Eyebrow Piercing Aftercare and Healing Times

Eyebrow Piercing Aftercare and Healing Times

Eyebrow piercings are becoming increasingly popular around the world. However, as they grow in commonality, those who choose to get in on the fun must recognize the care requirements for this body art.

Below, you’ll find crucial aftercare instructions for eyebrow piercings, along with risks to consider and expectations for healing times.

How to Care for Your Piercing

First, understand that your eyebrow piercing is considered a surface piercing. This means that it is located on a flat area of the body with relatively thin skin, having two punctures (an entry and exit point), creating the “double-pierced” look.

These piercings are vulnerable to unique risks, mainly “piercing rejection,” described below, and infection. Despite the risks surrounding this type of body decoration, you can still keep your eyebrow safe and healthy by following a daily cleaning routine.

Clean your eyebrow piercing with a saline solution twice daily. You can either make your own or buy a premade solution with the correct salt water balance.

The best aftercare product I’ve personally used is the After Inked Piercing Aftercare Spray. Not only is it vegan, but it’s also completely alcohol and additive-free. The solution works well on all skin types including sensitive skin, and it comes in a generously-sized mist-spraying bottle for easy application. When using it from the very start of the healing process, the spray helps to decrease healing times and aims to eliminate any lingering pain or soreness.

If you decide to make your own solution, pour a small amount of it into a glass or coffee cup, and warm it up so it’s lukewarm, (no hotter or it could damage the wound). Avoid paper or plastic cups, as this can interfere with your cleaning solution.

Dip a paper towel or clean washcloth into the saltwater, and hold it on your eyebrow and allow it to soak for 5-10 minutes.

You can also hold the cup up to your face and submerge your eyebrow directly. This is a bit more awkward to do but can give the area a better soak.

Try to avoid using cotton balls and Q-tips when cleaning your piercing. The fibers of these cleaning tools can get stuck in your piercing, and you may accidentally pull the jewelry.

Signs of Piercing Rejection

Realistically, the body’s natural immune response can result in the rejection of any piercing you attempt to place, no matter where it may be. However, it’s easier for piercing rejection to occur in areas with thinner, more sensitive skin, such as your eyebrow.

Signs of piercing rejection include:

• More of the jewelry becomes exposed over time
• Soreness
• Irritation
• Inflammation
• Piercing holes grow larger
• Jewelry is positioned differently
• Jewelry becomes looser over time

Although this may seem scary, this problem can be easily avoided by choosing a qualified piercer and faithfully following the care instructions listed above.

Signs Your Eyebrow Piercing Isn’t Healing Properly

The main health risk you may face after getting an eyebrow piercing is developing a bacterial infection. If you do not properly care for your piercing during the critical healing period, you might notice an abscess forming after some time.

The abscess will fill with pus and begin to cover the area surrounding the piercing. This issue is not one to take lightly, as it can lead to serious side effects if you do not resolve it right away. Health experts warn that the following issues which can arise from such infections:

• Sepsis (one symptom of which is organ failure)
• Blood poisoning
  • High fever
  • Chills
  • Heightened heart rate
  • Heightened respiratory rate

Further Risks to Consider and How to Avoid Them

Fortunately, with an eyebrow piercing, the risk of sepsis and blood poisoning is relatively low compared to nose and mouth piercings. This is because those areas harbor far more bacteria than the face does. Still, you must consider these possibilities when caring for your piercing.

Simpler complications that may develop from your eyebrow piercing include:

• Swelling
• Growing a keloid (overgrown skin, primarily occurring near skin injuries)
• Excessive or intermittent bleeding
• Other forms of scarring

The best way to avoid the complications discussed above is to be consistent and attentive when caring for your piercing.

Cleaning your eyebrow twice daily using the instructions listed above. Making sure you wash your hands before cleaning the piercing is non-negotiable. You’ll also want to avoid swimming while the area heals to avoid unnecessary exposure to bacteria and other pathogens.

Lastly, it’s best to avoid touching and fiddling with the jewelry as much as possible. Too much movement or taking the jewelry in and out will repeatedly reopen the wound, extending your recovery time and increasing the risk of complications.

Average Healing Time for Eyebrow Piercings

The average eyebrow piercing takes about two to three months to heal fully. However, the time may extend to three to four months, or even between five to six months, depending on your body and lifestyle.

The type of eyebrow piercing you get will also play a critical role in the healing period. The different kinds include:

• Vertical
• Horizontal
• Spiral
• T-piercing

Spiral and T-piercings require additional entry and exit points and will almost certainly take longer to heal than vertical and horizontal types.

Summary

Eyebrow piercings are unique options for self-expression via body art. Yet, as popular and beautiful as they are, these piercings do not come without risks.

Nevertheless, caring for your piercing during the average 2-3 month healing period with saltwater soaks twice daily will help to prevent piercing rejection and infections. With these instructions, you can keep your eyebrow looking perfect and in good health for as long as possible.

• Getting A Piercing / Piercings
• General Piercing Questions / Piercings
• Piercing Healing Questions / Piercings
• Getting A Piercing / Piercings
• Eyebrow Piercings / Piercings
• Getting A Piercing / Piercings
• Piercing Healing Questions / Piercings
• Piercing Healing Questions / Piercings
• General Piercing Questions / Piercings
• Eyebrow Piercings / Piercings
• Eyebrow Piercings / Piercings
• Piercing Healing Questions / Piercings