Getting a Tongue ring

so I’ve had my tongue pierced for about 3 months now, and it’s actually my second time. Believe anyone who will tell you that the second time around hurts a lot more then the first. My overall experience was amazing. If your thinking about getting your tongue pierced there’s a few things you should know.

1.) not everyone can get their tongue pierced.
If your tongue isn’t long enough they can not and will not pierce it

2.) will it hurt, what’s the healing process like?
without a doubt, YES it will hurt and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise you know yourself better then anyone, remember that. The healing process is a breeze... if you keep it clean. Your tongue is the fastest healing part of the body, my first tongue piercing healed in less then 15 minutes after my brother had his for 2 years, it healed in 2 hours. Now this is just from my experience, not everyone will be the same, it takes a most 4 weeks to heal, the worst part of my piercing would probably be the night of it being done, it was awfully painful to the point I wanted to take it out, after that the pain reduced significantly and by the end of my second week I was able to get it downsized. You MUST follow the instructions given to you to clean it by your piercer.

3.) will I be able to eat?
yes and no. because your tongue swells up significantly it’ll be hard to eat normally, the first week it is highly recommended that you stick to soft but bland foods, if that’s too much stick to liquids preferably cold ones, it will not only help with the swelling but it will give temporary pain relief, I ate cold soup the first week. For SPICY FOOD lovers, unfortunately it is a food you must avoid until your tongue is completely healed, it will irritate and reduce healing T.T. Stick to ICE WATER, if you love ice cream mows the time to eat all you want. Also the more you chew and the more you talk the more it helps reduce swelling but don’t do it excessively, talk only when spoken to.

4.) can I use medicine to reduce my pain
YES! But only NON ASPRIN!! anything with aspirin will prolong swelling.

5.) what do I use to clean my piercing, will I still have to clean it after it’s healed?
YES and YES! You’re piercer should give you sea salt to help with cleaning if not ask for some or what products to use, they should also recommend a good mouth wash, with the sea salt you’ll need to rinse 4 to 5 times a day, after every meal, basically after anything you put in your mouth that isn’t water, the mouth wash they’ll probably recommend you’ll do 3 times a day after every meal or when you see fit. My experience with the mouth wash was that I used it excessively which resulted in my tongue changing colors so I stopped and only did it when necessary. If YOU SMOKE then it’s a most!! The sea salt I would pour 3 Tbs into a 2 liter or more depending on if I couldn’t taste the salt, then just used that ( I was given 2 packs of bags and only used one the whole 4 weeks it was healing) and gargled when needed.
After your piercing is healed and you’ve downsized the bar it’s highly recommend you clean it, don’t go more the 2 months without cleaning.

6.) what can I use to clean my piercing?
Well if it’s a complete metal piercing you can use the boiling method, I find that soaked in Hydrin peroxide for 3 minutes then 95% cleaning alcohol then rinsed in bottles water (that way you know it’s not contaminated) works best for me. ALWAYS wear disposable gloves when changing ALSO brush your teeth before changing.

7.) can you get an infection?
HELL YES!! someone can an infection after 1 month of it being fully healed if not taken care of properly (I’ve had friends that did, I’ve never tho) even thought your completely healed you can still get an infection from not cleaning or taking care of you piercing. WASH THOSE HANDS, after anything that’s been put in your mouth clean with water, who’s to say you can never go out on the town and have a few bears or drink soda with your lunch, just make sure that after you rinse with water for the first month after that who cares, but ALWAYS WASH THOSE HANDS before you touch.

if your questioning wether you have an infection or not you should probably seek your piercer and or doctor.

Now at the end of the day any and every question should be asked to your piercer, don’t be afraid THEY are a PROFESSIONAL.