile phone (the risks of which you can read in another of my blog posts).
2) Make absolutely sure you are extra-vigilant when it comes to changing your bedclothes regularly and using only clean towels during the post-piercing period.
3) Do NOT go swimming for a minimum of 30 days after getting your piercing, this goes for sea-swimming and swimming pools, freshwater and salt water.
4) Adhere to a healthy, balanced diet and drink plenty of water over the post-piercing period.
5) Adhere to adequate piercing hygiene: clean your piercing three times a day with a neutral liquid soap/saline solution/chamomile tea/warm water mixed with salt/saline solution and a cotton bud. Here it is also important to be aware that more than three times per day is unnecessary and can even have an adverse impact.
6) Do not apply any creams to the site of the piercing, as these stick to piercing and accumulate bacteria.
7) If your piercing is an ear-piercing, be careful not to sleep on top of the piercing or bump it off anything.
8) Remember that even following all of these steps, it is still possible for an inflammation to occur. If you feel that it is, contact your piercer and they will diagnose a course of action. In severe cases, medicine might need to be prescribed, remember that only a registered medical doctor has the authority to do this.
Carla Horrana.