Well we are now approaching that time of year again here in Australia when the question of Summer fun in the water is asked often when people are considering getting a new piercing.

Care should be taken with fresh piercings and swimming for the first month or so.

The general rule of thumb regarding swimming with fresh piercings is – “If you’d be worried for your health if you got a mouthful of the water you’re considering swimming in, then DON’T put your fresh piercing in it.”

This most commonly applies to:

• public swimming pools
• home pools that are not well maintained
• public and home spas
• rivers and lakes because there is no bacterial control
• and “still” salt water like bay beaches.

Until your piercing has healed it is an open wound that is prone to infection if you bathe in water with a high bacterial content. The worst offender in this is heated spa’s.

Surf beaches are usually ok. The water here is much cleaner than other choices.

If you want to take a dip and you’re unsure regards the quality of the water – or whether your piercing is healed – please use a waterproof dressing such as tegaderm. Waterproof dressings are available from most pharmacies.

Gently rinse your piercing with sterile saline or clean water after swimming – and ENJOY YOUR SUMMER 🙂

Remember to not leave infections untreated. They can turn nasty quickly.