EAR LOBE PIERCING
Everyone is familiar with ear lobe piercing. It is a cultural standard we have all grown up with. Unfortunately very few people consider it body piercing and seldom, if ever, take care of this piercig the way any other piercing should be cared for.
The most common way of piercing ear lobes is with a piercing gun. It is fast and almost pain free. A daily cleaning with anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser and clean water is all this piercing really needs. One thing you will need to keep an eye on is the tightness of the stud's backing piece. Since the piercing gun is spring loaded, it can push the backing piece too far onto the stud's post putting pressure against the lobe causing the backing to become embeded into the skin if left unchecked, as seen in the photo here.
If your ear lobes were pierced with a needle and have rings inserted in them, cleaning is super easy. While in the shower, let the water hit the piercing area and gently remove any crusting that may have accumulated around the piercing. Lather up your fingertips with anti-bacterial soap and apply to the area around the piercing. Take the ring and gently rotate it through the hole allowing the soap to clean out the piercing. While still rotating the jewelry, rinse the piercing under the running water to remove the soap.
Another way to clean the piercing is to use an antiseptic cleanser. Remove any crusting using a warm, moist paper towel. Spray the piercing with the cleanser and rotate the jewelry through the opening. Use a fresh wet paper towel to clean the excess cleanser from the area or flush with clean water. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.
Avoid getting anything in or on the piercing such as hair or facial products like hair gels and sprays or makeup. If you do, simply clean the area as described above.
EYE BROW & BRIDGE PIERCING
Both these piercing are considered a surface piercing which tend to have a greater risk of jewelry migration to the point of growing out. For this reason you need to be very aware of how your body reacts to these piercing, in particular the bridge piercing seen here.
As with all piercing, proper cleaning is essential. With these two piercing however, proper jewelry is a must. The jewelry that is inserted into these piercing should be placed deep enough into the skin and should not have any outward pressure on them. Jewelry that is too small or too large can create pressure against the skin that facilitates outward growth of the piercing. Facial jewelry can also receive outward pressure from external sources such as eyeglasses, hats, bandanas, etc. Keep an eye on the amount of skin between openings. You may have a problem if you notice the distance growing noticeably closer. Also look at the transluscensy of the skin over the jewelry. A good indicator that your jewelry is groing out is if you can see a shadow of the jewelry under the skin. I recomend taking the jewelry out and letting the area heal rather than having the jewelry migrate through the skin and leaving a scar. Consult with your piercer if you have any doubts about the condition of your piercing.
Avoid any hair or facial products on or around your piercing. Makeup, eyeshadow and powders should be kept clear of the piercing. If you use hair spray, gels or mouse, make sure you avoid overspray. Should you get any of these products on your piercing wash the area immediately. Do not allow hair or facial products to remain on the piercing for any length of time. Use a moistened cotton tipped swab to clean in and around hard-to-reach piercing areas.
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NOSE SEPTUM PIERCING
Farmers who maintain oxen and bull often pierce the animal's septum in order to control the animal. A ring is inserted and any slight pressure or tug on this ring will cause discomfort to the creature. Why do I mention this? Like the bull's septum a human's septum is just as sensitive. Be warned that this is a tough piercing to get and even tougher to expand.
The septum piercing is done in the skin area just below the piece of cartilage that seperates your two nostril openings. Since the piercing is done just under the cartilage this piercing can be stretched to accomodate larger gauge jewelry.
Because the nose is your lung's filtering system you can understand why this particular piercing can be a problem to take care of. Hygene is important to avoid infection and this is not a piercing I recommend if you have allergies. Even due to its location, touching this piercing with dirty hands is the number one reason for infection.
Initially a ring or a septum retainer, a horseshoe shaped piece of stainless steel wire, is used in order to facilitate cleaning. These two jewelry types can be rotated easily and are able to be turned upwards into the nostril opening to hide the jewelry. With larger guages a small flared tunnel or plug can be inserted to maintain the piercing while presenting an unobtrusive look. The easiest way to clean this piercing is over a sink with soap and water.
EAR AND NOSE CARTILAGE PIERCING
Before reading the following sections, please take the time to read the article, "ban the piercing gun". This article contains cautionary information about the hazards of piercing guns on ear and nose cartilage.
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The one thing to keep in mind with any cartilage piercing is that cartilage does not mend itself. What this means is once a hole is made into cartilage that hole will remain there. The way cartilage piercing heal is by having the skin grow around the piercing creating a tunnel for the jewelry to pass through. A larger gauge needle is used for cartilage piercing allowing for the skin to heal properly. Because of this space around the jewelry cartilage piercing are notorious for bleeding and may bleed for a good 24 to 48 hours after the piercing is done. Gently clean off any dry blood around the outside of the piercing with a cotton swab and warm water prior to cleaning the piercing.
Industrial, Tragus, Rook & Daith Cartilage Piercing
While some of the piercing names in this section may not be familiar, these cartilage piercing are very popular among the youth. Unfortunately too many of these are being done with piercing guns, usually by untrained operators. Read the article mentioned above for more details.
Most of these piercing use small captive bead rings for jewelry. This makes cleaning easier since rings can be rotated to facilitate cleaning. The easiest way to clean cartilage piercing is with a moistened cotton tipped swab. Follow the steps in the cleaning section above.
The industrial uses a long barbell that travels through two holes in the ear and the ear can be very tender during cleaning. Most ear piercing also require some getting used to during sleep. I suggest putting on a junky pillow case during the first few days of healing as the piercing can bleed overnight.
Nose Cartilage Piercing
Like ear cartilage piercing, I have heard of people getting their noses pierced by a piercing gun. I have even seen girls wearing ear rings with the backing on them in their nose. I can't stress enough that you should NEVER do this! Read the article mentioned above for more details.
Most reputable shops will use a nostril screw for the initial piercing while some may use a nostril bone. A nostril screw is a small wire with a 90 degree arc at the end that 'screws' into the piercing to prevent accidental removal. A nostril bone is a short stud with a tiny bump, or ball, at the insertion end of the jewelry that prevents it from working its way out, though a slight tug will take it out. In either case, you need to be carefull you don't catch the jewelry with the swab or paper towel when cleaning. The easiest way to clean this piercing is with a moistened cotton tipped swab.
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