Can I Swim After Getting My Ears Pierced?

Any kind of piercing, whether the traditional earlobe kind or on a less common location on the body, can expand your world of jewelry and accessorizing fun. But they can also open a chance of infection. And swimming can increase your risk of developing infections after a piercing.

It’s best to avoid swimming until your piercing is fully healed, which can take a few weeks or a few months. Each piercing will take its own time to heal, and that rate is dependent on several factors including the type of piercing, its location on your body, and how quickly your skin heals, which can be influenced by everything from genetics and diet to sleep and hygiene.

As with any intervention that breaks the skin, whether undertaken for reasons of fashion or medicine, a new piercing creates a wound in the skin. This wound creates an opening where bacteria and other pathogens can infiltrate the body, which can lead to infection.

Immersion in water can exacerbate or accelerate that process, and as such, it’s important to let your new piercing heal before getting back into your swimming routine.

Many piercers recommend sitting out from swimming or extensive water immersion for a minimum of three weeks after a piercing, but your mileage may vary. Talk with your piercer about how best to handle your new addition, because some piercings, such as a tragus or other cartilage piercings, require a longer time to fully heal than a conventional earlobe piercing. Oral piercings, such as the tongue or lip, may take even longer because of their constant exposure to saliva and food, which can introduce bacteria and slow healing.

If you’ve recently gotten a new piercing and are hoping to speed up healing, follow these tips:

• Follow your piercer’s instructions. Your piercer will tell you how best to care for your new addition, and you should follow their instructions closely to heal well and keep your piercing looking great. This usually means no jewelry changes for several months and strict adherence to a schedule of cleaning and rotating the jewelry to promote good healing.
• Don’t touch. Keep your hands away from the piercing unless you’ve just washed them with antibacterial soap. This will help prevent introducing bacteria that could cause an infection.
• Be gentle. When cleaning around the new jewelry, it’s important to be gentle, so as not to tear the wound as it’s healing.
• Avoid alcohol. Most piercers will tell you to skip any alcohol-based cleansers and stick to gentler products.
• Avoid fragrances and dyes. Similarly, fragrances, dyes, and other additives that are often founds in lotions, creams, and powders can irritate a new piercing, so it’s best to stick with unscented natural products suggested by your piercer to promote healing.
• Dry it gently. Excess moisture can become a breeding ground for bacteria, especially if it’s trapped in a warm, dark area. Therefore, when you’re finished cleaning your new piercing, dab it dry gently or use a hair dryer on the lowest setting to make sure the skin is fully dry.