A guide to infected piercings + do's and don'ts

I would like to open this post by saying that my writing skills are God awful so excuse all the run on sentences/overuse of commas and off topic writing. Feel free to correct me on anything! I really wanted to make a post about infections to go along with this post on irritation bumps.

#What is an infection?

And infection is the invasion of bacteria that are not commonly present within the human body. The human body also has a natural microbiome of bacteria that helps heal wounds (piercings), attack pathogens and digest food.

True infections in piercings are also really rare,

#What are the signs of infection?

Now, this is where my inability to type really gets the best of me. So, to save your the trauma of reading I drew a diagram to help :D

IMAGE

Bleeding and bruising are not signs of infection

Usually infected piercings will show ALL these signs. Swollen lymph nodes and being hot to the touch are 2 very important symptoms because they usually don't happen when piercings are irritated. After being pierced the area may also feel warm, it's very normal. (Here's a guide on how to feel your lymph nodes.)[https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324105#how-to-check-lymph-nodes-for-swelling]

Bumps are also not a sign of infection. If your piercing has a bump then it's probably just irritated (unless you also have the other symptoms of infection).

#How to treat infections

ANTIBIOTICS FROM YOUR DOCTOR

Not tea tree oil, or warm salt water, or warm compresses. Its extremely important that you treat an infection with antibiotics prescribed from your doctor. If infections go untreated it could spread to your blood stream and cause sepsis aka blood poisoning.

If you get crusty pus you should use sterile saline solution (with no additives) and spray the area. I personally prefer getting into the shower and making the warm water loosen and wash away crusties. This won't fix the infection but I'll keep her area a little cleaner.

#Random dos and don'ts

-Don't take out the jewelry. The infection could get trapped within the skin. -Don't use harsh chemicals. You'll destroy your skins microbiome (which helps wounds heal) and you'll still be left with an infection. -Don't try to squeeze pus out. Just...don't squeeze anything please. -Don't touch the piercing. You don't want to introduce even more bacteria to the area -Talk to your piercer. If you can't quite figure out if you have an infection (lymph looks yellow, swollen lymph nodes from a cold) it's always great to talk to your piercer. After that you can go to the doc for medicine and be on your way to recovery!

#When in doubt, go a reputable piercer and ask them!

I tried to include everything that's important and I don't think I missed anything? I have a decent knowledge on how piercings and infections work but I'm no medical professional so if you have a burning question I may or may not be able to answer it (or I could ask my sister since she's a nurse lol)

Critique is welcome. I want this to be the kind of post that will be linked under posts about infections inquiries. Thank you for reading!