Getting a new body piercing is an event that can change a person's life. Some people have many, other's may be getting their first. Finding a safe, reputable shop that has a certified professional piercer is only half of the battle. Taking care of the piercing until it heals is just as important.
Almost every shop that is reputable will give you both oral and written aftercare instructions. As a Master Piercer, I would like to sum up the important parts of the information that you may receive. Unfortunately, there are thousands of amateurs on the Internet that are giving advice that will not only impede the healing process, but they may actually cause harm.
First, we will break piercings down to two basic types. You have the run of the mill body piercings. These include ear, navel, eyebrow etc. The second type is oral piercings. These will have anything to do with the area of the mouth. Examples are lip, Labret, Marilyn, snake bites and of course the tongue.
Body piercings: There are countless products on the market that don't serve any other purpose but take your money. Unfortunately a lot of shops (even reputable ones) will sell these products. They are not unsafe necessarily, but many are uneeded. Even tattoo shops are powered by the all powerful dollar.
The most common products go by brand names like Neosporin, Bacitracin or Bactine. I don't want to take away from the good that these products do, it is just not needed for a fresh piercing. One, they are petroleum based. This will stop any air from getting to the wound. Bacteria can thrive in this oxygen depleted environment and they have an endless supply of food, your body. The temperature of 98.7 degrees doesn't help either. The fact that they are petroleum based also makes all kinds of contaminants stick to the wound. Another big problem is that most of these over the counter ointments have antibiotic properties. This means that you are using a drug that you don't need. You will build up a tolerance, which means when you do need it, it won't work.
The key to proper aftercare is amazingly simple. Keep the piercing clean. Do not touch it unless you have washed your hands first. A good example is a door knob. How many people touch it? When you touch it, then touch a new piercing, you are putting all of those germs right onto a wound, which is a break in your first line of defense : your skin.
Now that we have gotten all the after market antibacterial creams out of the way, what should you use? Antibacterial soap. Yes it is that easy. There are many brands on the market. They contain all kinds of chemicals that range from PCMX to Triclosan. While these chemicals will help to kill bacteria, they can also dry out the skin. The actual use of soap and water will give you the best results. Usually twice a day will suffice unless you are an athlete or construction worker that sweats a lot. The healing time varies widely from piercing to piercing so talk to your piercer about how long it will take.
The next type of piercings. With the exception of the tongue piercings, treat the outer part of the piercing as stated above. The inner part (inside the mouth) should be cleaned with mouth wash. Preferably one without alcohol. These can be expensive but there are ways around it. You can use Listerine (or the cheaper generic equivalent). It contains a lot of alcohol so it is best if you dilute it with at least 50 % water. This will lesson the damage of the alcohol, not to mention lessen the burning sensation. On the bright side, oral piercings will usually heal rather quickly.
The last part is not essential but it will help a lot. Get non iodized sea salt. It can be found at most grocery stores, health food stores, as well as many tattoo shops. The difference between this and table salt is the addition of iodine. Iodine will cause the piercing to become irritated and lengthen the healing time. Sea salt is also known as Kosher Salt. What you want to do is mix 1/4 teaspoon with a cup of warm water. Use this as a gargle or a compress (depending on the piercing). If you taste the mixture, it should taste like your tears. All you have done is make a saline solution to irrigate the wound. This is the same thing that they would do in the hospital. It will help flush out contaminants and speed the healing process.
This is a very basic generic version of aftercare instructions. That being said, it is all you really need to take care of a piercing. There is no need to spend large amounts of money for name brand "specialty" products sold by tattoo shops. They do the same thing. Following these instructions will help your piercing heal faster and without complications.
One last point that is important enough to repeat. Do not touch the piercing unless your hands have been washed. This is the number one way that piercings get infected.