Eyebrow piercings normally heal in about 6 to 8 weeks and are usually fairly easy to take care of. Some people have minor swelling, bruising, or bleeding after having their eyebrows pierced. However, that is not an infection. So how do you know if your eyebrow piercing is infected or not? Well, here are some signs to look out for in an infected eyebrow piercing.
Infections
Infections are caused by exposure to germs and other pollutants, which can normally be avoided by practicing good hygiene and a sprinkle of common sense. During the healing process, piercings usually leak a white or pale yellow liquid. This doesn’t mean that your piercing is infected. Sebum, a smelly white substance produced by your oil glands, can also build up on your piercings. This is also normal, and it can be cleaned up pretty easily. Your piercing is probably healthy if your discharge is light in color and not accompanied by any discomfort.
But, if the surrounding tissue around your piercing becomes red, swollen, painful, and warm, or if you get discharge that is dark yellow, bloody, or has a terrible smell, your piercing is most likely infected. Facial piercing infections are frequently accompanied by a tiny, fluid-filled “pimple.” It’s important to treat the infection as soon as possible in order to save your eyebrow piercing.
How to Take Care of Infected Eyebrow Piercing
The Sea Salt Soak
We recommend cleaning new piercings with saline solution because it promotes healing and prevents infection. You can simply buy a bottle of good saline solution at your local pharmacy or online. But there’s no harm in making your own right? Saline solution or sea salt and warm water is the standard treatment for an infected eyebrow piercing. The ingredients are already in your kitchen, so what are you waiting for?
Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you start anything. You can make this sea salt solution by mixing ¼ tablespoon of non-iodized fine sea salt to 8 oz. of warm (not hot) water. Stir the solution until the salt has dissolved. Then, pour the warm solution into a smaller cup (like a shot glass) and soak the infected eyebrow piercing. Use the small cup to hold the solution around the infected area and continue for 3 minutes.
After the infected area has been soaked in the leftover salt solution, apply a warm compress to it. Leave it there until it cools before warming it back up and repeat this process for 30 minutes. Regardless of whether you have an infection or not, some professional piercers may recommend something like this as part of an aftercare routine. If the infection continues for more than a week without improving, seek medical help immediately.
How To Prevent Your Eyebrow From Becoming Infected
Aftercare is key. Improper aftercare and poor hygiene are the leading causes of infected eyebrow piercings. To keep your eyebrow piercing from becoming infected, strictly adhere to the aftercare instructions provided by your professional piercer. You can also ask for their advice when it comes to piercing aftercare spray.
Keep the following points in mind to keep your eyebrow piercing looking fresh and avoid infection or complications. Also note that your professional piercer may offer a slightly different aftercare routine than the one we’ve provided here.
Do:
- Always wash your hand before touching the piercing for any reason.
- While you’re in the shower, clean and rinse the piercing.
- After showering, clean your new piercing at least 2-3 more times during the day for the first week, using saline or the sea salt solution. You can simply dip a cotton swab or cotton pad into the saline or salt solution and clean around the piercing gently. Don’t double dip though!
- If you’ve been sweating a lot, such as after a workout, clean your piercing. Avoid situations that will lead you to sweat excessively, especially during the first week of recovery.
- Keep your allergies in mind, especially if you’re allergic to metals like gold, nickel, or titanium, which can cause significant skin irritation in some people.
Don’t:
- Don’t touch your piercing unless you want to clean it. Constantly touching your new piercing will irritate the skin surrounding the piercing site which can lead to infection.
- Don’t use make-up or skincare products that may irritate your piercing. If you need to pluck or trim your brows, proceed with caution.
- Don’t remove your piercing before it has totally healed unless your professional piercer has given you permission. If you take your piercing out for any reason, make sure to replace it as quickly as possible, but try to avoid it.
- Don’t submerge your new piercing in any body of water, chlorinated or not, until the wound has healed fully.
- Push your brow piercing against walls, doors, and other objects. Try to keep the piercing site free of any tension or trauma.
For ear piercing care and nose piercing care, make sure to read our other articles.