How to Clean & Change Body Jewelry [Aftercare Guide]

Body jewelry is an awesome way to show off your body and your style! You exude warmth, power, and confidence with body jewelry that complements your style and personality. Our complete aftercare guide to cleaning and changing your body jewelry teaches you how to safely switch up your body jewelry. In this aftercare guide, you’ll find:

• How Often Should I Clean My Piercing?

• How To Clean Your Piercing in 5 Steps

• How Long Will It Take My Body Piercing to Heal? (And When Can I Change My Body Jewelry?)

• A Quick Note about the Importance of Quality Body Jewelry

• What to Do Before You Change Your Body Jewelry

• How to Change Your Body Jewelry (By Type of Jewelry)

• Body Jewelry Dos

• Body Jewelry Don’ts

• Tips for Specific Types of Body Piercings

How Often Should I Clean My Piercing?

Cleaning more than recommended isn’t better when it comes to piercings. Too much cleaning can dry out your skin and hinder the healing process. Follow the chart below to determine how often to clean your nose, septum, lip, belly, and nipple piercing.

How To Clean Your Piercing in 5 Steps

1. Prepare the cleaning solution
   Dissolve ¼ teaspoon sea salt into one cup of warm distilled or bottled water. This gentle solution cleans the piercing without drying or irritating skin like hydrogen peroxide and alcohol. Alternatively, you can buy a sterile saline solution to clean the piercing.
2. Wash your hands!
   Before touching your piercing, no matter if you got it three days or three years ago, wash your hands with soap and water. This is a super simple way to prevent infection and keep your piercing and skin safe.
3. Soak your piercing
   Soak clean gauze or paper towels in the cleaning solution and apply it to the piercing for five to 10 minutes one or more times a day.
4. Clean your piercing with soap and water.
   If your piercer recommends cleaning your piercing with soap, after the saline soak, gently wash the area with gentle soap and rinse. Do not use harsh soaps or soap with dyes, fragrances, or triclosan. These could irritate the piercing. You do NOT need to rotate your body jewelry while washing.
5. Dry your piercing
   Gently pat the area dry with a paper towel. Cloth towels can carry bacteria and snag on your jewel

How Long Will It Take My Body Piercing to Heal? (And When Can I Change My Body Jewelry?)

As much as you might want to switch out your body jewelry, it’s best to give your body time to heal. Wait until your piercing is fully healed to change your body jewelry. This will make changing your piercing so much easier and more comfortable when you do get to that point! The healing times below are averages, and it may take longer depending on your amount of activity, health, and other factors.

• Nose: 4 to 6 months
• Septum: 3 months
• Lip: 6 to 8 weeks
• Belly: 8 months to 1 year
• Nipple: 6 months to 1 year

Once you’ve healed, experiment with the many styles of body jewelry to match your personality, your outfits, or the seasons!

A Quick Note about the Importance of Quality Body Jewelry

Using cheap jewelry can be uncomfortable and downright dangerous. The metals used for cheap jewelry often cause allergic reactions, identified by these symptoms:

• Itchy rash around the piercing that spreads
• The piercing hole looks larger than before
• Soreness around the site of the piercing that comes and goes

Nickel is one of the most common skin irritants, and it can cause long-lasting effects on your skin, including permanent discoloration. Choose quality jewelry made from the following metals to avoid allergic reactions:

• Surgical steel
• Solid gold
• Niobium
• Titanium
• Platinum

All our Body by Lavari jewelry is made of high-quality materials that have undergone a series of meticulous inspections. People with sensitive skin can rest assured that Body by Larvari is safe to wear!

What to Do Before You Change Your Body Jewelry

1. Don’t attempt to change your body jewelry until it’s fully healed
   See above for the average healing times for your type of body piercing. When in doubt, wait it out. You don’t want to cause infection or even closure of your piercing by trying to change it too soon.
2. Make sure your area is clean and well lit
   Good lighting makes it easier to see what you’re doing, especially if this is your first time changing a piercing. A clean space makes small jewelry easier to find if you drop it. If you’re in the bathroom, make sure to stop the drain.
3. Clean the body jewelry you’re going to put in
   Use warm water and mild soap to wash your new jewelry. Dry with a clean, soft cloth and set aside.
4. Wash your hands
   Hygiene is key when touching body jewelry!
5. Clean your piercing
   Follow the steps above for the correct procedure.
6. Change your body jewelry
   See below for directions on how to change different types of body jewelry.

How to Change Your Body Jewelry (By Type of Jewelry)

• Corkscrew

Pinch the ball, gem, or shape in your fingers on one hand. Find the back of the hole inside your nose with your pointer finger on your other hand to help guide the stud. Poke the end of the corkscrew into the hole on the outside of your nose. Gently twist it clockwise until you feel it poke through to your finger. Keep twisting until the jewelry is in place.

• L Shaped Nose Pin

Pinch the gem in your fingers. Slide the end of the L into the hole and then turn it so the bent part of the jewelry faces up inside your nose.

• Nose Stud

Take the metal piece at the end of the stud off and set it somewhere safe. Hold the gem in your fingers and push the stud through your nose. Push the end of the stud back on to keep the jewelry from slipping out of your nose.

• Captive Bead

Hold the ring in the fingers of one hand. Grab the bead with your pointer finger and thumb of the other hand. Pull in opposite directions until the tension in the jewelry releases the bead. Gently twist the jewelry out of the piercing hole. See your piercer if you have large gauge jewelry or have trouble getting the tension to release.

Body Jewelry Dos

• Wash your hands every time you touch your piercing or body jewelry. This is the best way to prevent infection.
• Stay healthy, eat well, and get enough sleep. Your piercing is essentially an open wound, and healthy habits help it heal properly and prevent infection.
• Keep the area clean by following the steps above and showering regularly. Showers are actually safer than baths for new piercings because tubs can harbor bacteria.
• Protect your piercing and body jewelry from trauma, which includes constant friction from clothing, contact sports, and playing with the jewelry too much. Excessive motion can cause scar tissue, migration, delayed healing, and other issues.
• Avoid oral contact, rough play, and contact with other people’s body fluids while your piercing is healing.
• Avoid stress and drugs, including a lot of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
• Wash your bedding regularly.

Body Jewelry Don’ts

• Don’t take out your body jewelry and leave the hole open. Even healed piercings can shrink and close within minutes of jewelry removal for certain piercings.
• Don’t rotate your body jewelry.
• Don’t pick at dried discharge with your fingers.
• Don’t use harsh soaps or soaps with dyes, fragrances, or triclosan. Don’t clean your piercing with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or ointments either.
• Don’t overclean your piercing. This can actually irritate it and slow down the healing process.
• Don’t dry your piercing with a cloth towel, which can carry bacteria and snag your jewelry.
• Don’t panic if the area around a new piercing is red, slightly swollen, tender, or if you see a clear, crystal-like crust around the piercing. This is normal for new piercings as they’re healing, but …
• Don’t ignore piercings that you suspect are infected. Signs of infection include severe swelling, pain, redness, smelly dark or green discharge at the site of the piercing, and red lines that radiate from the piercing. Take steps to clean the area and treat the infection. See your doctor if you are experiencing fever or nausea. Minor infections can get worse if you don’t treat them.
• Don’t wear tight clothing that irritates your piercing.
• Don’t submerge your piercing in oceans, lakes, pools, or hot tubs while it’s healing. If you’re going in the water, protect your piercing with a waterproof bandage. But yes, you can swim with a healed body piercing.
• Don’t hang charms or other objects from your jewelry while it’s healing.
• Don’t wear cheap jewelry. The cost is never worth the risk of reaction and long-term skin damage.

Tips for Specific Types of Body Piercings

Belly Piercings

• Use a hard, vented eye patch to cover your belly piercing after first getting it done or during contact sports to protect it.
• Be careful if you’re out in the sun or going tanning with a new piercing. Use sunscreen to protect skin that’s especially sensitive after piercing.

Ear, Cartilage, and Face Piercings

• Cover your pillow with a large, clean t-shirt while you’re sleeping. Rotate the t-shirt every night to give yourself a clean surface to sleep on every night.
• Keep your phone, headphones, glasses, hats, and anything else you wear on your head clean.
• Be careful when doing your hair or getting your hair done.

Oral Piercings

• Gargle with mouthwash or warm salt water after eating.
• Avoid tanning, smoking, chewing tobacco, and oral sex until the piercing heals.
• Avoid spicy foods for the first few days.
• Use ice and cold foods like ice cream to help with swelling.

Nipple Piercings

• Sleep on your back to avoid snagging the body jewelry on your bedding.
• Wear a tight t-shirt or sports bra while sleeping to protect the piercings.

Now that you know how to safely clean and change your body jewelry, shop our Body by Lavari collection to find your new favorite piece to show off your unique shape and style!

Jewelry Mentioned In This Post

• 10K Yellow Gold Circle, Star, and Heart Nose Ring Set
• 14K White Gold White, Pink, and Red Cubic Zirconia Nose Ring Set
• 14K Cubic Zirconia Straight Stud Bezel Nose Ring
• 14K Gold Captive Bead Hoop