Body Piercing: Be Careful!

Using jewelry for the first time

When using jewelry for the first time it is required by law to use sterilized jewelry, with a nickel content of less than 0.05% of its mass. It also has to be biocompatible, which means your body has to be able to tolerate the jewelry. A good choice is titanium, but keep in mind that there are different kinds of titanium. Other good choices are nickel-free material like Implantanium®, Niobium, PTFE (Teflon) and 18kt Gold.

Aftercare

After you get your piercing done, cleanliness is the most important thing. You have to take care of it, which is essential in speeding up the healing process. During that time, the open “wound” around the piercing can be very susceptible to viruses, germs and bacteria. Never touch or get close to you r piercing with unwashed hands (even though you might want to proudly show it to all your boyfriends or girlfriends) always remember that an infection can lead to blood poisoning.

The risk of infection is very small though when getting a piercing. Experience shows that the following are the most common reasons causing an infection:

Genital or oral piercings are basically the same when it comes to taking care of them:

Wash your hand carefully, when touching the piercing and remember only to touch the ball and not the barbell or ring. Here’s what you can do to take care of the scab that will build up around your piercing:

• When taking a shower let it soak and spray with a disinfecting wound spray (like Octenisept®). Then try to take the scab off with your finger or even better, with clean gauze. You can also use a paper towel, but try not to use cotton swabs, because they leave too much lint on the wound. Then spray again with some kind of disinfectant on both sides of the piercing and move it around about 4-5 times, so the disinfectant gets into the piercing canal. Repeat this twice a day.
• We recommend you use a good disinfectant, instead of creams or lotions, because they will clog the piercing and make it worse. Also do not use tea bags or other kind of tinctures or more than one treatment at a time. Octenisept® usually works best and does not burn at all.

After the piercing is completely healed, it also needs to be cleaned constantly by twisting it around in the shower about 4-5 times. That way sweat and dirt cannot get stuck in it. It is also important to constantly wear you piercing and leave the jewelry in. Otherwise the piercing will close up within a couple of hours and new jewelry cannot be inserted without piercing the skin again. In case of infection, do not ever take the jewelry out, because it would make it worse and the infection can be buried inside the skin. In case your piercing gets infected, call us, ask your piercer or call a doctor (who should know at least a little bit about piercings).

How to take care of navel piercings:
You should not wear belts with big belt buckles, because it will come in constant contact with your piercing and can cause an infection or, even worse, could get stuck in the piercing and tear it. Also avoid tight pants, tight clothes in general or anything that could get stuck on the piercing and tear it (like lace or knitted clothing). During the first couple of weeks do not wear belly shirts, unless you cover your piercing with a big band-aid so no dirt can get into the piercing. Make sure to change the band-aid every 2-3 hours. If you chose a ring for your navel piercing, make sure it stays straight by using a rolled up piece of gauze.

How to take care of your tongue piercing:
Try to use an antiseptic mouthwash like Esemdent®, Hexoral® or Listerine®. You can also use Octenisept®, but make sure not to swallow any of it. Do not overuse mouthwash, because that could cause problems for the environment of your mouth. You can use cold club soda to cool it. Within the first 48 hours after getting your tongue pierced keep the following things in mind:

• Do not smoke right after the piercing is done (might be a good time to quit smoking for good).
• To keep swelling down, chew on ice cubes (but be careful not to “freeze” your tongue) or drink cold club soda. No matter what you do, the tongue will probably swell within the first couple of days. 
• Use mouthwash after every meal. 
• Do not eat hot or spicy food.
• Drink a lot of water or tea.

After it is healed completely do not play with it too much, so that you don’t damage your teeth or accidentally chip them.  Even though your piercing is some form of a “toy” it can damage your teeth a lot!

Short Checklist

• Is the piercing studio clean and the employees are friendly - very important!
• Are there no animals around (not in the front and especially not in the back of the store)
• If you are feeling ok, you are not feeling sick and are you not taking any medication—then you’re ready
• Are employees taking enough time to explain everything and you feel like they really care - very good sign
• Ask about the jewellery that they are going to use (titanium, niobium, PTFE and gold are an excellent choice. Implantanium® also works well.
• Make sure everything is sterilized, the piercer wears gloves and disinfects everything
• All tools must be disinfected and be put on a sterile tray or still be wrapped in plastic
• The needle has to be unwrapped- it cannot be used twice
• Do not stand up too quickly, take your time and do not panic. There should always be enough time and room for you to sit or lay down for a while after your piercing is done.
• Make sure you follow all the rules about cleaning and handling your piercing
• And here’s the most important rule: ALWAYS ASK! Ask anything you want, no questions are dumb question! It is your health, your piercing and your choice, so ask any question you want!