Can you use kosher salt to clean your infected piercing?

Answer 1

I've been in the body piercing industry for over 15 years and it is my opinion based on this experience that there is only one way to clear up an infection at the site of a piercing or anywhere else on the body and that is to treat the area with an antibiotic. you can use a natural antibiotic such as tea tree oil, however what has and continues to work for my clients is the following:

First: be sure you have an infection to begin with. there are generally 3 things that indicate infection and all 3 must be present:

1. the area around the piercing will be red and painful.

2. there will be heat radiating around the piercing, like it has a fever, it will feel hot to the touch.

3. there will be a discharge from the hole,. alot or a little, and this discharge will be of a yellowish or even greenish color and it will smell bad.

if all 3 of these indicators are not present chances are what you have is probably just a little irritation and can be remedied simply by going back to your original cleaning regimen. that is, by cleaning with clear antibacterial soap 2x/day.

If you have determined that what you have is, indeed, an infection, i recommend and my clients have been helped by doing the following 2x/day:

1. preferably in the shower, apply clear antibacterial soap to the affected area and lather it up. gently rub the bubbles around your piercing with the tips of your fingers (never use a loofah or your fingernail) loosening any crusty buildup of discharge that may have formed at the edge of the hole.

2. once all the crusties are removed turn your ring or move your barbell up and down, whichever applies, always gently. this allows the antibacterial soap to actually get into your piercing. wait 1-2 minutes and rinse. while rinsing, gently rotate your ring or move your barbell up and down and be sure to do this long enough to insure that all soap is rinsed out.

3. gently dry the area and apply antibiotic ointment very sparingly, this is important. just use the smallest amount of this ointment and DO NOT rotate or otherwise move jewelry around after ointment is applied. leave it alone.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: only do this for a max of 3 days, that's 6 applications. if you haven't seen a marked improvement in the condition of your piercing at this time go see your piercer or your doctor. do not remove your jewelry unless instructed to do so by your piercer or your doctor. AND any information and/or instructions you receive from your doctor supercedes anything you read here.