If you’ve ever gotten a piercing, you know that piercing aftercare solution is imperative to your piercing healing process. (If you haven’t gotten a piercing before, now you know, too.) But, you might be curious about how piercing aftercare solution works and why piercers recommend products specific to piercings rather than other options.
We care about your health as much as you do, and we want you to feel confident in the products that you use on your piercing. Here’s a quick guide to piercing aftercare solutions and how they work.
How does saline solution work on piercings?
Piercing aftercare solution is a mixture of purified water and sodium chloride. You might know it as saline solution.
Saline solution is used in many ways, from cleaning wounds (like your piercing), treating dehydration, or clearing out nasal passages. (Keep in mind that even though saline solution has many uses, saline products vary, so if you have a saline solution product for a specific issue, consult a medical professional before using it for something else. We’ll talk more about this later.)
In simple terms, the salt in the saline solution dehydrates bacteria, which kills it.
We use saline solution for piercing aftercare for a number of reasons. Its two ingredients—salt and water—won’t irritate your skin like other chemicals might. It’s also an effective disinfectant. Without going too deep into the science of it, the salt essentially sucks water from bacteria, killing it off. The solution also helps to flush away debris from the piercing entrance and exit.
Use of piercing aftercare solution 2 – 3 times daily is the most common suggestion of piercing professionals. Regular cleaning in combination with a healthy lifestyle, regular hygiene, and avoiding irritation of the fresh piercing is the best recipe for a healthy piercing.
Can I use contact solution on my piercings?
The short answer is easy: no, you cannot.
As mentioned previously, not all saline solutions are the same. Depending on its intended use, it may have additives that could irritate your skin. Contact solution is one of these. It includes ingredients that cleans oil and other debris from the contact lens. While these are fine for your eyes, they aren’t so great for your healing piercing.
Saline solution for contact lenses contains additives that are not safe for healing piercings.
If you have saline solution that’s free from additives (in other words, it only contains pharmaceutical-grade water and sodium chloride), then this is probably safe to use on your piercing. However, it’s best to be sure and either confer with a piercer or stick to piercing aftercare solution.
Why should I use a piercing aftercare solution?
As a piercing aftercare company, we clearly believe that saline solution created specifically for piercing aftercare is the best solution for your piercing needs. But, there are many reasons why we came to this conclusion.
Piercing aftercare solution comes precisely prepared in a sterile package. New piercings are delicate. Homemade solutions are not sterile and inevitably get the ratio of salt to water incorrect which can cause complications. When you invest in a solution made specifically for piercings, it takes away any guessing, and you can be secure in the fact that your piercing will remain healthy.
Piercing aftercare solution takes the guesswork out of aftercare and ensures that your piercing will remain healthy.
Additionally, piercing aftercare solutions come in a package that’s specifically created for piercing aftercare. For example, our fine mist spray can be sprayed in any direction so that you can clean piercings in hard-to-reach places. It’s also designed so that all you have to do is spray the front and back of the piercing, and you’re ready to go. It combines convenience and safety in a single product.
Now that you know a little more about how saline solution works, hopefully you better understand why it’s so important to keep your piercing clean. A quick spray 2 – 3 times a day does wonders for the health of your piercing and ensures that you can enjoy your body jewelry for years to come.
