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Articles > Cleaning body piercing
Oral piercings
For tongue, lip, cheek, and labret piercings, it is recommended to rinse the mouth after smoking, eating and drinking (except water). Listerine is too harsh on the piercing and will most likely dry out the piercing, so it is recommended to get a non-alcoholic mouthwash, or a diluted saline solution, such as Biotine, or TECH 2000. H2Ocean [1] makes an alcohol free mouthwash which has sea salt as an ingredient. Kissing and oral sex are advised against for 4-6 weeks after the piercing, as are excessively hot or spicy foods. Some recommend cold foods such as ice cream bars, slushies, and the like to dull pain.
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Body piercings
It is generally advised by piercers to use a sea salt rinse (1/8 teaspoon per 8oz of distilled or boiled water); proportionate mixes are marketed and sold by companies such as H2Ocean) or a medical saline rinse, which could be placed in a shot glass and held to the piercing for about 10 minutes, no more than 2 times a day. The solution could also be soaked into a cotton ball and used to gently cleanse the piercing morning and night. Overcleaning is a common cause of irritation and redness in a piercing, as well as inappropriate cleansing agents. Cleaning the piercing 2-3 times a day should be sufficient. Table salt Sodium Chloride is considered to be less natural than sea salt but in equal concentrations table salt may be less irritating than sea salt because table salt may be purer than sea salt. Epsom Salt, diluted in water, is also very effective in the healing process or when signs of a possible infection become visible through swelling and puss. Another technique is sometimes practiced in which a new piercing is left to heal completely on its own without any cleansing, under the philosophy that the body will treat it as any other minor wound. This is commonly called the LITHA method, which stands for "Leave It The Heck Alone." Piercers who use this method compare the healing process to getting stitches to heal up surgical wounds. Since one wants the body to accept the jewelry and create a clean, firm fistula, piercers who use this method advise that any solution or chemical could irritate the piercing and cause rejection and promote scarring and keloids.
Stores such as Hot Topic sell H2Ocean. Claire's markets rinses used in ear and body piercing aftercare that have excess chemicals that only hinder the process. For the most part, piercers agree that hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol are effective in sanitation but too strong for fresh piercings and often result in irritated piercings or excess scar tissue.
The debate over what constitutes proper aftercare is belied by the simple fact that a healthy clean piercing that isn’t made to become irritated through harsh treatment (of any kind) will almost always heal perfectly; but personal preferences will vary.
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