Do you have an inflamed piercing? Here you can find out what you can do about the inflammation yourself and when it is time to see a doctor.
Table of contents
- How do you know if your piercing is infected?
- Inflamed piercing: When should I see a doctor?
- What to do if the piercing is infected?
- These home remedies and ointments help with inflamed piercings:
- Tongue piercing inflamed – what to do?
- Why did my piercing get infected?
- What can I do to prevent my piercing from becoming infected?
Once piercings have completely healed after piercing, they usually require little care. Nevertheless, inflammation can occur from time to time, which is accompanied by pain.
When inflammation occurs, it is important to react quickly to prevent more serious infections. Here you can find out what to do in such a case and which home remedies can provide relief.
How do you know if your piercing is infected?
It is usually completely normal for a freshly pierced piercing to be a little painful, red, swollen or give off heat in the first few days. After all, it is a wound that needs time to heal. However, with the right care, these symptoms should quickly subside.
However, if problems occur with an older piercing, this is often an indication that something is wrong.
These symptoms indicate inflammation:
- The area around the piercing is painful
- The skin is red and swollen
- The piercing gives off noticeable heat
- Pus or other fluid comes out of the piercing hole
- The surrounding tissue feels hardened
Inflamed piercing: When should I see a doctor?
Sometimes the body even reacts with circulatory problemson the inflammation. In this case, you should definitely see a doctor immediately.
If inflammation is delayed and spreads throughout the body, it puts a strain on the entire organism. Scarring can also occur at the piercing site.
In the case of severe infections, the only thing that usually helps is the use of an antibiotic.
What to do if the piercing is infected?
Is yoursor, the tongue piercing orIf it is only slightly inflamed, you can try to get the inflammation under control yourself.
There are some home remedies and ointments that can help wound healing. If the inflammation has not improved significantly after four to five days, you should see a doctor.
What you shouldn't do under any circumstances: Remove the piercing if it becomes infected! Although the wound would grow over quite quickly, the infection inside would remain and pus blisters and abscesses could develop.
Reading tips:
If you want to treat the piercing inflammation yourself, you should pay particular attention to one thing: clean hands! Before treatment, clean your hands thoroughly with disinfectant or put on disposable gloves.
These home remedies and ointments help with inflamed piercings:
Salt water solution
A tried and tested home remedy for inflammation is salt water. Treatment with a salt water solution can also help with an inflamed piercing.
For the salt water solution, 1 teaspoon of salt is dissolved in 250 ml of lukewarm water. The solution is now dabbed onto the wound using a cotton pad. Carefully turn the piercing so that the solution also reaches the puncture canal. Repeat two to three times a day.
Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea can also help with an inflamed piercing, as chamomile tea has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Proceed in the same way as with the salt water solution: disinfect your hands and piercing site, dab a cotton pad soaked in chamomile tea on the wound.
Tipp:Chamomile tea should be freshly brewed every time to prevent bacteria from forming in the tea. Concentrated chamomile tincture from the pharmacy works even better.
Wundcreme
If the piercing is inflamed, disinfecting creams that contain povidone-iodine or wound gels with the active ingredient tyrothricin are also a good choice. These healing ointments are particularly helpful for piercing wounds that have become infected and weeping. Simply apply to the inflamed area several times a day.
Disinfectant care spray
What can also help with an inflamed piercing are disinfectant care sprays or care gels such as Prontolind. You can usually get such sprays directly from the piercer oryou can shop it here on Amazon*.
On the one hand, the sprays serve to prevent inflammation, but they also help with acute symptoms if they are sprayed onto the piercing site two to three times a day.
Tongue piercing inflamed – what to do?
Tongue piercings are particularly susceptible to inflammation because there are many germs and bacteria in the mouth. In this case, too, inflammation becomes noticeable through redness, hardening, pain, swelling and pus. In addition, a light-colored coating usually forms on the tongue and the lymph nodes in the throat are swollen.
Inflammation of a tongue piercing can also be treated with chamomile tea or a salt water solution. Unlike a nose or ear piercing, the home remedies are not dabbed onto the area, but rather used as a mouthwash.
What can also help is a disinfectant rinse with Chlorhexamed (or comparable products).
Also read:
Why did my piercing get infected?
Many different causes can be responsible for piercing inflammation. Intimate piercings, nipple piercings and belly button piercings, for example, are particularly susceptible to inflammation because they are exposed to constant friction from clothing.
Anyone who plays around with the piercing too much or constantly moves it also risks inflammation. This is because the piercing is constantly under strain. In addition, if care is not taken properly, germs can enter the piercing site unhindered.
Another reason for inflammation: The material of the piercing is the wrong one! Most studios use titanium or PTFE (plastic) piercings as initial jewelry. Both titanium and plastic are light, resistant to body fluids and rarely cause allergic reactions.
In contrast to surgical steel, which contains nickel and can therefore trigger allergic reactions, it is less suitable for piercing jewelry - especially not immediately after piercing. Surgical steel should only be used after complete healing.
Sources & further information on the health risks of piercing:
Reading tips:
What can I do to prevent my piercing from becoming infected?
To prevent your piercing from becoming infected in the first place, you should disinfect a freshly pierced piercing regularly (two to three times a day) with care spray. To avoid inflammation, you should also pay attention to the following things:
- Piercing bar should not be too short. The tissue on the piercing needs some space to expand.
- Touch the piercing as little as possible and do not fiddle with it. If so, then only with clean hands.
- Avoid strong friction or pressure (e.g. with ear piercings from hats) if possible.
- Initial jewelry should be made of titanium or plastic.
- In case of acute inflammation: stay away and avoid swimming pools, solariums and saunas. There are too many bacteria here.
Important NOTE:This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace a medical diagnosis. If you have any uncertainties, urgent questions or acute symptoms, you should contact your doctor or ask for advice at the pharmacy. The medical on-call service can be reached via the nationwide number 116117.
