Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Protect your ears while getting them pierced
• Method 2 of 3: Cleaning your new piercing
• Method 3 of 3: Continue to care for your piercing

If you've just had a new ear piercing, you are probably excited to exchange your stud for new styles. Before you can do that, you need to properly clean and care for your new piercing to avoid infection. While you should be patient and dedicated to cleaning your piercing, the cleaning process itself is fortunately quite simple.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Protect your ears while getting them pierced

1. Choose a clean, professional piercing salon to get your ears pierced. Health professionals strongly advise never to pierce your ears yourself at home, but instead find a place where trained professionals can do it for you. While there is no guarantee that you will not get an infection later, going to a clean area will help ensure that your ears will heal properly.
   • In the Netherlands, every piercer must be licensed and adhere to hygiene guidelines prescribed by law, so it is good to ensure that the shops and salons you visit adhere to these rules.
2. Look for reviews of shops you're thinking about. If you've never had a piercing before, a great way to find a safe place is to ask your friends for personalized recommendations. Ask them about the procedure and how it went, and if they had trouble cleaning their piercings and if their piercings got infected later.
   • It's also good to study their piercings: do you like their placements?
   • In addition to asking your friends about their experiences, you can also check online reviews of the salons you are considering going for your piercing.
3. Check that the piercing equipment and earrings are sterilized. Hang out at the salons you are watching to see how other people are being pierced, and interview the employees. Make sure all tools to be used and your jewelry are pre-sterilized.
   • Experts recommend that you look for an autoclave at the salon; this is sterilization machine.
4. Check that only new disposable needles are used. Health experts also recommend that you avoid piercing salons where needles are reused, even if they are supposedly sterilized in between uses.
   • If the salon you are going to uses a piercing gun, it must be a single use gun with sterilized disposable cartridges.
   • These piercing guns are sometimes also referred to as "encapsulated guns". The sterile stud is sealed inside, reducing the chance of introducing bacteria to your ear.
5. Take extra precautions when getting your cartilage pierced. While you always want to choose the cleanest, safest area when getting a piercing, take extra care when you want to get your cartilage pierced. Because the cartilage does not have its own blood supply, it can take longer to heal, and it can also be much more difficult to treat an infection here if one occurs.
   • Health professionals strictly recommend that only new needles or encapsulated guns should be used to pierce cartilage.
6. Make sure your piercer takes proper safety precautions. Have someone pierce your ears only when they start by thoroughly washing their hands or using disinfectant. He or she should also wear gloves and sterilize your ear properly before piercing.
   • Don't be afraid to get up and walk away if one or more of these steps is skipped.

Method 2 of 3: Cleaning your new piercing

1. Clean the surrounding area and your hands with a mild antibacterial soap. Before cleaning your new piercing, it is important that your hands and your entire ear are clean so that you do not introduce dirt or bacteria to the wound.
   • Opt for a mild soap and avoid cleansers with perfumes, as they can irritate your sensitive skin.
   EXPERT TIP

   Use a simple saline solution to clean your piercing. Medical professionals recommend that you use saline solution for cleaning. It is quite simple to make one yourself:

   • Mix either a quarter teaspoon of sea salt or one tablespoon of table salt with about 240 milliliters of warm water.
2. Apply the saline solution twice a day with a clean cotton ball. Instead of reusing washcloths, dab a new piece of gauze, a new cotton ball, or a new cotton swab in your saline solution to use each time you clean your piercing.
   • Then gently apply the saline solution on and around your entire piercing.
3. Gently wiggle the piercing back and forth. Many experts recommend that you gently move your piercing from side to side as you clean it to ensure that the saline solution passes through your entire piercing.
4. Be careful not to clean your piercing too often. Cleaning your piercing more than twice a day can cause irritation, which can extend the healing process longer than necessary.
5. Avoid using rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on your piercing. While you may think that alcohol or peroxide will sterilize your piercing, in reality these products can slow the healing process by over-drying your wound and killing healthy skin cells.
6. Do not use extra medications on your piercing. Experts also say you shouldn't use ointments or antibiotic creams on your piercing unless indicated by a doctor for an infection. These can also backfire on the healing process, as they can slow down the air flow to your wound.
   • Because they are so sticky, these ointments can also trap dirt and bacteria, potentially causing further problems.

Method 3 of 3: Continue to care for your piercing

1. Keep your piercing as dry as you can. Especially when your piercing is new (at least for the first three days) you should keep it as dry as you can. Although it will naturally get wet when you apply your saline solution, you will want to let your piercing dry out quickly.
2. Shower gently. If you don't need to wash your hair, try wearing a shower cap when you shower or bathe. If you do wash your hair, do your very best to keep shampoo and water away from your ears.
   • Don't think it will be good enough to run shampoo over your ears to clean your piercing. The ingredients in your shower gel or shampoo can actually irritate your piercing more.
3. Skip the pool. It is best to look for other forms of exercise instead of swimming while you wait for your new piercing to heal. Avoid public swimming pools and hot tubs, and if you really want or need to visit them, keep your head above the water!
4. Only allow clean materials to touch your piercing. In addition to just checking that your hands and cleaning materials are sterile, you should also thoroughly clean all of your bedding, hats, and scarves that may come into contact with your new piercing.
   • You may even want to wear your hair pulled back for a while.
5. Treat your piercing with care. If you only have one pierced ear, you will probably prefer sleeping on your other (non-pierced) side, which may also help your ear heal faster.
   • If you have both ears pierced, try to sleep on your back and avoid doing things that will put pressure on the piercing.
6. Adjust your phone habits. You'll also want to be careful when talking on your phone so that you don't put pressure on your ear and your phone (which can carry a lot of dirt and bacteria) in direct contact with your piercing.
   • Think about using the speakerphone for a while!
7. Be on the lookout for signs of infection. Even if you follow all the above steps exactly, you can still get an infection. Make sure to see the doctor right away if you have any signs of infection.
   • If your ear or the skin around it is red or swollen, you may have a developing infection.
   • An infected ear piercing can also produce green or yellow discharge and can be extra sensitive to the touch.
   • If your ear is also warm or you have a fever, your new piercing may be infected, in which case you should definitely seek medical attention.
8. Leave your earring in your piercing hole if you think you have an infection. While you may be tempted to remove your piercing right away if you think you have an infection, waiting to see a doctor is your best bet.
   • If you take your earring out too early, the hole can start to close, trapping the infection inside the wound.
   • This can lead to the formation of an abscess, which can be serious and painful to care for and treat.
9. Talk to your doctor about stronger antibiotics for a cartilage infection. Your cartilage piercing may be more prone to infection, and if it gets an infection it will likely be more difficult to treat than a normal piercing. This is because the cartilage does not have its own blood supply, making it more difficult for your prescribed antibiotic to do its job.
   • Talk to your doctor about what's being prescribed for your infection; a stronger medicine is often needed.
10. Rule out a metal allergy. If your ear doesn't appear to be infected but feels uncomfortable, itchy, or slightly swollen, you may have a sensitivity or allergy to the metal your piercing is made of. Many people are allergic to nickel, cobalt and / or white gold.
    • The best choices for a new piercing are surgical grade stainless steel, titanium, or 14 or 18 karat gold.
    • Niobium is also recommended as a good choice for a new piercing.
11. Be patient. Even with proper cleaning and no infection, an ear piercing can take a while to heal completely. If you have your earlobe pierced, you can expect to wait 4 to 6 weeks for the piercing to heal completely.
    • If you've had your pinna (the area above your earlobe) pierced, it may take him 12 to 16 weeks to heal.
12. Keep your piercing stud in your hole until your ear is completely healed. If you take your piercing out before the wound has healed completely, the hole can start to close. So you should leave your piercing in your hole, even when you go to sleep, until the piercing has healed completely.
13. Rest your ears for a while when they have healed. However, once your new piercing has healed, it is generally a good idea to take your piercings off every now and then, especially when you go to sleep.
14. Keep your piercing clean. Make it part of your routine to wipe your earrings with rubbing alcohol when you take them off, and do this again when you put them (or another pair of earrings) back in your holes.
    • This simple step will keep your ears healthy and allow you to experiment with a variety of fun accessories.