How to Determine if a Piercing is Infected: 15 Steps

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How to Determine if a Piercing is Infected: 15 Steps
How to Determine if a Piercing is Infected: 15 Steps
Anonim

You have just had a new piercing, but you are not sure if the discomfort you are experiencing is part of the normal healing process or if it is due to some complication, such as an infection. Learn to recognize the symptoms of an infected hole in order to properly treat it, keeping it in perfect health and beautiful to look at. Look out for pain, swelling, redness, warmth, pus, and other more serious symptoms. always follow proper cleaning techniques to avoid infections as much as possible.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Signs of Infection

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 1
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 1

Step 1. Pay attention to the redness that gets worse

It is normal for the area to be pink at first, after all it is always a wound; however, if the redness worsens or expands, there may be bacterial contamination. Check the piercing carefully and see if this symptom evolves for better or worse within 1-2 days.

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 2
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 2

Step 2. Check for swelling

In the 48 hours following the procedure, the surrounding area swells a little as the body adapts to the injury. After this period, the edema should begin to absorb; if, on the other hand, it tends to worsen, persists for too long or is accompanied by redness and pain, it becomes a symptom of infection.

Swelling causes loss of motility, for example, you may not be able to move your newly pierced tongue well. if the surrounding area is too dilated and painful to move, an infection may have developed

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 3
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 3

Step 3. Monitor the pain

It is the feeling with which the body tells you that something is wrong. The initial one, caused by the perforation, should subside over a couple of days, just like the edema; it is normal for the area to also be stinging, sore, sore and burning. However, if the pain lasts more than two days, it is likely that there is an infection.

Of course, if you accidentally irritate the wound, don't be surprised that it hurts; the problem is the continuous pain that gets worse or does not go away

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 4
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 4

Step 4. Touch the area to see if it is hot

When there is edema, redness and pain, there is usually also heat; if the piercing is very inflamed or infected, you may feel that it gives off heat or is hot to the touch. If you want to touch it to check its temperature, wash your hands first.

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 5
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 5

Step 5. Look for any purulent discharge

It is completely normal for a new piercing in the process of healing to ooze clear or whitish liquids that form a crust around the jewel; it is lymphatic fluid and is part of the wound healing process. A thick, white or colored (green, yellow) fluid, often foul-smelling, is likely pus. The presence of any thick, milky discharge is to be considered as a sign of infection.

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 6
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 6

Step 6. Assess how long you have had the piercing

The pain you experience on the same day of the procedure is hardly due to an infection; it usually takes a few days for the bacteria to show their presence. It is also quite unlikely that a long-standing and already healed piercing will become infected; however, it is possible in the event that the area suffers some injury, such as a cut or skin tear that opens the doors to pathogenic microorganisms.

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 7
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 7

Step 7. Consider the area where the piercing is located

If you have punctured a part of your body that is more susceptible to infection, you should consider this complication first. Ask the body artist how likely the wound is to become contaminated.

  • Navel piercings must be cleaned with great care; they are found in a warm and sometimes humid area of the body and are therefore exposed to a greater risk of infection.
  • Those of the tongue can easily become infected due to the bacteria present in the oral cavity; furthermore, due to the location, tongue infections can trigger serious complications, for example by spreading to the brain.

Part 2 of 3: Avoiding Infections

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 8
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 8

Step 1. Thoroughly clean the new piercing

The piercer should give you all the information you need to care for the wound, including what products to use for cleansing. Each type of piercing must be handled differently, so ask for clear instructions in writing; in general, just follow these simple guidelines:

  • Cleanse those that are on the skin with warm water and a non-perfumed antibacterial soap;
  • Do not use denatured alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, because they are too aggressive and can damage or irritate the epidermis;
  • Avoid antibiotic creams or ointments, as they trap dirt and debris and prevent the wound from breathing.
  • Don't use table salt to clean the piercing; opt for the saline solution sold for this purpose or buy pure non-iodized salt to dissolve in hot water;
  • Clean the wound as often as indicated by the piercer, no more, no less. If you neglect hygiene, dirt, scabs and dead skin accumulate around the jewel; if you overdo it, you can dry out and irritate the area. Either way, you interfere with the healing process;
  • Gently remove or turn the jewelry as you wash the hole to allow the solution to penetrate and coat the metal. This procedure is not suitable for all types of piercings, so ask your body artist for advice.
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 9
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 9

Step 2. Follow the guidelines for caring for a new hole

In addition to the appropriate cleaning techniques, it is essential to comply with precise instructions to avoid unnecessary pain and infections. Here are some of them:

  • Don't sleep on the side of the new piercing. Jewelery can rub on sheets, pillows or blankets, becoming dirty and causing irritation. If the piercing is on the navel, sleep on your back; if it is on the face, use an airplane pillow centering the jewel with the "hole" of this pillow;
  • Wash your hands before touching the piercing or the surrounding area.
  • Wait until the wound has healed before removing the jewel, otherwise the hole is likely to close and, if there is an infection, bacteria get trapped in the skin;
  • Prevents clothes from generating friction on the area; also, do not rotate the piercing, unless you are cleaning it;
  • Stay away from swimming pools, lakes, rivers, hot tubs and do not immerse the healing piercing in other bodies of water.
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 10
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 10

Step 3. Choose a professional and reliable piercer

On average, one in five holes becomes infected due to unsterile procedures or subsequent poor care. Rely only on a qualified and reliable body artist who works in a clean studio. Before undergoing the piercing, insist that you be shown how and where the instruments are sterilized - there should be an autoclave and the surfaces should be cleaned with bleach and disinfectant.

  • The practitioner should only use a new needle freshly removed from a sterile package; Not it should never reuse it and should always wear sterile disposable gloves for the duration of the procedure.
  • The only place that can be properly pierced with a gun is the earlobe. The other parts of the body, including the cartilage area of the auricle, must be pierced with a piercing needle.
  • Learn about the rules and regulations in your region to find out what legal requirements a piercer must comply with.
  • Do not pierce a part of your body yourself and don't ask someone else inexperienced to do it.
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 11
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 11

Step 4. Choose jewelry made of hypoallergenic material

Although an allergic reaction is not the same as an infection, all irritating factors increase the risk of bacterial contamination; Always have hypoallergenic jewelry inserted to increase the chances of recovery.

Ask the piercer to use stainless steel, titanium, niobium, or 14- or 18-karat gold ones

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 12
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 12

Step 5. Find out what the healing times are for the various piercings

You can puncture many parts of the body, although each type of tissue scarring at different rates based on the blood supply it receives. Find out about the characteristics of your piercing to know how long you need to take special care of it. The following are indicative times, but you should always ask the professional you have relied on for more details:

  • Ear cartilage: 6-12 months;
  • Nostril: 6-12 months;
  • Cheek: 6-12 months;
  • Nipple: 6-12 months;
  • Navel: 6-12 months;
  • Dermal implant / skin surface anchoring / piercing: 6-12 months;
  • Ear lobe: 6-8 weeks;
  • Eyebrow: 6-8 weeks;
  • Nasal septum: 6-8 weeks;
  • Lip, labret or beauty mark: 6-8 weeks;
  • Prince Albert (penis piercing): 6-8 weeks;
  • Clitoris: 4-6 weeks;
  • Language: 4 weeks.

Part 3 of 3: Dealing with an Infection

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 13
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 13

Step 1. If you have a mild infection, try treating it with home remedies

Dissolve 5 g of non-iodized salt or Epsom salt in 250 ml of hot water in a clean glass, preferably disposable plastic, so that you have a new one for each treatment. Dip the piercing or prepare a compress by soaking a clean cloth in the saline solution. repeat this procedure 2-3 times a day in 15-minute sessions.

  • If you don't notice any improvement within 2-3 days or if your symptoms get worse, ask your piercer or doctor for help.
  • Make sure you wet the area completely with salt water and on both sides of the hole; continue to clean the wound regularly with antibacterial soap and warm water.
  • If there is an infection, you can apply a small dose of antibacterial ointment.
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 14
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 14

Step 2. Contact your body artist for minor problems

If you notice small signs of infection, such as redness or swelling that doesn't go away, you can call the piercer and ask him for advice. you can go back to the studio even in case there is liquid leaking from the hole - the practitioner has seen so many cases that he can assess whether the situation is normal or not.

This advice is valid only if you have entrusted yourself to a qualified piercer, otherwise you must go to the doctor for any medical problems

Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 15
Tell if a Piercing Is Infected Step 15

Step 3. If you have a fever, chills or nausea, go to the doctor

Piercing infections typically remain localized to the site of the hole; however, if they spread or reach the bloodstream, they can turn into life-threatening septicemia. When the infection is severe, you may have fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness.

  • If pain, edema, or redness of the pierced area spreads, see your doctor right away. it could be a sign that the infection is worsening and affecting larger surfaces.
  • Your doctor is likely to prescribe antibiotics to prevent the situation from escalating; if the bacteria have already reached the blood, hospitalization and intravenous antibiotic therapy is required.

Advice

  • Watch for signs of infection around face or mouth piercings their proximity to the brain makes them particularly dangerous.
  • The presence of scabs around the piercing is not always synonymous with infection; in most cases this is a normal part of the healing process.

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