Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before touching your ears. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly right before handling your earrings. This will prevent you from transferring bacteria to your ears with your fingers. Use an antibacterial soap to ensure that your hands are as clean as possible.[1]
- Lather your hands with soap and wash them for a full 10-15 seconds to kill germs.
Clean your ears twice a day with soap and water. Lather a mild soap between your fingers until it is foamy. Gently rub the soap onto the front and back of your piercings. Carefully wipe your ears with a clean, wet cloth to remove the soap
Apply rubbing alcohol or an antibiotic ointment twice a day for 2-3 days. Disinfecting your ear piercings will cut down the chance of infection and speed up the healing process. Dab rubbing alcohol or antibiotic ointment to your ears with a cotton ball or swab.[4] Discontinue this after a few days, as prolonged of these treatments can dry the sites of your piercings and make it harder for them to heal
Rotate the earrings gently while the skin is still wet. Grasp the back of your earrings and rotate them carefully right after cleaning the area. This will prevent the piercings from closing too tightly around the jewelry while they heal. You should only do this while your ears are still wet.[6]
- Twisting your new piercings when your skin is dry may cause it to crack and bleed, resulting in a longer healing time.