What to expect when you have a new piercing:

Things are going to happen during your piercing's healing process, and you may find yourself wondering ‘Is this normal?' The following things may happen, and are perfectly normal.  

What to Expect:

• Initially your piercing may bleed a little.
  
  
• You will probably have some initial swelling and redness around your piercing. 
  
  
• Your piercing may leak small amounts of clear, whitish or yellowish fluid (not puss). 
  
  
• A crust may form around your piercing.
  
  
• Your piercing may get itchy as it heals. 
  
  
• Your skin may tighten around your piercing jewelry, and may not move freely once healing is complete. Never try to force jewelry through your piercing as you risk damaging the skin. 
  
  
• Your piercing will suddenly appear completely healed. It isn't! Remember that piercings heal from the outside, in. That means that while the outside looks great, the inside is still delicate, and not entirely healed. Keep cleaning it until the entire healing process is over, which can take several weeks or even months. Be patient.
  
  
• Long after it's healed (even years), your piercing can still shrink after removing your jewelry. Depending on the person, it could start shrinking in just minutes. Keep body jewelry in if you want to keep your piercing. Some people prefer to wear small, simple body jewelry on a daily basis, and only bring out their more eccentric body jewelry (dangles, etc) for special occasions. 

There are many different stages of healing, and everyone experiences them differently. As a rule of thumb, if something's happening that just doesn't feel right, see a doctor and your local professional piercer.