Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Protecting Your Ears During Your Piercing Procedure
• Part 2 of 3: Cleaning Your New Piercing
• Part 3 of 3: Taking Care of Your Piercing Further

You recently got your ear pierced and inserted an earring, but you will most likely want to change it over time. Before doing this, you must learn how to properly care for and clean the puncture in the ear to avoid infections. Although the process is simple enough, you must show patience and perseverance.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Protecting Your Ears During Your Piercing Procedure

1. 1 Choose a reliable specialized piercing facility. Doctors strongly advise against having your ears pierced at home, but instead find a place where trained professionals can do it for you. While there is no guarantee that you won't get an infection later, working with professionals will ensure that your ears heal properly.
   • There is no government regulation of this industry and no legislation regarding piercing, so it is better to visit different stores and salons, which will help you personally verify the qualifications of the staff working there.
2. 2 Study the reviews of those salons that you took note of. If you have never done piercings before, then the most correct solution would be to find the safest place for this procedure, find out information from your friends and acquaintances and get recommendations. Ask them what kind of procedure they performed, if they had any difficulties with further cleaning, and if there was an infection later.
   • You should also take a close look at your acquaintances' piercings. Do you like the way it is located?
   • In addition to the advice of friends, you can also search the Internet for reviews of the salons you plan to contact.
3. 3 Make sure all equipment and earrings are sterile. When looking for the most trusted salons, it is worth paying attention to other customers, as well as talking to the staff. Make sure that all equipment used for the procedure, as well as jewelry, can be pre-sterilized.
   • Experts recommend looking for an autoclave in the salon, which sterilizes everything you need for a safe piercing.
4. 4 Make sure to use only new and disposable needles. Doctors recommend avoiding piercing parlors that reuse piercing needles, even if they are sterilized between uses.
   • If a piercing gun is used in a salon you visit, then it should be for single use only or have a sterile needle cassette.
   • Such devices are sometimes referred to as “encapsulated pistols”. The sterile needle is inside, which reduces the chances of bacteria getting into the area you are about to pierce.
5. 5 Take extra steps if you want to get your ear cartilage pierced. Despite choosing the safest and most sterile location for your piercing procedure, you should still be extremely careful if you are planning to do this type of body modification. It may take longer to heal because there is no blood circulation in the cartilage. It will also be much more difficult to cure an infection if it does occur.
   • Doctors recommend using only new needles or encapsulated ear cartilage piercing guns.
6. 6 Make sure the piercer takes the necessary precautions. Only allow the technician to start work if they have thoroughly washed their hands or used a disinfectant. He should also wear gloves and properly clean and sterilize your ear before piercing.
   • Don't hesitate to get out of the chair if any of these conditions are not met.

Part 2 of 3: Cleaning Your New Piercing

1. 1 Wash the skin around the piercing and hands with a gentle antibacterial soap. Before cleaning your piercing, it is very important to make sure your hands and ear are clean to prevent dirt or bacteria from entering the wound.
   • Choose a mild, fragrance-free soap to avoid irritating sensitive skin.
2. 2 Use a simple saline solution to clean your piercing. Doctors recommend using a saline solution for this. It's quite easy to make it yourself:
   • Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt or 1 teaspoon of regular salt in 250 ml of warm water
3. 3 Wipe the piercing area twice a day with a clean, disposable cotton cloth dampened with saline solution. Instead of reusing the same fabric, use gauze, cotton swab, or ear stick.
   • Then, gently apply saline solution to the area around the piercing.
4. 4 Rotate the earring gently. Many experts recommend that you gently rotate the earring while cleaning the piercing to ensure that the saline solution can reach the entire surface of the piercing.
5. 5 Be careful not to overdo it. Rinsing the puncture site more than twice a day can lead to irritation that slows down the healing process.
6. 6 Try not to use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean your piercing. You might think alcohol or peroxide will disinfect your wound, but both drugs can slow the healing process by drying it out and killing healthy skin cells.
7. 7 Refrain from using additional medications for healing. Experts advise against using ointments, creams, or antibiotics unless prescribed by a doctor to fight infections. This can, on the contrary, slow down the healing process of the wound, since in this case the access of oxygen to it worsens.
   • Because of its "sticky" texture, a cream or ointment can attract dirt and bacteria to the wound, causing further trouble.

Part 3 of 3: Taking Care of Your Piercing Further

1. 1 Try to avoid contact of the piercing with water. You need to refrain from taking water treatments (at least for the first three days after the puncture). While this cannot be avoided altogether, when you rinse the wound with saline, it is best for you to dry the piercing as quickly and thoroughly as possible in the future.
2. 2 Shower gently. If you don’t need to wash your hair, try wearing a rubber cap when bathing. When washing your hair, try to keep the shampoo and water as far away from the piercing as possible.
   • Don't assume that shampoo will easily cleanse your piercing. On the contrary, its components can cause even more irritation at the puncture site.
3. 3 Refuse to visit the pool. While your new piercing is healing, you should look for other forms of physical activity. Stay away from public pools and saunas, but if you do have to use them, you should never get your head wet!
4. 4 Only touch the piercing with clean objects. Make sure your hands and cleaning tools are washed and disinfected, and thoroughly wash all your bedding, hats, and scarves - anything that might come into contact with the puncture site.
   • You should also keep your hair away from the piercing.
5. 5 Handle your piercing gently. If you have only one ear pierced, you will need to sleep on the other side to heal the wound as quickly as possible.
   • If both ears are pierced, try to sleep on your back and not do anything that might hurt the pierced sites.
6. 6 Use your cell phone carefully. You need to be careful when talking on the phone (which can have a lot of dirt and bacteria), and do not press on the ear or apply directly to the piercing.
   • Use speakerphone whenever possible for a while!
7. 7 Watch for signs of infection. Even if you strictly follow all of the above tips, you may get an infection. Be careful to be able to spot it early and see a doctor.
   • If your ear or the skin around the piercing is red or swollen, it may be an indication that an infection is developing.
   • The infected area may become very soft to the touch and a green or yellowish fluid will come out of the wound.
   • An ear that is warm to the touch or fever may indicate an infection, and in this case, an urgent need to see a doctor.
8. 8 Do not remove earrings if you suspect an infection. You may be tempted to remove your earrings immediately if you suspect an infection, but it's still best to see a doctor.
   • If you take out the earring too early, the wound will begin to heal and the infection will be inside it.
   • This can lead to the formation of an abscess, which requires long and painful treatment.
9. 9 Talk to your doctor about taking strong antibiotics for cartilage infections. When cartilage is pierced, there is a higher chance of infection. If this happens, then it will be much more difficult for you to treat it, because the cartilage does not have its own blood flow, through which the body can deliver antibiotics to the site of infection.
   • Talk to your doctor about possible treatments; there is often a need to take stronger drugs.
10. 10 Don't forget about metal allergies. If your ear is not inflamed, but you feel itchy or mildly swollen, then this may indicate that you are either hypersensitive or allergic to the metal your earring is made of. Many people are allergic to nickel, cobalt and / or white gold.
    • The best metals for piercing are stainless steel, medical grade steel, titanium, and 14- and 18-karat gold.
    • Niobium can also be a good piercing option.
11. 11 Be patient. Even with thorough cleaning and without infection, the piercing can take a long time to heal. If you only have your earlobe pierced, the healing period will last 4 to 6 weeks until it heals completely.
    • If you pierced the other area of ​​your ear (above the lobe), then it may take 12 to 16 weeks for complete healing.
12. 12 Do not remove the earring from the ear until it is completely healed. If you remove the earring too early, the piercings may begin to heal. Therefore, you need to wear the earring constantly, until it heals completely.
13. 13 Let your ears rest after they heal. After complete healing, it is best to take off your earrings for a while, especially before bed.
14. 14 Continue cleaning the piercing area. Make this a part of your life and do not forget to wipe the earrings with alcohol before inserting, as well as after you take them off.
    • This simple procedure will help ensure the health of your ears; you can experiment with different accessories and have fun with it.