Body piercing is becoming increasingly popular with people of any gender or age. However, safety and hygiene should be your top concern before you get anywhere close to the needle – the following 10 tips for body piercing safety will ensure it doesn’t end up in infection.

1.) Use only professional masters.
Piercing should only be performed by a professional. Make sure you spend some time a reliable professional and seek a consultation before you make a decision to pierce. Home or amateur piercing jobs are very likely to lead to complications or infections.

2.) Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Treat your piercer the same as you would a doctor – ask about their hygiene and safety standards and disease prevention policies. A lot of diseases, including HIV and Hepatitis, can be transmitted through dirty needles – do not be afraid to ask the necessary questions, as your health is at stake and stay clear of any “professionals” unwilling to provide answers.

3.) Choose carefully.
Everybody’s different – and there are considerations when piercing the chosen spot. Going to a professional piercer ensures the experience can be successful. For instance, individuals with an “out” belly button can’t get their belly button pierced due to the orientation. Also, for example, tongue piercing can be complicated for some individuals due to the orientation of essential nerves and blood vessels.

4.) Think of the impact of your piercing.
Consider your future potential employers before making a piercing - most frown upon visible body piercings. Also keep in mind that regardless of your personal attitude to piercing, you may be discriminated against on this sole matter. Thus before you decide on any piercing, consider carefully the impact on your life and your image.

5.) Choose only high quality body jewellery.
When choosing body jewellery, make sure you choose only quality metals or high carbonate plastics that will not have any complications and will be well-tolerated. Body piercing jewellery should be either gold with a high karat count or surgical quality stainless steel. Avoid at all costs cheap or dodgy body jewellery – quality is a lot more important here than the design.

6.) Keep it clean.
After having body piercing done, it’s vital to ensure cleanliness - your body sees a piercing as a wound. Infections affect both piercing holes and puncture wounds which aren’t clean.

7.) Dry is the key.
Most professionals agree that piercing hole should be kept dry until fully healed. Keep it clean of salt or chlorine water, salvia or sweat – all of these can potentially lead to infection.

8.) Don’t use makeup.
When doing a facial piercing, avoid using makeup over the hole, as most cosmetic contain oils that can cause infection.

9.) Spot infection early.
Infections can cause pain and discomfort quite quickly - but warning signs include any discharge from the wound, fever, pain, discomfort, swelling, and redness around the hole.

10.) Do seek medical help.
If your piercing shows any signs of infection or complication, seek medical help immediately. Also, if your piercing remains painful and does not heal, seek treatment from your doctor.

View all BPS's articles

---

About the Author:
body piercing

More Acne articles