A Complete Guide to Managing and Relieving Piercing Pain

More than 80% of Americans have their ears pierced at this point. About 15% also have something other than their ears pierced, including their noses, tongues, lips, and more.

If you've had your ears or something else pierced in the past, you might already be familiar with piercing pain. But if you're preparing to get your very first piercing or simply piercing something you haven't pierced before, you might be worried about piercing pain.

It doesn't matter if you're concerned about pain for ear piercing, nose piercing pain, or the pain of tongue piercing. There are some simple steps you can take to get piercing pain under control and set yourself up with long-term relief.

We've put together a guide on managing and relieving pain below that should help you no matter where your pain falls on the piercing pain scale. Continue reading to find out what you need to know about piercings and pain.

Begin by Understanding the Possible Risks of Getting a Piercing

Before you decide to get a new piercing, you should well aware of all the potential risks that could be associated with it. Regardless of whether you're going to be getting your ears pierced or something else, there will be possible problems that could pop up.

Here are several risks that should be on your radar:

• You may end up being allergic to the jewelry used for a piercing
• You may wind up getting a skin infection caused by a piercing
• You may experience oral complications due to a piercing done in or around your mouth
• You may be subjected to a bloodborne disease as a result of a piercing

We should point out that most places that offer piercings are very careful to take the proper precautions to avoid putting people at risk. But it's worth knowing about these risks since they could cause you piercing pain at some point.

Pick the Right Place to Get a Piercing Done

When you want to get a new piercing done, there should be plenty of places in your immediate area that can provide you with one. There are, after all, almost 10,000 piercing studios scattered throughout the country.

That being said, you shouldn't have a piercing done just anywhere. You should do your homework on the piercing places in your city to see which one will be your best option.

The place that you choose should be able to offer:

• Experienced employees who are properly trained when it comes to piercing various parts of the body
• The right piercing equipment
• A strict sterilization process for their piercing services
• Hypoallergenic piercing jewelry

You might end up being in a lot of piercing pain if you choose to use the wrong piercing studio. It'll be well worth investigating your options so that you're able to land on the right one.

Commit to Taking Good Care of a New Piercing

Choosing the right piercing studio is going to be very important when it comes to getting a new piercing that will be done right. But it's going to be every bit as important to take great care of a new piercing once you get it to avoid too much piercing pain.

Some things you can do to care for a new piercing include:

• Using soap and water to clean around a piercing
• Twisting piercing jewelry gently while cleaning it to steer clear of it getting stuck
• Swigging alcohol-free mouthwash for an oral piercing to clean it
• Following any additional care instructions provided by your piercing studio

Doing these things might not immediately relieve piercing pain. But they will prevent a piercing from getting infected, which could lead to you dealing with pain that will be on the higher end of the piercing pain scale.

Take NSAIDs to Deal With Piercing Pain

Whether you get your ear pierced, your nose pierced, or another part of your body pierced, there will be at least a little bit of pain that will come along with it. One of the best ways to make this pain more manageable will be by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.

NSAIDs will reduce the pain that you feel after getting a new piercing and allow you to recover to a point where you won't need them to manage pain anymore. They should be all you'll need to stop piercing pain from getting the best of you.

Put Ice on a New Piercing to Alleviate Pain

Outside of taking NSAIDs to treat piercing pain, you might also want to apply ice to any piercings that are causing you pain. An ice compress can help numb the pain for the time being and buy you some time until the pain begins to go away on its own.

Just be careful about not allowing ice to sit directly on your skin for too long. While it might help with the piercing pain, it can also damage your skin and make it even more sensitive to touch.

Avoid Doing Things That Can Cause Piercing Pain

There are certain things that can irritate a new piercing and cause you to experience even more pain than you're already dealing with. You should steer clear of doing them at all costs.

Check out a few things you should avoid doing with a new piercing:

• Jumping into pools, hot tubs, lakes, or any other bodies of water that could allow bacteria to get into your piercing
• Fiddling around with a new piercing (other than when you're cleaning it!)
• Wearing tight clothing that could rub up against a piercing and irritate it

Generally speaking, you'll want to take it easy when you have a new piercing and give your body the time it needs to heal. Otherwise, you might end up being saddled with more piercing pain than you bargained for.

Invest in High-Quality Jewelry for a New Piercing

You shouldn't allow the pain that you may experience after getting a new piercing to deter you from wanting to get one in the first place. You should just be prepared to deal with this piercing pain accordingly.

You should also prepare to show off your new piercing by investing in high-quality jewelry that you can wear once your piercing heals. Body Pierce Jewelry can provide you with earrings, nose rings, tongue rings, belly-button rings, and more.

Start shopping for some of the best-selling jewelry on our website today.