If you are about to get a naval piercing, you may be wondering what the best strategies are for getting it to heal as quickly as possible. In order for your naval piercing to heal quickly, you must follow a series of steps from start to finish. Here is an outline of the major things you should be doing before and after your body piercing.
Choose Your Piercer Wisely
Choosing your piercer is one of the most important things you will have to do. You need to make sure that your piercer not only has experience but also uses the right equipment to do the piercing. If you find a piercer who wants to use a needle gun, then you should look elsewhere. Needle guns can do irreparable damage to the skin and should be avoided. Instead your piercer should use a hollow needle to create the piercing, since this makes it less likely that your skin will get damaged during piercing.
Wash Your Hands With Anti-bacterial Soap
While regular soap and water is usually enough under regular circumstances, when you have a piercing, you should always use an antibacterial soap to wash your hands before touching your piercing. This reduces the likelihood that any dirt, oil, or residue from the skin will infect the piercing.
Shower Instead Of Bathing
If you are a person who prefers taking a bath, then you will have to discontinue this practice until your piercing begins to heal. Showers are better than baths because they provide a continuous stream of clean water. A bath is a standing pool of water that has sweat, dirt and bath products mixed into it, and this can cause infection. When taking a shower, use an antibacterial soap to gently clean the piercing. Use a paper towel to dry your piercing instead of a towel. Towels sometimes harbor bacteria and moisture that can cause an infection.
Use A Salt And Water Compress
Mix about a half teaspoon of salt with eight ounces of warm, boiled water. Get at least two sheets of paper towel and soak them thoroughly with the salt and water solution. Lie on your back and press the paper towel against the piercing. Do this for at least ten to fifteen minutes daily. The saltwater helps to prevent the buildup of bacteria and loosens any crusts that may have gathered at the piercing site, making them easier to remove. You can remove any crusts with the paper towel once you have finished compressing it against the piercing for the allotted time.
Proper care of your piercing will ensure that it heals quickly and that you will not have to suffer through a bacterial infection.