We’ve all heard horror stories about piercings that didn’t go as planned. It usually happens because you saved money on the process and went to the shady shop down the street, your piercings are uneven. Your new cleaning routine only lasted five days, which is why you developed a post-piercing infection.
Who hasn’t had the torture of having to re-pierce their ears after taking them out too quickly with the sharp starting earring?
New piercings, like adopting a dog or buying a beautiful houseplant, require attention, love, and care. Sure, it’s entertaining to map out all of the city’s best dog parks or to prepare the perfect Instagram picture for your fiddle leaf fig, but there’s a lot more to it – and the same can be said about piercings.
The health and recovery of your new piercings are dependent on proper aftercare. If you take good care of your piercings from the start, you’ll have a lifetime of possibilities to express yourself via vibrant, one-of-a-kind earrings.
The following are detailed guidelines for piercing aftercare, cleaning, and ear piercing safety.
Lobe Piercing

Lobe Piercing Healing Time:
About eight to ten weeks, but it’s ideal to give it three months of great attention to ensure it’s fully healed.
Lobe Piercing Aftercare:
- Instead of using soap, wash your piercings twice a day with water and a saline solution. Use a pea-sized quantity once or twice a day, but no more than twice.
- Before washing, carefully massage the piercing hole after creating a lather with warm water. Cleaning your piercing does not mean twisting it; instead, concentrate on the hole. In fact, twisting your jewellery for piercings is an “outdated technique.” Twisting your jewellery may cause additional discomfort, causing the healing process to take much longer. You should avoid putting your hands near your piercing.
- Keeping any piercing clean is essential to avoiding a more serious problem, such as infection. Follow Dr. Levin’s advice if you want to avoid using soap completely. Before touching the piercing, wash your hands with soap and water, then clean the front and back of the piercing twice a day using a cotton ball or pad soaked in sterile saline solution.
Is it Better to have Hoops or Studs?
In general, piercing with a straight post (rather than a hoop) generates less movement, which leads to less pain and a faster healing time.
The movement of a hoop (they move a lot, in case you didn’t notice!) slows down the healing process, but it doesn’t imply a hoop of the correct size and thickness can’t heal properly if you don’t touch it.
You can always try a hoop, but if your piercing isn’t healing properly after six weeks, it’s time to see your piercer and replace the jewellery for something that moves less.
Cartilage Piercing

Cartilage Piercing Healing Time:
It should last at least three to five months, so don’t stop caring for it once it looks to be healed.
Cartilage Piercing Aftercare:
Treat your cartilage piercing with the same care as your lobes, but don’t stop until it’s completely healed.
- While it may appear to be healed, this area takes far longer to recover than the lobe. Stick to the directions above: no twisting, mild cleanings, and no jewellery changes for the time being.
Why does cartilage heal more slowly than the lobes?
Lobes, unlike cartilage, are vascular and heal much faster. Because there is less blood flow higher up on the ear, cartilage can be difficult to heal. Taking care of a cartilage piercing is similar to bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital, requiring extra extra care. When removing your clothes, using your phone, and even hugging friends, be extremely careful. The longer the healing process is, the more you hit it — even if it’s by accident.
Septum Piercing
Septum Piercing Healing Time:
Approximately three months.
Septum Piercing Aftercare:
Finally, a piercing that won’t make you feel like you’re working full-time! This is the piercing that requires the least amount of aftercare of all the piercings. Because 80% of the jewellery is contained within a mucous membrane, you don’t need to worry about keeping it clear of bacteria because, well, that’s kind of the job of the nose cavity.
- Using light soap on the thin strip of skin between the ring if you believe it’s required or if you’re constantly touching your nose. Don’t forget to rinse your saline solution on a daily basis. Pro tip: For any piercing, a saline solution with a fine mist tip is beneficial, but it’s especially important when cleansing this one.
Nipple Piercing
Nipple Piercing Healing Time:
Between six months and a year, however, it can easily get irritated even after it has healed, so be prepared to care for it permanently.
Nipple Piercing Aftercare:
- Allow water to flow over the piercing for a minute or two before removing it. This will remove any dirt that has accumulated on the piercing as well as soften and eliminate lymph fluid. Then, using clean gauze or a paper towel, dry it completely.
- To avoid hanging on the jewellery (ouch! ), avoid wearing loosely knit washcloths, and use saline solution a couple of times per day.
- Do not use alcohol, peroxide, ointment, or soap.
Is it Okay if I Wear a Bra?
Sure! You may need to wear gauze and a bandage depending on how much bleeding occurs during the piercing, but not everyone bleeds. If you usually wear a bra, put one on! Though, for the first two weeks, it’s best to stick with darker fabric in case it bleeds or leaks lymph fluid.
Is it Common for Crust to Form Around the Piercing?
The appearance of a clear or white crust indicates that your body is attempting to heal, which is a healthy sign. The crust is made out of dried lymph fluid rather than pus, which allows the open wound (your piercing) to heal correctly.
Throughout the piercing, the body is forming a fistula and repairing the skin. It’s preventing an infection by shutting off the outside. Then it begins to repair itself from the outside in. Green or brown crust, on the other hand, might indicate something more severe, so make an appointment with your piercer right away if this is the case.
My Piercing is Still Crusty After Over a Year. What Exactly Does that Indicate?
Crusting is common, but only to a certain degree. If it’s been more than a year, it’s possible that you’re irritating your piercing to the point that it’s never entirely healed.
Whether the piercing is too deep in the aureola, or the bar is too short for your body type, call your piercer to check if it’s time to adjust the jewellery size. You’re not in any immediate danger as long as you don’t notice any green or brown fluid (evidence of infection).
Gential Piercing
Gential Piercing Healing Time:
Depending on the type of piercing and your particular anatomy, one to four months.
Gential Piercing Aftercare:
- In that region, less care is the best care. If you don’t use a cleaner on your vulva on a daily basis, stick to a mild soap.
- Keep an eye on the chemicals in the cleanser you’re using down there, since strong scents might irritate your skin. Infections of the vulva are uncommon.
- And what about saline solution? It’s best to skip it down there. Although saline solution is less drying than alcohol, it isn’t required.
Navel Piercing
Navel Piercing Healing Time:
Between eight months to a year.
Navel Piercing Aftercare:
Keep the area clean with water and saline solution or mild soap, avoid sleeping on your stomach, and avoid any intense workouts that might aggravate it. Keep in mind that this piercing takes a long time to heal because the abdomen is a high-movement area.
Eye Piercings and Everything else about them!
Here is all you need to know about eye piercings and everything you need to know about them!

Is it Typical for my Piercing to be red, itchy, and swollen?
It’s possible that the piercing is being rejected by your body. If this is the case, the region may seem inflamed, and the jewellery will appear to be attempting to push its way out of the hole.
The skin between the barbells may also have prominent red streaks and seem shallow. If this is the case, contact your piercer right away. They may advise you to take it out completely and wait until the hole heals (without the jewellery) before re-piercing.
What Can You Expect After Getting Your Piercing?
- Initially, there will be some bleeding, localised swelling, discomfort, and bruises.
- During healing, there will be some discoloration, irritation, and the production of a white fluid (not pus) that will create crusts around the jewelry.
What to avoid?
- Touching or rotating your piercing can dislodge the healing scab and may spread bacteria, leading to infection.
- Swimming should be avoided for the first two weeks following a piercing. If you must swim, we recommend wrapping your piercing with a waterproof bandage and spraying it with Sterilear. 1st step: After entering the water and removing the band-aid, clean.
- On your piercing, avoid using the following products or ingredients:
To clean your piercing, avoid using Dettol, Betadine, hydrogen peroxide, disinfectants, soaps, tea tree oil, or alcohol. These products have the potential to dry out, irritate, and burn the piercing region.
Read more to find out all about piercing aftercare!
Conclusion:
These recommendations are based on a plethora of professional knowledge, common sense, research, and considerable clinical practise. This is not intended to be a replacement for medical advice from a doctor. Seek medical treatment if you suspect an infection. Be aware that many doctors have not undergone piercing-specific training.
Your local piercer may be able to connect you to a medical practitioner who is piercing-friendly. You must still take careful and regular care of them to avoid infection, tissue damage, or losing the piercing entirely.