Anybody with pierced ears? :)

Did you go to Claire's, Piercing Pagota or a store like that or a tattoo/piercing parlor? I'm not sure what advice you were given, but here is the advice I got from the piercing/tattoo parlor I went to. Don't rotate the piercings, just let them be.

Make a saline solution of 1 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt in 8 ounces luke warm water. Wash your hands good, preferably with antibacterial soap. Put the solution on a cotton ball, clean paper towel, or something simmilar and leave it on your piercings for 5 minutes. Do it twice a day.


My understanding is that sea salt has antiseptic properties that naturally disinfect.

 

Did they give you any ear cleaning solution or did you buy any when you got it done? If you have some, pour a little on like a Q-tip or something and rub it around your earrings. I would move the earrings around a little to make sure the solution gets in there. They won't get stuck in your ear but it's best to rotate them a little.

I went ahead and moved this to Health and Well-being for you. Think it's more suitable there.

 

I don't think you'll get an infection by moving them around. Just don't take them out. And make sure to clean well around them several times a day for the first couple of weeks.

 

No problem. And that was me.

 

Yep, don't take them out for at least 6-8 weeks. Also make sure the earrings are gold or sterling silver.

 

When I had mine done, it was about 12 years ago, but I do remember being told to rotate the piercings at least once a day in conjunction with use of a cleaning solution. I did that, and did not get any infections or irritation

 

I'm the same as flymetothemoon the only difference is i decided to change mine early and thus took them out a week early >>. i didn't get an infection but they bled alot just a heads up lol

 

I re-peirced my earrings on my own. I just took them out every so often, rubbed them, cleaned them, put them back in and did my business. I wouldn't suggest that though. They have some salt water thing at the shops with posieden on them. I'd get that, or peroxide/Alcohol.

Just twist it every so often.

I got my lip pierced, but that's a different story filled with neosporen and mouth wash.

 

I have my lobe and cartilage pierced. The less you play with it and move it the better. The best thing to do is just to use a little bit of anti-bacterial non-scented soap to wash it once a day. The more you move it around the more you delay the healing process and risk infection.

Don't take it out or try to change it for 6-8 weeks for a lobe piercing.

 

This is taken from the hand out I give clients:

Suggested Aftercare Guidelines for Body Piercings
Cleaning Solutions

Use one or both of the following solutions for healing piercings:

• Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label), or a non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt into one cup (8 oz.) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better; a saline solution that is too strong can irritate the piercing.

• A mild, fragrance-free liquid soap—preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.
CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS FOR BODY PIERCINGS

• WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.

• SALINE soak for five to ten minutes once or more per day. Invert a cup of warm saline solution over the area to form a vacuum. For certain piercings it may be easier to apply using clean gauze or paper towels saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.

• SOAP no more than once or twice a day. While showering, lather up a pearl size drop of the soap to clean the jewelry and the piercing. Leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than thirty seconds.

• RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.

• DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.
WHAT IS NORMAL?

• Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising.

• During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.

• Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.

• A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient, and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period.

• Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave it empty.


I do hope this helps.