You sit in a chair, swinging your legs nervously as your eyes dart around the shop. The employee cleans and loads the piercing gun as the butterflies in your stomach remind you that you're really about to go through with this. I got my third piercing about five weeks ago and my second piercing a little over a year ago. Maybe you're considering finally getting your first piercing or maybe you very very recently got it and you're surfing the web for a few pointers on getting used to it - it's a hole in your ear, after all. I'm here to share with you some pitfalls and things I learned about getting lobe piercings based off of my experiences.
1. Alignment vs. Aesthetic
Alignment will probably win. When you get a piercing the piercer will mark your ears as a way of knowing exactly where to put the earring. When I got mine done the piercer was more concerned with proper alignment of the new piercing relative to my first piercing. That's why they make you remove all earrings you have on. Proper alignment is important, however, I noticed that on one ear the earrings look further apart from each other than the ones on the other ear look. When I remove the earrings, the holes are perfectly aligned, though. Your piercer will do his or her best to make the piercing look the way you want it to, however, keep in mind that they are also trying to work with proper alignment.
2. Don't be alarmed by swelling
Swelling and redness is normal for the first TWO WEEKS after getting a piercing. My third piercing had swelling and redness that persisted more than a few days so I nervously went through the internet trying to see what people might say about the situation. Many said that it was NOT normal and that if this is the case, medical attention would be needed. Don't let this scare you - swelling is normal for the first two weeks. That's when I remembered that my second piercing was red for the first two weeks as well. During these first two weeks, try not to sleep on the piercing either - try your very best to not irritate it in any way that might prolong swelling and redness.
3. Follow your ear care routine
I got my ears pierced both times at Claire's and I was told to clean the piercing 2-3 times a day everyday for 6-8 weeks (for the third one) and 4-6 weeks for the second one. Many people end up with an infection because they fail to follow the after care procedures as directed. They get lazy and skip cleanings or they try to use other solutions as a substitute for the liquid they are given. The best way to ensure that you don't make a mistake is to do exactly what you're told.
4. Keep shampoo AWAY from your ear
Obviously no one shampoos their ear but a week after I got my second piercing I was washing my hair and trying to be super careful not to let my product anywhere near the new piercing. Apparently my efforts were in vain because I got out of the shower and one side where the piercing was became red and irritated! It burned a little and became slightly swollen. To combat this I used the ear care solution that I was given from Claire's and saturated the area with it. Within about twenty minutes the effects had subsided. This is no joke - KEEP ANY AND ALL PRODUCTS AWAY FROM YOUR NEW PIERCING!
5. Touch it as little as possible
This is to ensure that whatever germs or bacteria might be on your hands won't get near your new piercing. A new piercing is essentially a wound in your skin and you wouldn't want that wound becoming infected, would you? Try to touch your piercing as little as possible - especially during the first two weeks. I've probably mentioned "first two weeks" a lot but that's because that time period is crucial to the aftercare of your piercing. Not many people would tell you this but from experience I can definitely say that you need to try to take the best care possible of your piercing during this window because otherwise you could end up with prolonged irritation and swelling and maybe even an infection.
If you had questions about piercing I hope this post cleared some of that up for you. If you have questions about the procedure Claire's uses, pain levels, and more in depth after care then feel free to email me at toomuchofagoodiesthing@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @some_cool_stuff and tweet to me! =)
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