New lobe piercing

[Sojo88]

Having wanted a second lobe piercing (in both ears) for ages I finally had the money and the opportunity and had them pierced two days ago. I'm really pleased with them but it's so long since I've had a piercing to look after that I'm finding myself a little anxious about them getting infected, and panicking at the slightest twinge! I'm cleaning them twice a day with saline and a cotton pad as my piercer recommended and I'm being very strict about sleeping on my back and planning on changing my pillowcase regularly. Any other advice? Am I being too careful? Also, I keep thinking I should use cotton buds, not pads, as they can access the piercing a bit better, but I know some people say bits of cotton can get stuck. I also get a bit anxious about the earrings falling out (they're screwball which I've not used before) so keep checking they're on tight. Thanks in advance!

What kind of saline? If you’re making homemade then for about the first couple weeks I would dip the piercing in the solution then dip in a clean water to rinse out and pat dry with tissue or kitchen roll. That way you avoid messing about with the piercings too much. After it’s healed a little bit then I would use pads or buds but for now try to not touch unless absolutely necessary. I have 12 piercings and have been given different advice from piercers. Very quickly I realised, a couple salt water cleans and leaving it alone was the best option.

Do you have a travel pillow? That’s good for sleeping on your side.

Thanks for your reply @Coffee4Queen. I'm using saline that the piercing place gave me - it's a spray so would be hard to get enough of it out to soak my ear in, but I could try making my own or using saltwater? Makes sense to do it this way and leave the piercing alone - I very much want to leave it alone to heal, I'm not tempted to touch it at all! Im using one pillow at the moment, it's not very comfy but it's probably best in the early stages. Thanks for advice re travel pillow too.

To make your own use a quarter teaspoon of sea salt (not fine table salt) to a cup of boiling water, let it cool to a temperature your ear can handle and leave it to soak for about 3-5 minutes. Longer if you can handle being in the weird position.

I find it a bit easier if I stand and the cup is higher up on a sturdy platform so you don’t have to bend down too much. As it’s just your lobes it will be easy. I just had a forward helix done and that’s a pain in the butt to soak!

You used to be able to buy Claire's piercing solution on its own as well. With my first earrings we got surgical spirit from boots to clean them with too.

I used to be a piercer and have several myself. I always used Claire's stuff and soaked a cotton pad in it. Squeezed it round the stud and made sure to do the 3 full turns both ways. I cleaned 2-3 times a day.

Lots of conflicting advice!
I had my 2nd lobes done this week.
I'm using half a pint of boiled water with a pinch of seasalt (dissolved while water is hot). Clean hands. Drench cotton bud with the salt water, and gently wipe around piercing. Do not re-dip a used cotton bud in solution. I use a different cotton bud tip for front, then different for back, and different front, then back on other ear to prevent cross infection.
Twice a day. Usually 2 cotton buds for each ear, mine aren't really oozing any gunk, they are just swollen.
Do not touch with fingers, and do not turn stud. I'm not sure how you can check they are screwed on without touching them! But don't!
Mine are swollen at the moment.
Johnson's baby cotton buds do not have loose bits!
You can never be too clean or too careful!
I'm hating sleeping on my back!!!

Thanks @Coffee4Queen, I've found mixed answers on how much salt to add! Wow I can imagine it is difficult to soak a helix, I was already thinking that trying to soak my lobe would be difficult!

Thanks @Twizbe and @user1494055864!

Sounds like salt water is a good method. I agree, it's such a pain having to sleep on my back but I don't think I'll have to carry on like that throughout the 8 weeks, just in the first few while it's healing. I guess in future I'd consider getting each ear done separately!

I use neilmed piercing spray on all my piercings. No touching. No cotton buds. Nothing. Just spray and leave.

Don’t use any aftercare products that aren’t just pure saline. They will just irritate the wound.

Making your own salt solution is dated advice now really as it’s very difficult to get it to the right strength and easy for contaminants to get in there.

Just spray with saline, leave it alone and it’ll heal. True infections in piercings are very rare. Your body knows what to do.

Oh and consider a travel pillow for sleeping! Means you can sleep on your side without putting pressure on the piercing.

and don't do what PP said and turn them.Leave them alone.It is a wound. Moving the thing around just keeps rebreaking the healing tissue. Turning was old school thinking. No one credible advises that anymore

Thanks very much @Mol1628 and @honeybuns007

@Sojo88 as a pp said you will get a lot of different answers, different methods work for different people. Your body will let you know what works and what doesn’t. One thing most of us agree on is not touching the piercings!! If you really really have to, always wash your hands and any tools you’re using thoroughly!

Good luck

With my most recent ones I did as PPs have advised. Saline soaks for the first couple of weeks and then just leave it alone. A bit of crustiness is normal after the initial really sore part.

@Coffee4Queen absolutely, and I expect most people's piercings heal fine whatever way they clean them! Im good at completely leaving the piercings during the day, I just worry about touching them at night - I'm a wild sleeper

Thanks @jubbablub - you don't clean them at all after two weeks?

The best piercing aftercare advice I read was on a Kiwi site which recommended sea swimming!

Assuming no beautiful beaches and clean seas readily available, then saline solution is best, and not touching the earrings (really difficult, but hands off whenever you find them straying)

The Claire's solution lists hypochlorite as main ingredient - it's essentially the same as Milton. I wouid avoid that, and the alcohols such as surgical spirit. It won't do any harm, but it's really not the best choice, and who wants to pay more for less good?

But if you do want a pre-mixed solution, try saline contact lens solution. It's the same stuff as the pricey little bottles of piercing after-care fluid that some places sell

I think just wash your face inc piercing with soap and water several times a day. Dont fiddle with it, dont touch the piercing and dont put anything on it. No creams, no balms, no moisturisers, no makeup. Just do as littlr with it as possible. Its the only way i can get piercings to heal on me

@SquirmOfEels

The best piercing aftercare advice I read was on a Kiwi site which recommended sea swimming!

Assuming no beautiful beaches and clean seas readily available, then saline solution is best, and not touching the earrings (really difficult, but hands off whenever you find them straying)

The Claire's solution lists hypochlorite as main ingredient - it's essentially the same as Milton. I wouid avoid that, and the alcohols such as surgical spirit. It won't do any harm, but it's really not the best choice, and who wants to pay more for less good?

But if you do want a pre-mixed solution, try saline contact lens solution. It's the same stuff as the pricey little bottles of piercing after-care fluid that some places sell

Most piercers will say NOT to swim in the sea for 6 weeks. Sea water is full of microbes, bacteria, all manner of organisms. The idea that sea water is clean is based on way, way back when the alternative was no clean water anywhere else so the salty sea water was better than dirty pond water. Do not swim straight after piercing, please

Yes I was never sure about swimming in seawater - I know you shouldn't swim in a pool with a new piercing, that's how my sister's piercings eventually closed up but you'd think seawater would have some benefits...but I won't risk it, will stick with saline for now!

Been holding off washing my hair too, as even the piercings I already have do seem to get a little irritated sometimes after I've washed my hair. Will need to wash it soon though!

Most piercers will say NOT to swim in the sea for 6 weeks. Sea water is full of microbes, bacteria, all manner of organisms. The idea that sea water is clean is based on way, way back when the alternative was no clean water anywhere else so the salty sea water was better than dirty pond water

That's why I mentioned it was Kiwi advice - much cleaner water there

My first lobe piercing was done when I was a baby.

My second lobe and both my cartilage piercings I was older. I just used warm salt water and cotton buds to keep them clean. I admit I twisted the butterflies. I was told to use turn the backs and use salt water.

My third lobe piercing was done using the Caflon brand, and I was given caflon cleaning solution, which is much better and easier than salt water. I highly recommend it, I did turn the backs but not as much.

I also made sure I didn't change the lobe piercings for 6 weeks and the cartilage ones for 12 weeks, as recommended.

Claire's is absolutely the best stuff. I didn't use it when they gave it me and one hole got a bit of infection and that cleared it up overnight. I've even used it on grazes. It's brilliant. And also I was told to turn the piercing to prevent it sticking. And yo leave them in 6 weeks, I think. It was a long time ago now. Honestly, get that Claire stuff, though.

please read the ingredients before putting the Clare's stuff on you ears

Do you really want to put weak bleach on yor newly broken skin?

Though I think the other one is saline solution (with a bit of preservative) - so essentially contact lens solution but in much more expensive form

I had one of my lobes pierced on 12 July with a needle as the original was wonky compared to the other ear! I was told not to touch, or turn and to clean with sea salt solution.
2 weeks later and I swapped the earring out for a normal gold one and the piercing is fine.

Thanks guys for further advice. New piercings are doing well, have hardly felt them since they were pierced. Weirdly though, my first lobe piercing on my left ear (pierced over 15 years ago but sometimes gets a bit irritated) has become a bit swollen and painful. I've been using salt solution on that and I don't think it should be a big problem as it's such an old piercing and often goes a bit weird but it's made me slightly anxious! Think it could be related to the fact that that one was done with a piercing gun.