Caring for Your Body Piercing
So you took the plunge and got your nose/navel/nipple/whatever pierced. Congratulations! You now have an open wound to care for! Ok, in all seriousness now, that's actually the way you have to think about it if you're going to care for it properly. Until your piercing is fully healed, it's an open wound that's vulnerable to bacteria, infection and damage. The good news? Like most minor wounds, it's pretty easy to care for if you're smart about it. It'll take a little longer to heal than most because you've also got jewelry through it, but it will heal, and you will go on to enjoy your brand new body piercing to the fullest… and then you'll probably end up getting several more because damn, it's fun!
Here's what you need to know to care for your new body piercing:
- Cleansers
- How to clean it
- Day to day care
- What to expect
- Things to avoid
Cleansers for Your Piercing
You can use either, or both of these 2 cleansers for your body piercing:
- Sterile packaged saline solution
- Anti-microbial or germicidal liquid soap
Saline - This is a fancy word for salt water, but don't be fooled… regular table salt will not give you a sterile saline solution! You need to use non-iodized sea salt, which you can buy in most drugstores, and even many grocery stores. Just be sure to read the label to make sure it contains no iodine, and there are no other additives. To make your solution, take 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon of your salt and dissolve it into 1 cup (8 oz) of warm, sterile water (either bottled or distilled). Remember, more salt does NOT equal a better mixture. More salt means potentially irritating your body piercing, and you don't want that. Another option? Buy pre-mixed sterile saline solution at the drugstore.
Anti-microbial or germicidal liquid soap - You'll find this at any drugstore. Just don't look in the soap aisle. You're most likely to find these soaps in the aisle with the band-aids and other first aid products. Look for unscented (most of them are anyway) as perfumes can be irritating to a new piercing.
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