Why You Should Leave Your New Piercings Alone
Getting new body piercings is exciting! For many people who decide to finally book that piercing appointment, they’ve been contemplating placement, bracing themselves for the (minor) pain, and saving up funds to get their new piercing for weeks—sometimes even months or years. But something that is sometimes overlooked in the piercing process is the aftercare. Just like when getting a tattoo, aftercare of your new piercing(s) is important. Without proper aftercare, the healing process can be prolonged or you can run into complications with your new piercing.
But did you know one of the most common things that can make aftercare more complicated (and difficult) than it needs to be is actually messing with the jewelry in your new piercing?
Don’t twist that earring!
For years, the common advice after getting your new piercing seemed to be to twist the jewelry to make sure it didn’t get stuck in the piercing. For many of us growing up, we were told to wiggle the earrings in our new ear lobe piercings so that the cleaning solution could get into the piercing and help further the healing process. That’s actually one of the worst things you can do to help your piercing heal, however.
Why should you leave your piercing alone?
There are several reasons why touching and messing with your new piercing is a bad idea. In fact, the reasons why you shouldn’t twist your earrings or otherwise touch your piercings far outweigh any supposed benefits of twisting your jewelry.
Touching your piercing can introduce bacteria to the piercing. A new piercing is actually a puncture wound to the skin and cartilage on your body, so keeping it clean and free of bacteria is crucial for proper healing. If you are constantly touching your piercing, even if you don’t have anything on your hands, there is the potential of introducing bacteria to the wound that can prolong healing, irritate your piercing, or cause infection.
Touching your piercing can cause irritation. When you get a new piercing, you want to make the process as easy and as painless as possible. Touching the piercing, though, can actually irritate it and make your new piercing more painful! If your jewelry moves around too much, it can actually cause piercing bumps to form, increase swelling, and overall just irritate that spot of your body.
Touching your piercing can prolong healing. The quickest way to heal your new piercing is to leave it alone. If you are twisting your jewelry or touching your piercing too often, you can actually disrupt scabs and clots that are forming, which are the body’s way of healing an open wound.
If you’ve booked your next piercing appointment, or are contemplating where you want your next piercing, keep in mind that you should leave your jewelry and new piercing alone as you heal! Your chances of having a smooth piercing and healing process are much better when you keep your hands off of your new piercing.
Contact us today if you are interested in booking a piercing appointment with one of our resident body piercing specialists in Denver or Colorado Springs.