by Pooja Chakrabarty

Being hip is everything nowadays, and one of the ways to be with the in-crowd is by having a strategically placed stud on your eyebrow. Yes, eyebrow piercing is the way to go these days as the good old ear and nose piercings become passé and boring. You cannot afford to be dull anymore. Hence, the art of body piercing is slowly shifting from the realm of the earlobe to the arch of the eyebrow.

Eyebrow Piercing Care and Issues

Being hip is everything nowadays, and one of the ways to be with the in-crowd is by having a strategically placed stud on your eyebrow. Yes, eyebrow piercing is the way to go these days as the good old ear and nose piercing become passé and boring. You cannot afford to be dull anymore. Hence, the art of body piercing is slowly shifting from the realm of the earlobe to the arch of the eyebrow.

The Risks Involved in Eyebrow Piercing

But there is more to getting those eyebrows pierced than just figuring out what kind of a ring would look good. Before you actually decide to go in for a pierced eyebrow, make sure that you are well aware of all the risks that are involved. Here are some of them:

• You could be prone to infections and allergies.
• Your nerves might get damaged in the process.
• If your piercer does not use a sterilized needle, you could contract HIV, tetanus, and even hepatitis.

But if you go to a good piercing studio and insist on their using sterilized needles, you could be spared from many of these risks. However, you will still be susceptible to infection if you do not clean the area properly. In fact, once you come out of that piercing studio with the silver ring or diamond stud adorning your eyebrow, it will be up to you to make sure that you take care of that new eyebrow piercing.

Choosing the Jewellery for the Eyebrow Piercing

One way in which you can ensure that you are relatively free of infections is by choosing the correct kind of jewellery. Remember that you are making a cut in your skin and this will need to heal. So you cannot afford to be a cheapskate when it comes to buying suitable jewellery.

You could go in for implant grade stainless steel jewellery. People do go in for silver rings, but this may not always be a good idea. This is because silver tends to tarnish and this could lead to permanent darkening in the area around the piercing. Gold is one common choice that is very safe when it comes to getting a piercing. Titanium is one of the less popular choices, though you could seriously consider it. But if you are looking to save money, stainless steel is the cheapest option.

Taking Care of That Eyebrow Piercing

Do remember that it is going to be some time before that eyebrow piercing of yours heals completely. Six to eight weeks is generally how long it takes before you can finally start flaunting different styles of eyebrow rings. But you are going to have to treat it with care. Talk to the person who does the piercing for you. Find out what are the best ways of taking care of your new eyebrow piercing. (S)he should be able to provide you with some great tips.

Here are some of the most common tips that should be followed once you have a diamond stud adorning your eyebrow.

• Clean your hands before touching the piercing. This will be imperative especially during the healing period. You certainly do not want the germs from your hands to cause an infection in the area around your eyebrow piercing.
• For the first few days after getting the piercing, you are going to have to turn your earring round within the piercing on a regular basis. This will help make the piercing permanent and you will run less risk of it getting blocked. I have been told that it helps to steam the eyebrow area before starting with this exercise.
• Buy some anti-bacterial soap with which to clean the piercing. Ideally, you should be doing this twice a day. You could also get an anti-bacterial ointment and apply it on the eyebrow area from time to time.
• A lot of people also apply a disinfectant on the portions of the ring that are inserted into the eyebrow.
• It is common to have some discharge drain out of your eyebrow piercing. Do not panic if this happens. But make sure that the jewellery you are wearing allows the draining to take place.
• Also, don’t get scared by the bruising that may well occur in the area around the piercing. Body piercing damages the tissue and it takes some time before all can be well again. However, the bruises should disappear soon enough, so don’t worry about them too much.
• Avoid using make-up or creams in that area. Once your eyebrow piercing heals completely, you should be able to do pretty much anything. Just keep some things on hold for those six to eight weeks till your eyebrow piercing heals.
• If, despite your utmost efforts, your piercing does get infected, make a visit to the piercing studio and get somebody to clean the wound for you. If you are cleaning it yourself, do a thorough job. Try using a hot compress with salt water to clean out the infection. Do this on a regular basis and the infection should disappear soon enough. If it does not, it might be time to make a trip to your doctor.

You need to take great care of your eyebrow piercing especially because the pierced area is a rather sensitive one. The skin is thin and there is not too much tissue in the layers beneath it. The eyebrows are there to protect the eyes from dust and grime. However, this might lead to the dirt particles affecting the piercing and could lead to an infection. Plus, you have to be extra careful even while changing your clothes for the jewellery could get entangled in them. Ideally, I would suggest staying away from strenuous physical activities where you could bump into other people and end up prolonging the healing process.

If you are willing to take on the responsibility of taking care of your eyebrow piercing, make that trip to the piercing studio. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be “with it”, just ensure that you are willing to dedicate sufficient care to facilitate the healing process.