Youth Incorporated Magazine

Piercings are a great way to modify your body. If you have ever been interested in body art, body piercings could be just the thing for you. In recent times, smaller body modifications have become quite trendy, with modifications ranging from pierced ears to more extreme implanted modifications. The possibilities are endless, and they’re both beautiful and a wonderfully creative way to express yourself.

The most common piercings are generally facial, the nose, ears, eyebrows, tongues, upper and lower lips and chins. Body piercings tend to be more subjective, but naval piercings are still quite common.

Dos and don’ts of piercings:

1. Make sure your hands are clean whenever you touch your piercing.
2. Avoid touching and cleaning your piercing too much, as it hinders the healing process. Don’t clean your piercing more than twice a day.
3. Leave the piercing alone except while cleaning.
4. The best time to remove any dry build up is while taking a shower, but be sure to avoid any harsh soaps.
5. Be sure to dab the pierced area dry after cleaning with water.
6. Make sure to apply the aftercare ointment not only around the pierced area but also on the jewellery at the entry and exit sites of the piercings to make sure the medication penetrates into the piercing wound and doesn’t stay just around the wound.
7. Gently move the piercing up and down, or if it’s a ring, rotate it gently.
8. After applying ointments and medication, be sure to clean away the excess.
9. While applying medication, be sure not to mix types, and only use one.
10. Avoid products like peroxide that are drying, as it may affect the healing process of your piercing negatively.
11. Mouthwashes are only for oral use and could hinder the healing process if applied in any other area.
12. Avoid contact with saliva or sexual contact (in the case of oral and genital piercings) for at least 2 weeks after getting pierced.
13. Make sure you clean your piercings if you sweat while working out, around the area of your piercing.
14. Avoid using spray solutions to clean your piercings.
15. Don’t change your jewellery for at least six to eight weeks.
16. Avoid wearing clothes that are tight or those that will cause friction or irritation on or around the pierced area.

What to expect after getting pierced:

1. Some bleeding, swelling and bruising immediately after getting the piercing is normal.
2. Some clear fluid secretion is normal and just the body cleaning itself.
3. The piercing may tighten around the jewellery as the piercing heals.
4. The piercing can close up, even after having it for years. Therefore it is advisable to always keep the jewellery in.
5. The healing process is slow and it is imperative that you continue the cleaning even after the piercing seems to heal, as the wound heals from the outside in, and infection is possible if the hygiene is compromised.