piercings

i know this doesn't belong here, but theres not a topic related to piercings. I'm kind of wondering for those of you who had piercing experiece, especially with cartiledge, what are you suppose to do after you pierce it?
One piercer told me to change it to 24k gold or pure silver within the first week. One told me not to change it till a month. One told me to change it to plastic earings so it wont get infected. I basically tried everything except the plastic, and it got infected.
I just pierced another 2 today, cartiledge and the middle of the ear. I really don't want another infection. I think i have a keloid on my other cartiledge. The bumps been there for almost half a year. never completely went away. Anyone have any comments or answers or suggestions.
Anything would be helpful. What should i change it to, gold, silver, plastic, or no change? It'd be nice if anyone can help. Thank you

I have five earrings in each ear. I have my septum pierced in the middle of my nose too, and my nipples pierced. I also have many tattoos.
I agree, don't use the piercing gun. get it done with a needle at a piercing place that specializes just in piercings or tattoos. Use clean equipment. Make sure the piercing place has a license to do it.

I had the best luck getting pierced with titanium. Definitely don't get pierced with a gun. Needle is the only way to go. The way I have cleaned all my piercings (except tongue! lol) was to just use antibacterial soap on them in the shower and make sure to rinse them well. I have heard people having luck using tea tree oil to clean piercings with as well due to it's natural antibacterial properties. Good luck! Cartilage piercings can be a real pain to heal!

wow, no one ever told me not to get it with a gun on the ear. What's so bad about it anyways? Maybe that's why its still not healed yet? it's been 2 and a half weeks. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still uncomfortable to sleep on that side of the ear. Any suggestions please? It's getting on my nerves to avoid sleepin on my left ear...

i also heard piercing with a gun is not sanitary but i did it anyways because i never knew they still pierce ears with needles. Is it true that it's unsanitary and is it because "it can't be cleaned"? anyone know what i can do now because its swollen to the point i can't close the earing with the backing....

Ouch that sounds painful. I don't know how people can get thier piercing infected. I'm not a pro at the ear piercing thing, since I've only gotten two, but I have my nose and navel pierced. The piercer who did mine suggested I clean the newly pierced items with BACTINE it's a First Aid antiseptic it works. (I was allergic to the herbal sh*t... Dragon Mist)

So if any of you get further piercings try it. Swab the area with it as much as you can, whenever it get's gunky. I also moved my piercings in the hole, keeping them free, and oftenly used Bactine.


~Bambi~

Hi All,

I am having my nose peirced next week, I know I sound like a scardy cat , but is it sore.

karen

I had my nose pierced. Rather surprisingly, the actual piercing process is pretty painless (getting my ears pierced was much worse, IMO-that gun really hurt!). I mean, the actual needle going through the skin is always going to be a bit disconcerting, I'm not going to lie, but I recall more pressure than pain, to be honest. I agree with poisongirl-any pain that there was was very fleeting.

I will say, though, that keeping the area sterile is tough. I had mine for a little over a year, but then I got a terrible cold which lasted for several weeks and the piercing got infected and i just took it out for good. Be really careful and become best friends with your saline. No creams, no scrubs or anything anywhere near the area. Since it'll be on your face, you REALLY don't want to get it infected, heh. If it gets too irritated, you can get a bump near the piercing which will turn dark red (it's harmless and not too painful but just unsightly and takes a while to heal).

So, I'd say worry more about the upkeep and healing process than the actual piercing.

You know, I don't really think I'm helping your anxiety much here, so I think I'll stop, lol. Everyone's different, I'm sure you'll be just fine. I really liked my nose piercing-no regrets. And it healed over perfectly so if you don't like yours, you can' always get rid of it easily.

A few more things about the piercing gun - the reason it can break the cartilage is that the stud is not sharp - it crushes the tissue rather than piercing it neatly. So it's much more painful than a needle.

The gun can't be sterilized, regardless of how clean the stud is. Plus, people who pierce in the sorts of shops that use them have no education in sanitation, they learn from each other, basically.

A couple of years ago some people in the Northwest got upper ear cartilage infections from a piercing gun that had been sanitized with reused sanitizing fluid. Some of them required reconstructive surgery. Cartilage has very poor circulation, and the infection destroyed their outer ear!

You should ask to see the spore testing records for the autoclave of any shop you're considering getting pierced in. If they can't produce records showing they've passed at least once a month, go somewhere else.

Read up on piercing: http://www.bmezine.com/

i have my ears pierced and my belly button pierced with a piercing gun well the trick is to keep it clean always it doesnt hurt that much just an ouch and it would be over .....and it looks super cool