How to Remove a Piercing: Quick & Safe Tips!

Removing Your Piercing for the First Time

For the first time you change your piercing, it’s advisable to visit your piercing artist. If you’ve selected a skilled professional, they will likely ask you to come back about a month after the initial piercing. This visit allows the piercer to check on the healing process and ensure there’s no infection, remove the initial jewelry, and teach you how to change the jewelry yourself in the future.

Removing Your Piercing: Hygiene Matters

If returning to your piercer isn’t an option, or if you prefer to switch the jewelry yourself, be mindful of hygiene practices. Washing your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or antiseptic soap is essential to prevent potential complications. This should become a routine every time you change your piercing. Next, immerse both the jewelry you are removing and the new one you plan to wear in an antibacterial solution for at least a minute. Use the same solution to cleanse the pierced area on your skin. To store the piercings you are not wearing, keep them in a closed box and separate them from your other jewelry.

Removing Your Piercing: Handy Tips

There’s no need to get frustrated with a stubborn piercing. Stay calm and examine the jewelry closely. Piercings that include a ball are usually screwable. If you’re struggling to remove the ball, it’s possibly because you’re turning it the wrong way. Rings can be trickier to remove. Normally, pulling on both sides of smaller rings should release the ball. Larger rings might require professional help. If you’re having trouble holding onto the jewelry, as it slips between your fingers, consider wearing gloves like a piercer would. A paper towel can be helpful to absorb saliva for mouth piercings. If the task proves too challenging, don’t hesitate to seek professional help, whether from a piercer or a doctor, particularly if an infection might be complicating the removal.