We have all heard horror stories of terrible infections to body piercings, but how many of us really believe that it will happen to us? Many people believe that if they shower with their piercing in, don’t put it anywhere obviously dirty, or if the piercing is completely healed they will be fine. The problem with this thinking is that none of those things actually prevent infection from body piercings. On top of cleaning the piercing itself, cleaning your jewelry is just as, if not more, important. No matter how much you clean your piercing, if your jewelry is dirty, you’re basically inserting the infection straight into yourself. While these problems are most common to new piercings, they can happen at any time, no matter how old the piercing is. Infections can be anything from just some redness and swelling to abscesses or boils. These infections can cause major problems, such as deforming the area where they reside, and can cause more general symptoms like high fever, shivers, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are often similar to flu symptoms.
How to Clean Your Body Jewelry
There are a couple ways to clean jewelry, and they aren’t difficult or expensive. Always wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap before you handle your jewelry. Once your hands are clean, you can use that same anti-bacterial soap to clean your jewelry. The soap should be fragrance and moisturizer-free. Wash it for at least 2 minutes and rinse it with warm water. Dry it completely, and then reinsert it immediately. If you are not going to wear it immediately, store it in a clean container or sealed bag. If you’re not keen on the taste of soap for oral piercings, using antiseptic or anti-bacterial mouthwash will also do the trick. Immersing the jewelry in mouthwash for two to three minutes will kill any bacteria residing there. Using alcohol-free mouthwash will kill bacteria and prevent discoloration of acrylic items. Once this is done, immediately reinsert your jewelry, or if you are not going to wear it right away, store it in a clean container or sealed bag.
Remember, taking a small amount of extra effort to keep your jewelry clean will help prevent any infections down the road and prevent the possibility of a serious problem occurring because of dirty jewelry. Keep it clean!
