Questions about Piercing

• Is everything sterile?
• When can I remove or change the jewellery?
• How long can the jewellery be out before it closes?
• There is raised skin around my piercing. What is it?
• What is an infection?
• How can I tell if I have an infection?
• I think I have an infection. What should I do?
• How long should I wait before I stretch my piercing?
• What type of jewelry do you use?
• How big can I start with?

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What is an infection?

Infections are caused by contact with bacteria, fungi, or other living pathogens. Piercing infections can usually be traced to one of the following activities:
- Touching the piercing with unwashed hands, or letting someone else touch the piercing
- Oral contact with the piercing, including your own saliva
- Allowing body fluids to contact the piercing (your urine is sterile to your own body), contact with hair, cosmetics, oils, infrequently washed clothing or bedding or other agents
- Going into a pool, hot tub, lake, ocean, or other body of water (your own clean bathtub is okay)