tragus

[YoshiBear_mod]

ok, so i got my tragus pierced a couple of hours ago(and i love it!), and my piercer told me all about the sea salt soaks and everything. *but i was wondering if i should also clean it any with antibacterial soap...

[wayfastwhitey]

I think you should, as long as it isn't too strong, you don't want to irritate it. And make sure you clean it completly out.

[SheepKaboom]

Hey there, and congratulations on your new piercing!

By all means use antibacterial, unscented, non-glycerine soap. *I personally recommend a liquid soap - it's less likely to get grime and bacteria and other such things in it. *Lather some up on your hands and smear it over and around the piercing, inside the ear a bit, anywhere near the piercing. *Let it sit for a minute or so, and then completely wash the soap away. *Wayfastwhitey is right - leaving the soap in could irritate the piercing. *Also - do not rotate the jewelry! *This will irritate it and make it take longer to heal.

[Illyria Jade_mod]

PLEASE NOTE :: *It does NOT MATTER if you rotate the jewelry or not. *If you choose to rotate the jewelry, you need to make sure all of the crusties are off before you rotate. *But rotating clean jewelry WILL NOT HURT YOUR PIERCING. *It does not introduce contaminents, irritate or tear your piercing.

However, if the jewelry is *stuck* or tight, and does not want to move, then you should not force it to move, as you can tear the healing tube of your piercing.

Some piercers say to rotate, some say that rotating is horrible for piercings...in all actuality, it does not matter. *Your piercing will be just as healthy if you don't rotate as if you do rotate, and rotating your jewelry will not harm your piercing in any way.


It is good to wash your piercing with soap of some sort, it does not have to be antibacterial if you prefer it not to be. *Regular soap will get your piercing just as clean as antibacterial soap will. *

Use a gentle, fragrance and dye free soap. *The less ingredients it has to irritate your piercing with, the better.


Lather the soap up and put it on your piercing. *Rotate it into your piercing if you want. *Then leave it for three minutes before rinsing thoroughly. *Remember that if you rotated the ring to get soap into it, you must rotate the ring to rinse the soap out. *Then perform your sea salt soak.

[SheepKaboom]

*blink* *Oh. **facepalm* *I could've sworn...

Learn something new every day! **raspberry* *Thanks, Ria.

[YoshiBear_mod]

ok well thanks guys! and since it is such a small spot of the ear , do you think it would be best to apply the soap wit a q-tip or should i just rub a little dab or something on it??

[iamblackbird]

A q-tip may be easier, since it's smaller. Really, it's just what you feel most comfortable with.
Whichever you use, though, make SURE it's CLEAN.

[wayfastwhitey]

I know tragus and lip peircings are different but when I want to clean my lip and its stuck, I rince it under some water so I don't trear it.

And just to be clear, don't rotate / play with it when your not cleaning it :)

Good luck with your healing.

[Illyria Jade_mod]

I always apply mine with my fingertips and massage it in thoroughly. *But that's my own personal preference. *Try it both ways, see what works best for you! *:)

[kaposhia_mod]

I have a rook, and I clean it by rubbing the soap bubbles on it, then dry it with Q-tips. But like Ria said, whatever is most comfortable for you.

[Illyria Jade_mod]

I wash once a day, in the shower, so it's easy to rinse that way. *The best option for rooks really is to get H2Ocean, you can just spray it on a few times a day and let it dry there, it's wonderful!!

[kaposhia_mod]

*The best option for rooks really is to get H2Ocean, you can just spray it on a few times a day and let it dry there, it's wonderful!!
Yes, Ria, we have all heard your testimony for H2Ocean. *:roll: (hehe, just picking!) *And whenever my rook decides to not agree with me, I will seriously consider buying some. As for now, it's happy getting washed twice a day with soap. Hardly any crusties, either. But it's still a baby; I know I'm not done dealing with annoying features of new piercings.

[iamblackbird]

I'm actually a fan of washing my piercing with mild soap, then rinsing with H2Ocean.