6 golden rules of taking care of a new peircing

The idea of a new piercing is exciting…you know, up to the point where you have to start dabbing surgical spirit on the healing wound.

It’s not that pleasant.

A piercing can completely change your look from plain Jane to freakishly sexy Betty. However, chances of a serious infection is just a misstep away. Piercings can take a few days or weeks to heal depending on your day to day care. We scored the internet for what has worked for various of people. Here’s what we found out.

1. Handle the Piercings with Care

Don't remove the starter earrings until your piercings have healed. These earrings are made from hypo-allergenic materials and specific type of post designed to be safe to keep in your ears indefinitely. If you remove them prematurely, your piercings may close or heal improperly. If your piercings are on your earlobes, the starter earrings can usually be removed after six weeks. If your piercings are in your cartilage, the starter earrings can usually be removed after eight to twelve weeks.

2. Don't touch your ears often.

Unnecessary handling of your piercings can lead to infection. Don't touch them unless you're cleaning them. If you do need to touch them, wash your hands with antibacterial soap first.

3. Clean the Piercings

Wash your hands with antibacterial soap. This is an important step, since you can easily transfer bacteria to your ears with your fingers. Dip a cotton ball or swab in cleaning solution. Use salt-based cleanser meant specifically for treating piercings. Don't use rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibacterial ointment. These contain ingredients that inhibit your skin cells from regenerating and healing.

4. Rotate the earring.

Gently rotate the earring two or three times to make sure the antiseptic gets inside the piercing. Also move the piercing back a forth. This also prevents the piercing from healing too tightly around the hole.

5. Watch for signs of infection

Check for redness and swelling. These symptoms are normal for the first couple of days after getting a piercing, but if they don't subside soon after that, you may have an infection or allergy.

5. Remove your starter earrings

Once your ears have healed, which will take six to nine weeks, you can swap out your starter earrings. Wear post-style earrings for the first six months to ensure that your piercing hole won't stretch out from heavy earrings. After six months, you can wear hoops and dangling earrings.