How to Treat Infected Piercings

~~ Do not take your jewelry out

If you do take the jewelry out then the infection may get stuck in the piercing instead of actually leaving the piercing as it will.

~~ Go to your doctor

He will prescribe something to treat the infection; anti-biotics for example. You can also take ibuprofen to help with the pain.

~~ Apply salt water to the piercing twice a day

When you wake up and when you go to bed. Mix an eighth of a tablespoon of sea salt with water and apply with a cotton bud. You can't use table salt as it contains iodine.
Do not do this more than twice a day or you will dry out your piercing.

~~ Go to your piercist

They will give you advice.

~~ DO NOT TOUCH YOUR PIERCING

This will only make the piercing worse.

~~ Always wash your hands

If you do have to touch it, always wash your hands first.

~~ Wear looser clothing

If your piercing is one that will rub against your clothing (nipple, belly, genital, hips, etc), try wearing looser clothing.

~~ Make sure it is an infection, not an irritation

A lot of jewelry can irritate your skin. If a metal bar is irritating your skin, you may be allergic to it. Try switching to a bioflex, bioplast or titanium barbell, never use cheap jewelry; especially not a low grade steel or acrylic in a new piercing.

~~ Be fast when changing jewelry

Your piercing holes can close within five minutes if you don't put a new piece of jewelry in. Be sure to clean the piercing and all your jewelry prior to switching them to prevent further infection.

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So my friend's belly button piercing got infected and she texted me asking for advice. I would make this a "How to" guide but I don't think it would work as one so have a blog instead.