If you are contemplating any body piercing, here are a few facts you should know:
- Go to a clean, safe professional. Not your best friend with a needle.
- Remember, anytime skin is punctured, you are vulnerable to infection, not just an abscess, but think about HIV and Hepatitis B. The operator should use a new sterile needle each time.
- Tongue piercings need to be cleaned with antiseptic mouth rinse 12 times a day for 6 - 8 weeks. The tongue is extremely inflamed during the first few days.
- Naval piercings need to be cleaned twice a day for at least 9 months. They tend to get infected easily because it is a moist area which gets a lot of rubbing from clothing. Once a naval ring is infected, it may take up to a year to heal.
- Piercing in the upper ear cartilage must be cleaned 2 - 3 times per day for 2 - 3 months until it heals.
Seek medical attention immediately at the first sign of infection.
For more information about cleaning and preventing infections, check out:
www.pitt.edu/~cjm6/s97pierc.html
Information on the above website compiled by C.J. Mulvihill and C. Peterman - University of Pittsburgh. Permission to use if authors are credited.
