As you get into college you tend to want to explore and try/do more things that you may have been able to or been allowed to do back home. Many people start with box dye on their hair or start drinking or experimenting with drugs. Whereas others like myself go more towards the permanent/physical change such as getting piercings or tattoos to express themselves. For myself, I went into college in the fall of 2020 with a total of 4 piercings (double lobe and a double helix). I am now going into the fall of 2021 with a total 10 piercings, (triple lobe, double cartilage, conch and my most recent a belly button piercing). Like many people I take very good care of my piercings and have tried many many methods, some of which work well and others, well lets just say they didn’t quite do the job. So here I will be giving my best tips on how to help your piercings heal to their best ability without breaking your bank of random remedies or having to take your amazing piercing out!
First off I need to start by saying, do not touch, play, take out or anything that involves excessive touching on your new piercing which can lead to infection. Trust me, as much fun as it is to play with and touch your new piercing that hopefully you’re in love with, it will come back and bite you in your butt if you don’t stop. Don’t clean your piercing or the surrounding area with any chemicals like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ear care solution, etc. Finally a big no no, don’t use loose cotton materials (qtips, cotton balls or pads) unless your piercer tells you it is ok to use it.
Now for the fun part! My best advice that I can give you is to LISTEN to your piercer. Yes, I said listen to what they have to say. They, hopefully, are professionals and actually know what they are talking about and can give you the best/most honest advice. Of course you should start off by using a saline solution twice a day and allow warm water to run over your piercing which is super easy to do when you’re already in a shower. Another big thing that I think many people with body piercings don’t think about is letting your piercing breathe. Meaning don’t wear super tight clothes, clothes that will rub against your fresh piercing and to not put pressure on your piercing.
Of course everyone’s bodies are different and will react differently to piercings but to have the best luck on a successful healing process. Hope this helps you with some of your basic piercing questions, but of course if anything serious starts to come up then to go to your piercer or straight to your doctor!