Can you swim after getting ears pierced? New piercings are exciting! They are an easy way to change up your appearance without having to worry about spending money on clothes or accessories. Although compelling, it is important to remember new piercings need extra care while they are healing.
Not caring for your piercings correctly during their healing period can be painful and cause infections, leading to regret down the road when your new piercing needs to be removed, and your money has essentially gone down the drain.
While you can still shower normally after a piercing, other bodies of water may not be as gentle on your ears. After getting your ears pierced, you should not go swimming in a pool for at least a couple of weeks. The chlorine can cause irritation which can then lead to infection.
If for some reason, you need to go swimming, such as being a competitive swimmer, you need to cover the piercing with a waterproof bandage and clean the piercing thoroughly before and after getting in the pool. This is only recommended if you cannot avoid going swimming, as it is safer to avoid the pool in general after a new piercing. The same rules apply to using a hot tub with a new piercing.
Oceans, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water could also cause risk to a new piercing. In the same way, you would not swim in these bodies of water with an open wound because it could cause an infection or irritation. Your piercing is technically an open wound on your ear while it is healing. These natural bodies of water have bacterial and microorganisms that you do not need near an open wound. It is best to wait a few weeks until the piercing is mostly healed before swimming.
Many people will get their ears pierced during the colder months so that the piercing is healed by the warmer months when swimming and going to the beach are more popular. The timeline of your piercing healing will depend on the location of the piercing and your body’s healing timeline. As always, you should consult a professional piercer about the healing timeline before risking a swim.
Swimming with New Ear Piercing
Swimming with a new ear piercing can be risky. Pools and hot tubs have chlorine which is a chemical you do not want in an open wound. Other bodies of water like the ocean and lakes can contain bacteria and microorganisms that you also don’t want near a fresh hole in your ear!
If you are getting a new piercing, it is recommended to wait at least two weeks before swimming again. This timeline is tentative and can change based on your individual healing time and location of the piercing. For example, a cartilage piercing may take longer to heal than your lower ear lobe.
You should consult the person piercing your ears about how long you need to wait before going swimming. You should also only get your ears pierced by a licensed professional so that they know the proper protocol regarding the healing process.
If you need to swim for some reason, try to avoid getting water near the piercing and wear a waterproof bandage. You should also clean the piercing before and after swimming to prevent infection.
How Long Can You Swim After Getting Ears Pierced?
If for some reason, you must swim after a new piercing, you should limit your swim time as much as possible. Ideally, you should try to keep your piercing away from the water. This could look like not going underwater or only going into the water up to your waist.
If you do swim with a new piercing, wear a waterproof bandage to prevent anything from entering the fresh wound. Also, clean the piercing thoroughly before and after the swim.
When Can You Swim After Getting Ears Pierced?
The length of time it takes for your new piercing to heal can depend on different factors like the location of the piercing and how often you clean it. If possible, you should wait until your piercing is healed to go swimming. This can take multiple weeks or even months.
A good rule of thumb is to wait at least two weeks after a new piercing to go swimming. If you are taking care of the piercing and it is healing quickly and nicely, you are able to go swimming after this amount of time. If your piercing still hurts, is infected, or is not healing quickly, you should wait longer before getting in the water.
Can You Swim in Salt Water with a New Piercing?
If possible, you should avoid swimming in saltwater with a new piercing. Sometimes we see the ocean water as a healing property. After all, sailors used it to clean out wounds or remove stings. Unfortunately, there is a lot of bacteria at beaches and in the oceans that can cause more harm than good to your new piercing.
You should wait until your piercing is as healed as possible before swimming in saltwater. This could take anywhere from two weeks to a few months. Many people like to get their fresh piercings done in the colder months, so they are healed by beach season.
Swimming in saltwater with a new piercing can cause salt, sand, bacteria, and other elements foreign to our bodies to enter the open wound on your ear. It is safer to avoid swimming in saltwater rather than risking infection.
Swimming with an Infected Ear Piercing
If your ear piercing is infected, you should avoid swimming in any bodies of water since that could risk further infection. Infected piercings are caused by foreign elements entering the fresh wound on the ear. This could result in inflammation, pus, oozing, and itchiness. In extreme cases, the infection could spread to other parts of your body.
Risking further infection is never worth it for a few hours in the ocean or pool. If your piercing is infected, you need to keep cleaning it regularly and consult a professional if it begins to worsen or does not improve. Showering is okay since the water should not have other bacteria in it. However, pool water and natural bodies of water can cause even more damage to an infected piercing.
Conclusion
New piercings can be fun and stylish, but there is a lot of aftercare that goes into healing them, including avoiding the pool and other types of swimming. Swimming in the pool, hot tub, ocean, lake, or other bodies of water could risk infection to a fresh ear piercing. It is better to wait at least two weeks or until it is healed before jumping back in the water!
