Wound Care - pierced my lip!

[taintedangel22]

pierced my lip yesterday by myself, and ive been told to expect swelling and slight pain, and ive been cleaning it very regurly with mouthwash, saltwater and disinfectant. so hos do i know if its swelling too much, and when should i decide when to take it out?
katy
x

[Sans Peur]

Piercing yourself was kinda stupid.Going to a professional means it is done correctly and is clean.

Do you have a labret bar in your piercing?
was it autoclaved beforehand?
did you wear gloves and use a clean needle?

The aftercare you are doing is wrong.The mouthwash you should be using should be alcohol free and disinfectant shouldnt be used to clean piercings.... i really doubt it is safe to have in your mouth.

You should do warmsea salt soaks ( no idodine to harm the piercing) 3 times a day with hot compresses.Alcohol free mouth wash may be used aswel.No smoking and no drinking alcohol.No kissing because that will cause bacteria to get into your piercing.

If you are concerned about the piercing then go to a piercer to get it checked out.Piercing yourself can cause problems including nerve damage.Pain and swelling should last nomore than 2 weeks in my opinion.

Jane x

[Anansi]

Echoing what Jane said, I think you should go to a piercer and ask what they think, they're going to be the first to spot any signs of infections.
This is especially important if you didn't wear gloves or clean your instruments properly, piercings can get infected so easily.

Please stay safe, it's better to check it out and have it taken out asap if it is infected, otherwise you'll end up with scar tissue which is a pain to re-pierce.
Emma. x

[Sans Peur]

emsidoodles- if a piercing is infected you shouldnt take the jellery out because it will trap infection

[Aidee]

As has been said, anytime you get a piercing you should have it done professionally to minimize the risk of infection or nerve damage.

Unless you have a labret bar in your piercing and everything was sterilized you should probably just take out the piercing, let it heal, and have a professional do it.

It is difficult to sterilize things at home, so the chances of your jewelry and piercing instrument of being contaminated are high.

If you insist on keeping it in, you shouldn't eat anything acidic for the first week (tomatoes, citrus fruit, etc) to avoid irritating it. You also need to rinse your mouth after you eat or drink anything but water with ALCOHOL free mouth wash. Swishing sea salt (without iodine) and water in your mouth twice a day can also help healing.

Don't play with the piercing (with your tongue or fingers), touch any part of anyone elses body with your mouth (kissing, oral sex), change the piercing for at least 4 weeks, or take it out and put it back in if you think it's getting infected.

You may try calling or visiting a local piercing shop as they usually have handouts on piercing care.

If it gets infected, or starts showing signs of infection, make an appointment with your GP to get it seen to. Don't take it out or anything, as oral infections can spread very easily to the brain if they aren't treated properly.

[Leo Pard]

Um sea salt soaks should be done twice a day and use diluted non-alcoholic mouthwash after meals.
If it had been done properly you would have had a longer bar put in to accomodate for swelling but as it is DIY I doubt you have a long enough bar. Go to a piercer and get them to change it.
It is worth paying for...

[Sans Peur]

Piercing equipment and jewelry needs to be put in an autoclave (fancy name for something similar to a pressure cooker) which goes to a very high temperature in order to be sterile.

[EmJ]

Everyone's already mentioned all the after care instructions and what to do.
Signs of infection are:
The area around the piercing is warm to touch
Redness
Soreness
Swelling
Discharge (especially yellow or greenish)