Labret Piercing - Healing

Nowadays, labret piercing is becoming very popular. Girls use it for a body decoration, a fashion detail etc. This type of piercing usually takes six to eight weeks to heal properly. Not taking care of the piercing properly prolongs the healing period. Taking care of a labret piercing after the healing period is less difficult, but you still must take appropriate precautions to ensure it stays free of infections.

Healing times for labret and lip piercing vary a lot, according to the individuals and to the area pierced, but let's get it straight, your piercing will never ever be fully healed in a month time. So take it easy, be patient, your body will show you its gratefulness in the end, that's for sure. Is it useful(sure it is) to remind you here that it is crucial to wash your hands carefully every time you touch your piercing or your jeweler, and preferably with a ph neutral soap. Forbid yourself any consumption of alcohol or drugs during the whole of the initial phase, as they would delay the healing process and could cause you recurring and very painful problems. In the same way, refrain from oral sex at the beginning of the healing process. Yes it is very difficult I give you that but you will be transported with even more bliss when the day comes...

There are two phases to body piercing healing. These two phases are essential so make sure you don't forget half of it on the way.

Initial healing : Necessary time so that skin reshapes inside the piercing hole. During this phase the skin "tube" is hard and red, with lymph flows. You will have to give your labret piercing the maximum care you can during this crucial step. We advise you to give yourself mouthwashes, with Hextryl(containing alcohol), or with physiological serum, about two times a day for a maximum of ten days. You can use Paroex(chlorexidine) as well but you will need to consult your chemist respect the doses and limit the treatment to a maximum of 5 days. All these mouthwashes will be done for a relatively short period of time (about 10 days max). Continuing washing your mouth this way for longer would start destroying its flora and would have the opposite effect to the one you are looking for.

Clean the outer aspect of your labret piercing with a ph neutral soap and lukewarm water or with physiological serum for two months, regularly. You can then continue well spaced out mouthwashes, with physilogical serum, but maximum once a week and only if the pain is too strong. Watch carefully over the aspect of your labret piercing and report anything suspicious or worrying to your body piercing studio or to your chemist. For labret and lip piercings, the initial healing phase is of about 2 and a half months on average.

Full healing : Your labret piercing will only be completely cicatrized (healed) when the skin tube will become white supple and insensitive. It takes from 6 to 9 months. The complete process of healing therefore takes a few months !!!! Your labret or lip piercing will never be healed in a month, even if it seems so!!!! If you have chosen a vertical labret, give it some extra care as vertical labret piercings have one of the longest healing phase.


Long term health issues
Common health risks are damage to teeth from poor placement, gum recession from poor placement, and like most piercings if it is over stretched the hole may never fully close causing you to leak.

Jewelry
Most commonly done at 14g (1.6mm) or 16g (1.2mm), 16g is more typically performed on women due to the more "petite" appearance of it. It is easily stretched but like all stretching just listen to your body. The most common jewelry is a Labret Stud. When a CBR is used, the piercing is generally referred to as a lip ring.

Stretched labret piercings above 12g (2mm) often require "custom" jewelry, as common jewelry for this piercing is not typically produced at larger gauges.

Glass, wood, bioplast, PTFE and acrylic are all good choices because they minimize tooth damage. However, if well placed and not played with excessively, metal should not be an issue.

Related Risks
Airbag
Cigarettes
Embedded Labret
Excess Hair
Gum Recession
Infection
Jaw Bone Erosion
Swollen Lip
Tooth Abrasion
Tooth Drift

What to avoid:
Changing the jewelry
Saunes, Pools, Sea etc
Wearing hats, unclean clothes
Taking off the jewelry for at least 3 weeks
Touching the piercing with dirty hands. Touching it will cause bacteria to spread and pain.
If you believe you may have an infection, see a doctor or the person that did your piercing.
Do not use rubbing alcohol to clean jewelry while it is in your ear as it will irritate the area.

CHECK OUT:
Body Modification
Genital Piercing Risks