Labial Piercings

Summary

• Healing Time:
  • Minor Labia 1 to 2 months
  • Major Labia 2 to 3 months
• Sit in a bath of warm salty water every day while healing
• Do not wash the piercing with soap
• Do not touch your piercing, or let others touch it while it is healing
• Wait two weeks before having sex
• Practice safe sex at all times
• Never use alcohol swabs, Betadine, hydrogen peroxide, or methylated spirits to clean your piercing
• Pain, redness and unusual discharge may be due to infection. Consult your piercer or a physician if you develop any of these symptoms
• Take vitamin C and zinc to maximise your healing
• Wait till your piercing is healed before changing jewelry yourself

Care Routine

• Do not touch your piercing unless you are cleaning it. Unwashed hands carry bacteria and your piercing is a point where these bacteria can penetrate below your skin and cause an infection.
• Do NOT use soap to wash your piercing. Soap strips the natural oils of the skin at your genitals and kills the natural bacteria that protect you from infections. Using soap will increase your risk of infection.
   
• While healing, your piercing will need to be cleaned once daily:

  The step-by-step procedure is:

1. Fill a bath with warm water to a depth of 2 inches.
2. Dissolve a heaped tablespoon of sea salt in this water.
3. Sit in this bath for 10 minutes, gently swishing the water around the piercing.
4. After this bath, towel yourself dry but do not touch the piercing itself with the towel.
   Let the piercing dry by itself.

Piercing Options and Jewelry Choices

• Placement:
  • One or more piercings may be made along each labium, the position being a matter of personal choice.
  • Typically they are arranged symetrically on each side.
   
• Suitable Jewelry:
  • Captured bead rings of 14gauge minimum thickness.
    • Minor Labia: 3/8" to 1/2" internal diameter.
    • Major Labia: 1/2" internal diameter is the commonest size.
  • Special pliers may be required to remove the ring or replace the bead.
   
• Suitable Materials:
  • Surgical Stainless Steel, 18 carat gold, titanium,niobium.
  • Do NOT use 9 carat gold or silver (which can stain the tissues permanently) in new piercings.
  • NEVER use gold plated jewelry in genital piercings as the acid environment and constant movement will soon wear away the gold coating.
   
• Changing Jewelry:
  • It is possible to change jewelry during the first 2 months, but this is best done by a professional piercer.
  • Once a piercing is healed you or your partner can change the jewelry yourselves.

   

Other Issues

• Bacterial Infections
  Bacterial infections are less common in clitoral piercings than most other body piercings. Wash hands before touching the piercing. Symptoms of infection include increased pain, increased redness and an increase in the amount and thickness of the discharge. The infected discharge is usually thick and yellow, green or grey and may have an unusual odour. Consult with your physician or piercer and do not remove the jewelry until you seek advice. Removing the jewelry can allow the piercing to close over the infection and create an even worse problem: a closed abscess beneath the skin.
• Childbirth
  It is prudent to temporarily remove your jewelry before childbirth lest it provoke tearing.
• Cleaning Agents
  Never use alcohol swabs, Betadine, hydrogen peroxide, methylated spirit, or tea tree oil to clean your piercing. These do kill bacteria but they also destroy your healing flesh. Dead flesh then becomes easily infected.
• Clothing
  Wear cotton underwear or no underwear during the healing phase. This minimises the risk of infection and also thrush.
• Infibulation
  With rings on both sides of the labia it is possible to tie the two sides together and so prevent penetrative sex. This is called Infibulation. Some people use padlocks. It's your choice.
• Lavender Oil
  This essential oil lubricates the piercing and is reputed to reduce scar tissue and prevent tightening. It must be used in its dilute form, a drop applied to each side of the piercing with a cotton bud, the excess removed, and then the jewelry moved back and forth through the piercing. The correct dilution is 10 drops lavender oil in 15mls grapeseed or sweet almond oil.
• Sex
  There are two issues with sex:
  • Mechanical damage to the piercing. Sex can be a very vigorous activity so start slowly. It is advisable to wait at least two weeks before penetrative sex.
  • The risk of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly high with an unhealed piercing. Always practice safe sex.
• Smoking
  Smoking slows healing by suppressing your immune system and blood circulation to the skin.
• Soap
  Do NOT clean your piercing with soap. Soap has no place in the washing of the female genitals. Soap increases the chance of urinary tract infection in females by sucking bacteria into the urethra and into the bladder. It also increases the risk of thrush.
• Swimming
  Swimming is not prohibited while your piercing is healing, but you should only swim for short periods in pools that are thoroughly chlorine- or ozone-treated. Do not let your skin become wrinkly and soft. If you swim in the ocean or waterways, do not swim after heavy rain. Storm water run-off often contains harmful bacteria and parasites.
• Viral Infections
  Viruses such as Hepatitis A, B, and C, and HIV can penetrate a piercing that has not healed. These viruses may be present in the blood, saliva, semen, sweat and vaginal secretions of infected persons. Until your piercing has healed avoid any other person's bodily fluids contacting your piercing.
• Vitamins
  Studies have shown that vitamin C and zinc promote wound healing. Aim for about 2000-3000 mg vitamin C and 100 mg zinc daily. Note that these amounts are not available in multivitamin tablets. Ask at your pharmacist or health-food store for advice on suitable products. If you are taking any medications, ask your pharmacist to make sure there are no interactions between them and the vitamin C and zinc you intend to take. For example, vitamin C can delay the absorption of the contraceptive pill - they should be taken at different times.