Woohoo! You have decided to join the club of piercing addicts! Now what?
Before jumping in and actually getting your first piercing, its good to know few key things about the process!
#1 PIERCING GUNS
Piercing guns are used in many "piercing" establishments. You need to know that these machines are NOT safe! They use blunt force to shove an earring through your ear and there is no way to fully sterilize them (hello, infection!). I highly recommend avoiding anywhere that uses these, including large department stores. Professional piercers perform all piercings using sterilized hollow needles. This creates an opening for the jewelry to fit in comfortably and provides smooth edges to heal up nicely. Don't worry, it is not scary! 😊
#2 PATIENCE
Most piercings excluding your ear lobes take anywhere from 3-12 months to fully heal! During this entire healing process it is crucial that you follow proper aftercare practices and care for your piercing every single day. This means on vacations, weekends, and busy days! You also should not change your jewelry for this entire healing period, so be sure you are pierced with something cute initially! We have a full collection of jewelry that is perfect for initial piercings that can be found here.
#3 YOUR PIERCER
You need to find a professional piercer! Be sure to look at the prospective piercer's portfolio of previous work, their reviews, and go in to check out their shop. If a shop appears unclean in any way, its best that you find a different shop to get pierced in rather than risk infection. Talk to the piercer beforehand to see if they are knowledgeable and willing to help you out should you have any concerns down the road. It's best to have a piercer that you know you can touch base with in a few weeks if you need a question answered!
#4 SOOTHING YOUR NERVES
If you're nervous about your first piercing, think about all of the people who have beautiful piercings. If all of those people made it through with no issue, so can you! Bring a friend with you to be pierced for support, or pop in some headphones with soothing music for any non ear piercings. Do whatever you need to to calm your nerves before going in to get pierced. Having a drink beforehand is the only no-no, as alcohol thins your blood and we want to see as little bleeding as possible!
For inspiration, gather a bunch of pictures of the piercing you want, or collect jewelry that you can't wait to wear!
#5 AFTERCARE
Aftercare is the most important part about getting a piercing! The best practice is super, super simple! Just use a gentle saline spray like NeilMed Piercing Aftercare. Let warm water run over your piercings in the shower each day to remove any crusties, and then just spray the front and back with the saline one to two times per day. After that, LEAVE your piercings alone! Every time you touch them, you are depositing bacteria into your healing wound. This can result in complications, so it's best just to let them do their thing and heal up. Your ONLY job is keeping them clean and out of harms way by trying not to bump, sleep on, or tug them.
#6 NEW JEWELRY
When you get pierced, you should ask your piercer what gauge jewelry and what length of jewelry they are using. This will made the process of getting new jewelry go very smooth! Write this info in your notes on your phone or somewhere where you will not lose it and can look at your size later! The gauge of a piercing is the thickness of the metal that is being used. The length of a labret or diameter of a hoop is the other important measurement you will need.
If you know your size, the sky's the limit! Find all the cute jewelry you can for your new piercing!
#7 PLAN YOUR NEXT ONE
Piercings are highly addictive, so once you fall in love with your first one you might as well start planning your second, third, and fourth! 😄 Instagram is a great place to go for inspiration!
I hope this blog has been insightful and encourages you to do your homework and then move forward with your first piercing!
Until next week,
Kourtney 🖤