How do I care for my first piercing?

Cleaning your new piercing is essential to the healing process, and prevents infections.

Wash your hands thoroughly before cleaning the area. Gently and completely cleanse the area with soap and water first. Using a cotton swab, cotton ball or tissue, gently remove any build up that may have formed around the piercing. This should be done twice a day.

Oral piercings are apt to have much fewer infections and reactions than other piercings. This is because of the mouth’s natural ability to fight off bacteria. You need to carry out the standard oral hygiene to ensure that your mouth can do its job at fighting bacteria. You should brush and floss twice a day to continuously remove food particles that could get into the wound and cause an infection. You can also rinse with a salt water mixture to speed up the healing process and keep your mouth sanitized. This should be done after eating, smoking and drinking.

More from Happy Living: http://www.happynews.com/living/bodyart/care-lip-piercing.htm

Always wash hands with antibacterial soap before touching your piercing. If you are not cleaning your piercing, do not touch it. Clean the piercing twice a day with following recommended products

Liquid Antibacterial Soap such as liquid Dial. (Bar soaps are contaminated by other uses. Avoid all dyed or perfumed soaps, which can irritate new piercing.) Always wash your hands first with an antibacterial soap. Next lather the entire piercing, including the jewelry. Remove any scabbing (crust) or residue from the jewelry. (Q-tips are helpful.) Rinse. Lather the piercing again and rotate jewelry through the piercing. Allow solution to sit in the piercing for at least one minute. Rinse while rotating the jewelry to rinse the soap completely. Dry with a clean, soft cloth or tissue.

Use Benzylkonium Chloride (An active ingredient found in most ear solutions, such as Ear Care.). Completely saturate your piercing with the solution using a Q-tip. Remove any crust or discharge from the jewelry. Work the jewelry through the piercing five to eight times. The solution does not need to be rinsed away.

A couple of times a week is enough. If an infection occurs, repeat the process 2-3 times a day until it goes away. If you are still having a problem, call your piercer.

Betadine (Povidone-iodine). Betadine is too harsh and can prolong healing. It is helpful in taking care of an infection, but it can also destroy developing skin cells. Betadine can tarnish or discolor jewelry.

Always avoid hot tubs and public pools during healing. Swimming, and chlorine cannot benefit your piercing, any pollution or bacteria that can be in the water can be harmful. Always clean piercing after swimming.

I have my lip pierced as well, but the lady told me to get this solution that was after body piercing solution. Mines called Silver Aid. I just use it in the morning and at night.. The place where you got it done should sell it, thats how I got mine. If you don’t have any piercing solution just don’t touch it with your fingers and use a q-tip with water on it and just clean around it.

keep it clean, not too clean though if you clean it too much then itll take even longer to heal. I made that mistake with my tongue for like the first week. make sure its wet before you move it or else it will bleed because itll tear the skin from were its healing. salt water will help dry it out and clean it on the outside. then rinse it off with warm water.,..then use lysterine for the inside.