Something you're gonna notice is that during the healing process some white stuff will come out of the wound. This is completely normal, and you shouldn't panic. Only if it gets yellow, green or brown you should see you're piercer for advice.
Any cream or white colored secretions are normal. This is lymph, which is dead skin cells pushing out. Any bright yellow or green secretions could be signs of infection and you should see your piercer and/or doctor.
You might even see some white or clear fluid from the piercing — this is lymph fluid, not pus. Dr. Wexler adds that this is normal and may be noticeable for several days after your piercing. If it persists past a few days it's good to rule out an allergy to the jewelry.
Symptoms you may feel rather than see could also point to an infection. Those symptoms include pain or tenderness. While you'll feel both those things in the first week or so after a smiley piercing, if they seem to be getting worse instead of better, you should be highly suspicious of infection.
Smiley piercing healing
You may feel slight pain and swelling in the first two weeks, but these symptoms gradually decrease as the healing process continues. There are rarely infections at the smiley level, but if you do not follow the care routine and hygiene advice to the letter you might face it.
In fact, ears sometimes secrete a white to yellow thin liquid while healing from a piercing, and sebum from your oil glands can also collect on your piercings. “If your discharge is light in color and not accompanied by pain, redness, warmth or swelling, it is probably not infected,” Shah said.
Signs of an infection
Your piercing might be infected if: the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour) there's blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow. you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell.
Some common symptoms of an infected ear piercing include: Redness and swelling that spreads beyond the piercing site. Increased pain or tenderness, especially when touching the area. The area feels warm to the touch.
Smiley piercings are done on a very sensitive area, and it requires adequate care; otherwise, it can lead to infection and cause adverse effects. Some of the complications that can arise are: Enamel Damage – attachments like large beads on the ring can damage the enamel.
As your smiley piercing heals, be sure to clean it by holding mouth wash or salt water inside your lip and lightly swishing at least twice per day. You'll have an even shorter healing time if you can manage to do this after every meal, but that may not be realistic every day.
Since the frenulum is so thin, many people can't get this piercing. It also has a greater risk of being torn out or rejected, since the skin is so thin. This piercing won't be for everyone, so it's important to know the entire smiley piercing process before you decide to get one yourself.
The key is to keep the area clean, rinse after meals, and stay in close contact with your dentist. If you already have a smiley piercing but would like to close it up, talk to your dentist and start the process right away. It'll help ensure that you don't experience any issues with it down the road.
DO NOT pick the crusties off—that's just introducing your dirty hands to a healing piercing and can increase your risk of infection. The best way to clean them is to soak the piercing in warm saline solution, softening the crusties which then come off easily.
A fluid is produced by all wounds as part of the natural healing process. This fluid come out clear, pale yellow or milky in color and tends to dry to a darker tone. This are normal. Carefully reduce dried fluid build up and contaminates with nice warm clean running water.
After the first few days your body will excrete lymph as it begins to form the fistula inside your piercing. This lymph 'crust' will likely collect on the jewelry or around the piercing. Do not pick at it. Piercings do tend to swell slightly — some more than others — during healing.
This may form a crust once its dried. Many people mistake this fluid as a sign of infection – please don't worry, its usually lymph which is completely normal and is a healthy part of the healing process.
Don't talk too much in the first few days to avoid disturbing the piercing before it has healed fully. Don't fiddle with or move the piercing with your tongue or fingers. Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol. Don't eat any highly acidic foods — like tomatoes or oranges — or spicy foods.
Frenulum piercings aren't a long term piercing, they're good for a year, maybe two years, if the wearer is very careful. The tissue pierced is actually thin and prone to issues stretching and tearing. What should be expected when getting a smiley piercing? Expect it to feel foreign in your mouth for a week.