How do you know if your nipple piercing is infected? Getting a nipple piercing can be quite the experience, especially for those with low pain thresholds.
However, people still go ahead with it and stick out the recovery period because of the appeal that nipple piercings have with the likes of Rihanna, showing us how sexy it can look. With some TLC, your nipple piercing will be healed, and you’ll be super proud that you did it.
Given how sensitive the nipple area is, it tends to take about a year to heal completely. That’s quite a while, and you need to be vigilant so that it can heal correctly and without incident.
However, we’re always perfect in our ways, and if something goes wrong, we can end up getting an infection. In this article, we are looking at signs and symptoms of an infection and what to do when you get one.
How do you know if your nipple piercing is infected?
Things have been going alright with your piercing until you start experiencing some discomfort that wasn’t there before.
That can be a cause of concern because a piercing is essentially an open wound that needs time to heal. If that happens, think back to what’s happened during the minute’s prior.
Did you snag the nipple piercing on something, or did you accidentally hit the area? If that’s the case, you’ll be alright. However, if the discomfort continues, it could be something more.
There is a difference between in infected nipple piercing and a nipple irritation. ( you guys can click the 2 links to read more on healthline.com)When the nipple is irritated, it might red, sore, and sensitive to touch. When you leave it alone, the sensitivity tends to lessen withing an hour or days without doing anything. The discomfort tends to be present when the piercing is new, when the nipple ring gets caught in something momentarily, or when you bump into something.
When the nipple piercing is infected, things are quite different, as you’ll come to understand pretty soon. An infection can start as an irritation only that it stays on. If you start feeling any of the following, it might be the signs of an infection starting
- The piercing feels and is hot when you touch it
- It is extremely sensitive and even painful when touched
- There are swelling and rashes where the piercing is
- There is yellow, green or brown discharge accompanied by a bad odor
- You’re developing a fever that comes with body aches and fatigue
If you have any of the above, then you have developed an infection. The primary culprits of infections are frequently touching where you’ve been pierced. That’s because touching the area increases the likelihood of a transfer of bacteria.
The other thing that causes infections is introducing saliva and other bodily fluids to the nipple piercing. That’s why people are advised not to touch the area during sex until it’s fully healed.
Also, you want` to stick to the original nipple ring that you got pierced with. They have likely gotten you something that is hypoallergenic and won’t irritate your skin during the healing process.
Changing the nipple ring can cause the area to get irritation or infection, especially if you put a metal or metal alloy that your skin is allergic to. You, therefore, have to stick to something more straightforward for a few months.
What to do if your nipple piercing infected?
If you have any of the signs that we’ve mentioned, then you should take action immediately. That way, you get read of the discomfort fast and also avoid complications. The first step you should take is to clean the area. You should use soaps for sensitive skin and nothing more. Don’t use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ointments, or even cleansers. After cleaning, let it dry.
It might be tempting to but don’t also poke or pinch your nipple in an attempt to drain the infection fluid. That will only lead to severe complications because you don’t know what’s happening underneath. There is another way to improve the drainage in localized infection, and that’s by using a warm press. Place it on the nipple and allow it to rest for a few minutes.
After, you can soak your nipple in warm sea saltwater. You can do the two about three times a day for several minutes until the area is better. After, gently clean and dry the pierced area. In this process, you want to be gentle. Another thing to avoid is using antibiotic over-the-counter creams or ointments. They may feel like a good idea, but what they end up doing instead is trapping the bacteria under the skin, which then makes things worse.
There are instances where home remedies are not enough, and you may need to see a doctor. That will be the case if the initial treatment you’ve done yourself doesn’t work, and it’s typically meant to take about one to two days to clear up. In that case, you’ll have to see a physician to give you antibiotic medication that you may need to take for two weeks or as prescribed. They may also recommend an antibiotic topical. Share all the information with your doctor, especially if you notice anything odd.
The risk of infection is ongoing during the healing process. What’s important is that you have excellent aftercare once you’ve got the piercing. The best thing to do is not touch the area unless you have to, for example, when the nipple ring has come off. Even then, you should clean your hands first, use a sea salt soak to clean the area and the ring, and then put it back.
You should also frequently do soaks and also gently wash and dry the area when you shower or bath.
Important Note:
Overall, if you want to ensure that you don’t get an infection or a recurrence, then you should follow all the instructions that the professional piercer has given you. It might feel like a lot, but it saves you the trouble of having to deal with something worse. If your situation is getting worse, you should go to see the doctor nearby.
Conclusion
The primary way of avoiding infection or even irritation is the first place is taking aftercare seriously. It means leaving the piercing alone, and if you have to touch the area, say, to fix the ring, then make sure you’ve cleaned both your hands and the area.
Otherwise, you should do the stick to cleaning the area with mild soap after a shower. If you notice an infection, use the sea saltwater soak for a few days.
Otherwise, be patient with the healing process altogether. It is worth the wait. You also don’t want anything going wrong as it might mean taking out the piercing and waiting for the nipple to heal before getting a new one. The other reason to care for it is you don’t want to end up having to suffer extreme cases such as scarring, nerve damage, keloids, tearing, or bleeding.
The way your healing takes place is entirely on your hands. You want that by the end of the yearlong healing, you come away with a sexy piercing that you’re proud of.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.