What happens when you twist your body jewelry in your new piercing? You disturb the piercing channel, ultimately destroying any healing progress. You also invite in bacteria and open the door to possible infection when twisting and turning your body jewelry.
Don't touch a new piercing or twist the jewelry unless you're cleaning it. Keep clothing away from the piercing, too. Excessive rubbing or friction can irritate your skin and delay healing. Keep the jewelry in place.
On the 1st day of piercing, with clean hands, rotate your earrings one full turn about once an hour, or anytime they feel itchy. After the 1st day rotate earrings one full turn at least 3-5 times per day, for the next 2 weeks only, as this promotes healing.
There is an old wives' tale that says you need to twist your piercing to make sure it doesn't get stuck or grow into your body. This is nonsense. Your piercing will not get stuck or grow into your piercing site and twisting it will only disrupt the healing going on inside your skin and introduce bacteria to the site.
There is no need to move or rotate your jewelry, as this can cause irritation and may damage healing tissue.
Unfortunately, you should be patient when thinking about changing the jewellery in a fresh piercing, as changing the jewellery too early can lead to infection, inflammation and even the piercing closing up.
Don't touch, move, turn, or twist your jewelry at all during the initial healing time. Don't wear tight-fitting clothing over the jewelry, and try to avoid anything that will rub.
There Is No Need To Twist Your Earring
In fact, the more you move and touch the piercing the longer the healing time may take. This also means you should avoid sleeping on your piercing to avoid movement. However, if you must twist you piercing only do so if you have clean hands and when the piercing is wet.
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.
Proper aftercare is key to making sure your new ear piece not only looks great but feels that way too. Freed's recommendation is to keep your hands off the fresh piercing. “Don't touch or twist,” Freed says.
Your newly pierced ears will heal faster and will be less prone to infection if they are not touched. Rotating will cause irritation or injury of the new piercings. A piercing is essentially a puncture wound that heals around a piece of jewelry.
Piercing complications and infections do happen sometimes, which is why proper aftercare is key. Beyond using a saline wash and keeping your fingers away from the piercing, you also don't want to put pressure on it, hence why side sleeping is not ideal.
--Never spin the jewelry, move it back and forth, or move it while you're cleaning it. The jewelry may feel tight or like it's not moving around and that is OK. It will move around on it's own. --In your shower, avoid any shampoo, conditioner or soap on the piercing.
Twisting jewellery round 'to stop it sticking' can cause redness, bumps & swelling! Keep the piercing jewellery in ALL the time, 24/7, night and day, for at least 2 MONTHS (8 weeks). It does take at least this long for the piercing to heal properly.
Sleeping on your healing piercing, especially ear piercings, can cause it to heal angled and crooked. The pressure from laying on it causes the jewelry to become tilted, and VERY irritated. This will do all of what not downsizing your piercing will do. It's the same thing.
Rinse with clean water after your salt soak to prevent salt crystals forming, which can cause irritation and slow the healing process. 3) It is normal for dried blood or serous fluid (yellow crust) to form around the edges of your piercing. DO NOT pick it away while it is dry.
These discharges mixed with dirt from lack of cleaning can also oxidize, leaving a black or grey gunk. This gunk can be pushed out with a clean earring or washed out with warm soap and water. You can enter a clean earring into the hole from the front or back to try and budge the gunk.
Over cleaning is also just as bad as under cleaning. If you over clean you will remove any good bacteria trying to help your new piercing heal. Also, don't play with or touch your new piercing!
Signs of an infection
It is important to note that your piercing may be tender or painful for up to 3-5 days after the procedure was performed. This is normal.
In general, studs are recommended for healing piercings. Hoops and dangling jewellery pieces do not always stay in place and can complicate the healing process. You can change to a different piece after 2 to 4 months if your piercing is in the lobe and after 6 to 12 months for cartilage piercings.