Nipple piercing advice wanted!

[liv21]

So I've just become the brand-new owner of a set of nipple rings, and I've got a question for whoever has a knowledgeable answer. My piercer, who is definitely one of the best body piercers in my area (if not the best) has advised me not to rotate the ring, say during or in between cleanings. I've read elsewhere that you should rotate it, although minimally during cleaning, to keep it from sticking and help clean the inside of it.

Knowing the piercing will heal from the outside in, I tend to side with the advice I've already been given--at least for the first few weeks. Does anyone have any experience with this or other words of wisdom?

 

[osirus_4]

Listen to your piercer, that is their business and they know what will work best. One thing I would recommend is getting a spray can of saline and cleaning the outside using the pressure to clean off any debris, don't rotate it and don't clean it too much, 3 or 4 times a day is plenty.

 

[Experiencedguy]

I have known several people and heard of both ways. It seems that whatever you are comfortable with is okay -- but, listen to the pro's advise. As far as cleanliness: If you don't get dirty or sweat a lot, once a day is fine (preferably right after your daily bath or shower). Just make sure you are using a medically approved cleanser, not something you pick up in a grocery store (your local pharmistist can recommend a safe, over the counter cleanser - just make sure to tell him what it is for).

No first hand advise, just my opinion and observations from others.

 

[carrie-on]

HI! I never had a problem with rotating mine once a day and I cleaned them daily when I took my shower using Dial soap.

 

[lovescoldmetal]

personal experience

My own experience was of being told to clean twice daily with sterile normal saline 0.9% and to just push the barbell sideways back and forth slightly to keep it free. Otherwise just to leave it alone. It worked for me and my nipple piercing healed quickly with no problems. Good luck.

 

[Luna_Bella]

My own experience was of being told to clean twice daily with sterile normal saline 0.9% and to just push the barbell sideways back and forth slightly to keep it free. Otherwise just to leave it alone. It worked for me and my nipple piercing healed quickly with no problems. Good luck.

Thats exactly what I was told and what I did and had no problems, although I do not have the piercing anymore since I got pregnant shortly after and wanted to breastfeed without the fear of the baby choking on the jewelry.

 

[warrior queen]

i'm fairly sure i am the only registered piercer who comes to lit, so here is what i tell my own clients...

the biggest cause of infection is your fingers.
do not touch the jewellery or piercing unless you are cleaning it, and you have thoroughly washed your hands first.

cleaning should be done once a day, preferably while in the shower.
allow your piercing to get completely wet and wait a few minutes before beginning to clean (this is a good time to wash your hands!)
start by lathering up your hands and applying a good coating of lather all over the jewellery and piercing.
wait a moment, and then carefully try to remove any 'crusties' that may have accumulated on the metal. DO NOT FORCE THIS - IF NECESSARY, WAIT ANOTHER MOMENT AND TRY AGAIN.
then GENTLY rotate the jewellery back and forth so that your cleanser is being pushed/pulled into the piercing channel.
(i recommend Sapoderm soap or equivalent.)
continue for 1 minute, then stand with water flowing over the piercing and continue sliding the jeweely back and forth to remove soap residue from the piercing channel.

always use a clean, lint-free towel to dry the piercing by gently 'patting' away the surface moisture.

then thoroughly rinse the piercing using sterile saline solution ONLY.
DO NOT USE PRODUCTS ADVERTISED FOR EAR PIERCINGS ETC.
NEVER USE TEA TREE, SAVLON, DETTOL OR ANYTHING OTHER THAN SALINE AS THESE ARE ALL TOO HARSH FOR A FRESH PIERCING AND CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS.

once you have wet the piercing using saline, i tell my clients the best way to thoroughly dry the area is to use a hair dryer on the COOL setting, held at armslength away.
if you don't have a dryer, use a fresh clean lint-free towel (single use only).

while your piercing is healing, several things can irritate it.
when you wash and condition your hair, take care to rinse away from the piercing (perfumes and dyes in hair products can irritate).
same with face washing - rinse away from the piercing.
take care not to overspray when using deodorants or bodyspray - or make sure you wear a bra before applying these.

nipples can sometimes take up to 6 months to heal fully, and they can also flare-up and become infected long after you think they've healed!
if this happens, go back to the wash/rotate/rinse/saline/dry routine for at least 14 days.

good luck

 

[Tmouthful]

Pierce

HI! I never had a problem with rotating mine once a day and I cleaned them daily when I took my shower using Dial soap.

I did this also and never had a problem.

 

[littleangryfly]

I rotated mine once per day, in the shower, after washing my hands very carefully first. I never had any problems.

Having said that, your piercer ( or any qualified piercer ) knows more than me.

Good Luck.

 

[muzicbaby]

When I got mine done I was told rotate twice a day after cleaning with dial soap, pat dry with a paper towel, and not to play with it aside from that. The idea behind rotating was to make sure nothing got stuck according to my piercer (who is one of the best in my parts).

But I'm sure that it is fine either way since he tells all his clients that. If it were a problem I don't think he'd be consdered the best in the area.

 

[liv21]

i'm fairly sure i am the only registered piercer who comes to lit, so here is what i tell my own clients...

the biggest cause of infection is your fingers.
do not touch the jewellery or piercing unless you are cleaning it, and you have thoroughly washed your hands first.

cleaning should be done once a day, preferably while in the shower.
allow your piercing to get completely wet and wait a few minutes before beginning to clean (this is a good time to wash your hands!)
start by lathering up your hands and applying a good coating of lather all over the jewellery and piercing.
wait a moment, and then carefully try to remove any 'crusties' that may have accumulated on the metal. DO NOT FORCE THIS - IF NECESSARY, WAIT ANOTHER MOMENT AND TRY AGAIN.
then GENTLY rotate the jewellery back and forth so that your cleanser is being pushed/pulled into the piercing channel.
(i recommend Sapoderm soap or equivalent.)
continue for 1 minute, then stand with water flowing over the piercing and continue sliding the jeweely back and forth to remove soap residue from the piercing channel.

always use a clean, lint-free towel to dry the piercing by gently 'patting' away the surface moisture.

then thoroughly rinse the piercing using sterile saline solution ONLY.
DO NOT USE PRODUCTS ADVERTISED FOR EAR PIERCINGS ETC.
NEVER USE TEA TREE, SAVLON, DETTOL OR ANYTHING OTHER THAN SALINE AS THESE ARE ALL TOO HARSH FOR A FRESH PIERCING AND CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS.

once you have wet the piercing using saline, i tell my clients the best way to thoroughly dry the area is to use a hair dryer on the COOL setting, held at armslength away.
if you don't have a dryer, use a fresh clean lint-free towel (single use only).

while your piercing is healing, several things can irritate it.
when you wash and condition your hair, take care to rinse away from the piercing (perfumes and dyes in hair products can irritate).
same with face washing - rinse away from the piercing.
take care not to overspray when using deodorants or bodyspray - or make sure you wear a bra before applying these.

nipples can sometimes take up to 6 months to heal fully, and they can also flare-up and become infected long after you think they've healed!
if this happens, go back to the wash/rotate/rinse/saline/dry routine for at least 14 days.

good luck

Thanks to all, but I definitely appreciate the advice from a professional! I've been cleaning twice per day, which seems to be making the piercing and surrounding skin a little dry. I'm going to cut back to once per day, and just do an extra saline soak as needed.

 

[Aurantica]

I'm actually considering getting my nipples done . Ive got my navel done, so I know how to care for them after. Can you tell me how bad it hurt?

 

[liv21]

I'm actually considering getting my nipples done . Ive got my navel done, so I know how to care for them after. Can you tell me how bad it hurt?

Well the only other piercing I've had was my nose, which hardly hurt at all. You'll certainly feel the piercing procedure itself, but it's nothing the average person can't handle. I asked my piercer what kind of pain to expect, and she told me, "It's definitely a pinch. Nipples don't play around." You'll be better prepared for the second one, but it does actually hurt worse than the first since your endorphins dull the shock and pain of the first. I think for me the worst was the first 24 hours after they were done. I was bandaged up and everything, but even if I didn't move, they did ache. After two days, I didn't feel any more pain.

I believe the size of the needle is about the same for the navel, but nipples are certainly more sensitive. So long as your pain threshold is average, it'll be nothing to really worry about.