Ear piercing is something that most of the people go for. Be it kids, teenagers or adults, ear piercing adds to the look, a reason why it is common to see people going for it. Getting the ear piercing done from a professional is very important as one can be infected during the procedure if done without due precautions. Making sure that the ear piercing heals quickly is another thing to consider while going for the procedure.

Though professional piercers make sure to guide clients about all the aftercare precautions, there are some things that you must have in mind. This ensures that the piercings is problem free for years to come. Some things that need to be kept in mind before having an ear piercing include:

The healing time

Under normal circumstances ear piercing takes very less time to heal as compared to piercings on other parts of the body. It takes about four to six weeks to heal a normal ear piercing, while cartilage piercing can take a bit longer, probably couple of months. The cartilage location – upper, inner or conch determines the extent of time.

Common ear-piercing mistakes

Since the procedure takes just a few minutes, it is likely you make some common mistakes that can lead to problematic situations afterwards. These mistakes can lead to infection in the ear which can at times take months to heal. So, it goes without saying that the following mistakes should be avoided at all cost.

Avoid Contact with Dirty Hands-Fondling your new piercing with dirty hands can lead to infection. Therefore, make it a point to wash your hands before touching the pierced area. Avoid the temptation of touching the piercing with dirty hands at all cost.

Avoid Contact with Hair products-The chemicals in hair grooming products such as shampoos are conditioners can get into the ear piercing location and cause infections. Even while sleeping ensure the hair is tied up and doesn’t fall on your ears.

Use Good Quality Earrings – Avoid buyingordinary, inexpensiveearrings which can cause infections in your ear. Buy quality earrings from a good retailer as the cheap ones can be the breeding ground for germs and bacteria.

Avoid Removing or Changing the Earrings Initially - For the first six to eight weeks from the time of ear piercing, avoid removing and putting on the earringsrepeatedly. Leave them on even at night and in the initial period, adorn earrings that don’t hurt while sleeping.

Apply Recommended Anti-Bacterial Solution-The anti-bacterial solution that your piercer recommended should be applied twice a day – once in the morning and then at night to avoid any infections from aggravating. Skipping the regime is very common as once the piercing is done not many people bother to take care of the pierced area, which shouldn’t be the case.

Seek Doctor’s Advicewithout Hesitation- At the first signs of an infection, seek your doctor’s opinion so that the right treatment is prescribed. Ignoring the signs can lead to a serious ear infection.

Swimming Pool should be Out of Bounds–Avoid the pool for four to six weeks after you have your ear piercing done. The pool can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other infection inducting things.

Keeping these things in mind ensures that your ear piercing heals in time without any complications.

Ear Piercing Infections?

Got your ears pierced recently? Despite of the fact that ear piercings are one of the most loved and common style, there are pretty good chances for the same getting infected.

Are you dealing with redness, swelling, or continuous flow of pus at the site?

Then your piercing is certainly not in good shape and it is quite normal in initial healing stage. But if this sustain even after one to two weeks, then there is something to worry. Some signs of ear piercing infection include:

Slight bleeding with pus discharge

Fever, marks and streaks

Itching around the piercing site

Redness and feeling heat around the piercing area

Swelling and discharging of yellow pus

Before you start with the treatment, it is essential to understand that you need to take every necessary step to prevent this infection from spreading. For instance, if it itches a lot, you need to resist that urge to scratch the spot at every cost. In case it becomes relentless, you can switch to use of a topical anesthetic cream. Yes, usage of a product like NumbSkin cream can help resist itching and scratching, preventing it from becoming worse.

Besides, here are some simple home remedies which you can try to treat your skin.

Salt water treatment: Being one of the effective home remedies, saline soak can be used to treat infection with ease.You will just need little amount of mild saltwater solution for cleansing purpose. Just boil some water in a container and add sea salt to it. Let it cool and with a cotton ball apply it to your skin. This will clean the spot and help the cells to rejuvenate in the pierced area. Meanwhile, it keeps the cells hydrated and removes the excess of fluidaccumulated around the wound. Also use of saline water will open capillaries to makes the blood flow smooth and fasten up the healing process.

Neem:Trust this natural remedy to prevent infection and heal your piercing at the earliest. Neem has been used in different forms to treat fungal infections, bacterial infections, and other inflammations. For your ear piercing infections, just take a handful of neem leaves and boil it in water. When the water becomes dark green in color remove it from boil and let it cool. Use cotton balls to apply this solution several times a day.

Turmeric: You can try this anti-septic and anti-bacterial remedy available at your home to treat the ear piercing infection. As turmeric is rich in curcumin, it heals the wounds and cuts quickly. You will require warm water and a pinch of turmeric in it. Make a paste out of it and soak a cotton ball with this mixture. Apply it to you skin and repeat it twice in a day for best results.

Apart from this, there is a list of precautions you must follow to keep your piercings in good shape.

For some days sleep on your back to prevent your pierced spot from touching the sheets or blankets.

Make use of antibacterial soap to wash your hands before touching your piercings.

Strictly avoid pools, saunas, and hot tubs.

These were some of the effective ideas to heal the symptoms of the ear piercing. Follow them and in case the problem doesn’t seem to be under your control, rush to physician immediately.

Ear Piercing Safety Tips To Follow

Living in the age of fashion and experimentation it is quite obvious for you to try out different forms of body modification. Amidst all other types, the one which has ruled the fashion industry like a pro is none other than ear piercing. Around 66 percent of the females adore earlobe piercings for one or the other reason.

Are you thinking about getting your ear pierced?

Well, it is a popular choice and the best part is that you do not have to worry too much about the healing period. Though getting ear piercing infection is a rarity, yet there are few things you need to keep in mind to keep your body organ safe. Below are listed some simple ears piercing safety tips to follow.

1.Look for an experienced practitioner: One of the most important things to do is to undertake some research. You can either proceed online for this or you can consult people for word of mouth discussions. Even if you get to know a piercer online, do check the reviews by their previous customers. It is essential to know about the reputation and standards of the salon before you let them handle your skin.

2.Keep it pain-free: Yes, piercings are painful. However, with the availability of numbing creams you can easily keep yourself away from discomfort. Use of a topical anesthetic solution like NumbSkin cream will make your skin numb for three to four hours. Hence, there will be no pain involved as it desensitizes your skin and you will not feel any sensations.

3.Say no to piercing guns: Gone are the days when piercing guns used to be a prominent tool in every piercing parlor. Though they were less stressful, fast and hassle-free option, yet the problem was with their hygiene. These guns are hard to sterilize and use of unsterilized tools can lead to post piercing infection. You need to make sure that the parlor doesn’t make use of guns to pierce your ears.

4.Keep your hands germ-free: It is the basic but very easy to forget tip. People generally reach up to feel their new piercing with their dirty hands. Now every time you touch the lobe area with unclean hands you are making your skin prone to infection as your hands can easily transmit bacteria into the site. Especially, if your piercing is not healed properly, then problem can be worse.

5.Choose right jewelry: After getting the piercing done, you will be excited about adoring it with jewelry. While purchasing the same for your piercings ensure to use a high quality metal. This doesn’t have to be allergic and must suit your skin type. To check on what suits your skin well, you can even try wearing the metal against your skin before piercing. If there is any reaction, you should never wear the certain type of jewelry.

6.Invest in correct cleaners: After you get the piercing done, it is necessary to keep the area clean and infection-free. For this make sure you use cleansers and sanitizers which are designed specifically for newly pierced ears. If you are using a wrong cleanser this might lead to burns or other reactions.

So when you are planning to get ear piercing done, you can avoid any kind of complications by following these basic tips. These will be helpful to provide the best possible care to the newly pierced holes. Just follow them and it will be a smoother experience.