How to Clean Your Piercing
Now that you have your saline solution and/or anti-microbial or germicidal soap, you need to know how to use them. Here are step by step instructions on how to keep you new piercing clean and healthy.
To Start - WASH YOUR HANDS! Don't make us repeat it! Wash them, and wash them well, all over, especially under your nails. Wash them like you've never washed them before. Don't touch your piercing or go anywhere near it until you have.
Saline - Put some of your saline solution into a clean cup or glass. Put the open part over your piercing and form an airtight seal between the glass and your skin, then invert (turn it upside down, without breaking the seal, otherwise you've just made a big salty mess). Let your piercing soak in its salty little bath for a couple minutes. The longer, the better. Some body parts (your lip, for example) are impossible to do this with. In that case, fill a low dish with saline solution, and try to dip your piercing into the solution and hold it there. If you've pierced some obscenely obscure part of your body and you can't do this, just soak some cotton balls or gauze pads in saline solution, and then hold them on your piercing for a few minutes, changing to fresh ones every so often. Rinse with clean water to remove any salt left behind, and pat dry with clean paper towel or sterile gauze pads. Clean your body piercing like this at least 2 - 3 times every day.
Soap - To clean your piercing with soap, it's best to do it in the shower since it's very important that you rinse ALL the soap off, and leave none of it behind. Your piercing is tiny, so you only need a tiny amount of soap—just enough to get all around your piercing. Don't worry if you don't get much of a lather going. Many anti-microbial and germicidal soaps do not lather much, and this is no reflection on their cleansing abilities. When you clean it, be sure to clean the piercing, the area around it, and the jewelry. DO NOT ROTATE YOUR JEWELRY. Rotating the jewelry can cause damage to the surrounding skin. The soap should stay on for a maximum of 30 seconds. Rinse VERY well. Pat dry with a clean paper towel or sterile gauze pads. Clean with soap a maximum of 2 times a day.
Do You Need to Use Soap AND Saline? - You can use one or both. It's up to you. If you're only going to use one, saline is usually the best way to go as it can speed healing, and you can do it several times a day as needed.
To Start - WASH YOUR HANDS! Don't make us repeat it! Wash them, and wash them well, all over, especially under your nails. Wash them like you've never washed them before. Don't touch your piercing or go anywhere near it until you have.
Saline - Put some of your saline solution into a clean cup or glass. Put the open part over your piercing and form an airtight seal between the glass and your skin, then invert (turn it upside down, without breaking the seal, otherwise you've just made a big salty mess). Let your piercing soak in its salty little bath for a couple minutes. The longer, the better. Some body parts (your lip, for example) are impossible to do this with. In that case, fill a low dish with saline solution, and try to dip your piercing into the solution and hold it there. If you've pierced some obscenely obscure part of your body and you can't do this, just soak some cotton balls or gauze pads in saline solution, and then hold them on your piercing for a few minutes, changing to fresh ones every so often. Rinse with clean water to remove any salt left behind, and pat dry with clean paper towel or sterile gauze pads. Clean your body piercing like this at least 2 - 3 times every day.
Soap - To clean your piercing with soap, it's best to do it in the shower since it's very important that you rinse ALL the soap off, and leave none of it behind. Your piercing is tiny, so you only need a tiny amount of soap—just enough to get all around your piercing. Don't worry if you don't get much of a lather going. Many anti-microbial and germicidal soaps do not lather much, and this is no reflection on their cleansing abilities. When you clean it, be sure to clean the piercing, the area around it, and the jewelry. DO NOT ROTATE YOUR JEWELRY. Rotating the jewelry can cause damage to the surrounding skin. The soap should stay on for a maximum of 30 seconds. Rinse VERY well. Pat dry with a clean paper towel or sterile gauze pads. Clean with soap a maximum of 2 times a day.
Do You Need to Use Soap AND Saline? - You can use one or both. It's up to you. If you're only going to use one, saline is usually the best way to go as it can speed healing, and you can do it several times a day as needed.
