Suggested Aftercare Guidelines for Body Piercings
Cleaning Solutions
For body piercings use one of the following solutions:
- Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label)
- Non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt into one cup (8 oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. Making a stronger mixture does not make it any better. In fact, a solution that is too strong can irritate your piercing. (If any health problems such as high blood pressure or a heart condition, please consult your doctor before using a saline product)
- A mild, fragrance-free liquid soap, preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.
Cleaning Instructions
Wash
Prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason wash your hands thoroughly.
Saline
Soak your piercing in saline for 5-10 minutes at least once a day. at least 2-3 times daily. Place a cup filled with warm saline solution upside down over the area to form a vacuum. For more difficult placements, it may be easier to use a clean gauze or paper towels saturated with saline solution and apply to piercing. Any residue afterwards can be removed with a brief rinse.
Soap
Use soap on your piercing no more than once or twice a day.
Showering:
- lather up pearl size drop of soap
- leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than 30 seconds
Rinse
To remove all traces of the soap from the piercing, rinse thoroughly. It is not necessary to rotate the the jewelry.
Dry
To dry gently pat with a clean, disposable paper product. Cloth towels can contain bacteria and snag onto jewelry.
Suggested Aftercare Guidelines for Oral Piercings
Interior of Mouth
Rinse your mouth with the cleaning solution after meals and at bed time (4-5 times daily) for 30 seconds during the entire healing period. Cleaning more than the recommended amount or with a rinse that is too strong can cause discoloration and irritation of your mouth and piercing.
Cleaning Solutions
If you have a piercing inside your mouth use one of these solutions:
- Antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouth rinse
- Package sterile solution with no additives (read the label)
- Non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt into one cup (8 oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. Making a stronger mixture does not make it any better. In fact, a solution that is too strong can irritate your piercing. (If any health problems such as high blood pressure or a heart condition, please consult your doctor before using a saline product)
- For more options consult your piercer
Exterior of Labret (Check and Lip)
Soak in saline solution and/or wash in mild, fragrance-free liquid soap-preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.
Wash
Prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason wash your hands thoroughly.
Saline
Soak your piercing in saline at least 2-3 times daily. Just soak directly in a cup of warm saline solution for 5-10 minutes. For more difficult placements, it may be easier to use a clean gauze saturated with saline solution and apply to piercing. Any residue afterwards can be removed with a brief rinse.
Soap
Use soap on your piercing no more than once or twice a day.
Showering:
- lather up pearl size drop of soap
- leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than 30 seconds
Rinse
To remove all traces of the soap from the piercing, rinse thoroughly. It is not necessary to rotate the the jewelry.
Dry
To dry gently pat with a clean, disposable paper product. Cloth towels can contain bacteria.
Sources
For more info, please see http://safepiercing.org/
Keeping a piercing clean is so important, and a lot of people don’t know how to do it. Whenever I get piercings, I usually just use a sterile saline solution to prevent infections. But I had no idea that I could also use a sea salt mixture to do the same thing! The next time that I get a body piercing, I’ll give your idea a try. Thanks for the tip!
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