Summary

• Healing Time: 3 to 6 months
• Do not touch your piercing, or let others touch it while it is healing
• Clean your healing piercing only once a day, with antibacterial soap
• Never use alcohol swabs, Betadine or hydrogen peroxide to clean your piercing
• Ideally soak your piercing in saline solution daily
• Take care when swimming, avoid spas
• 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.
• While healing, your piercing will need to be cleaned once daily - whilst showering is ideal. You will need to use an antibacterial soap that contains either chloroxylenol/PCMX (e.g. Provon) or triclosan (e.g. Dial, Dettol Liquid Soap).

  The step-by-step procedure is:

1. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap.
2. Wet the piercing with plain water, either in the shower or using the your cupped hand.
3. Put a few drops of antibacterial soap on the wet piercing and work this into a lather.
4. Try to loosen any crusted discharge and float it off the jewelry and your skin with a cotton bud.
5. Keep the piercing wet for two minutes while rotating the jewelry back and forth, allowing the disinfectant to penetrate the piercing.
6. Rinse with water and air dry thoroughly.

• Also of proven effectiveness is sitting in a saline bath each day. Put a handful of salt into a two inch deep bath of warm water and soak for 10 - 15 minutes. Afterwards, dry thoroughly with a clean tissue or air dry.

Piercing Options and Jewelry Choices

• Guiche
  
  1. A piercing of the male perineum, the area between the posterior aspect of the scrotum and the anus.
  2. Healing time 3 - 6 months
  3. It is problematic because:
     • People sit on it and the area is subject to constant movement.
     • Keeping the area clean is difficult.
     • The perineum is a common site for fungal infections.
     • For all of the above reasons infection, migration and loss of the piercing are common.
  4. Suitable Jewelry Types
     • Curved barbells 14 gauge, typically 1/2" or 13mm length.
     • Captured bead rings typically 14 gauge and 1/2" or 13mm diameter
• Hafada & Scrotum
  
  1. Piercings are possible through any part of the scrotum but most often thay are performed in the midline crease anteriorly. Hafada piercings are at the side of the scrotum. Every hafada piercing is a scrotal piercing but only some scrotal piercings are hafada piercings.
  2. Healing time 2 - 6 months
  3. Suitable Jewelry Types
     • Captured bead rings typically 14 gauge and 1/2" or 13mm diameter
     • Curved barbells 14 gauge and 1/2" or 13mm length.
     • Circular barbells 14 gauge and 1/2" or 13mm internal diameter.
     • It is very common to subsequently stretch up to thicker gauge jewelry.
• Suitable Materials
  Surgical Stainless Steel, 18 carat gold, titanium, niobium.
  Do not use 9 carat gold, silver (which can stain the tissues permanently), or gold plated jewelry in new piercings. In a healing piercing the gold plating will wear off the jewelry before the piercing is healed.

Other Issues

• Bacterial Infections
  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.
• Bleeding
  It is normal for these piercings to bleed initially. A non-stick dressing should be worn for the first few hours.
• 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
  Tight clothing rubbing against your piercing is not recommended—it disrupts blood flow and can delay healing.
• 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.
• Sexual Activity
  Manipulation of scrotal piercings can increase sexual pleasure and pulling on a guiche piercing during sex is reputed to heighten orgasm. While it is healing do not allow anyone to pull on your piercing as it will be damaged.
• Smoking
  
  1. Smoking slows healing by suppressing your immune system and blood circulation to the skin.
  2. If you cannot stop smoking then you should reconsider having any piercings.
• 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 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, faeces, sweat and vaginal secretions of infected persons. Until your piercing has healed avoid any other person's bodily fluids contacting your piercing. Practice safe sex and use a condom.
• 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.