How to Take a Bath with a New Piercing

Loriety

Editor

posted on 8 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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If you've got a new piercing, you know how important it is to keep it clean and healthy. Taking a bath with a new piercing is best avoided, if possible; showering is safer and easier. However, if your only option is to take a bath, some precautions can help you avoid infections.

Steps

Showering Instead

Take a shower instead, if you can. It is easier, safer, and overall a better idea. You should ideally not have a soaking bath until the piercing is through the initial healing stages, and oozing, bleeding and scabbing have all stopped.

Shower as normal. Just be careful to avoid hitting or damaging your piercing area. Don't pull at or scrub the area.

When you're done, pat the area dry very lightly with a clean, soft towel.

Rinse the wound out with sea salt water (one pinch in an eggcup of boiled and cooled water is about right) or tea tree oil. Ideally both. The purpose of this is to rinse out any bacteria or soap that might have snuck in there.

Clean your piercing thoroughly before you sleep that night using normal procedure.

Bathing (if Necessary)

Do it in your own, clean bath. Clean the bath thoroughly first. Disinfectant and a very good rinse. Repeat this step every single time you bathe with a new piercing.

Be sensible with the temperature of the water. Very hot water will cause your piercing to swell and hurt.

If possible, cover the piercing with a waterproof dressing. If not possible, do everything you can to keep the piercing well clear of the water. Make sure a minimum amount of contact occurs between the piercing and the water.

Make the bath as quick as possible. Do not allow any soap, shampoo, conditioner or any other chemicals to get on the piercing. Do not touch, pull, tug, brush against, wash over, scrub around or near the piercing whilst you are in the water.

Once you get out, pat the area dry very lightly with a clean, soft towel. Then immediately rinse the wound out with sea salt water (one pinch in an eggcup of boiled and cooled water is about right) or tea tree oil. Ideally both. The purpose of this is to rinse out any bacteria, or soaps that might have snuck in there, and it is absolutely critically important that you do this as soon as you are out of the water.