Of course it hurts! But pain is different for everyone - some people may pass out from the pain with one piercing, say, a conch, while another may not even flinch. No one can tell you how much it's going to hurt.

Aftercare is exactly what it sounds like - how you care for the piercing after you get it! There are many different aftercare techniques people use. The most popular is salt soaks.

1/8 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt
1 ounce water

First, of course, wash your hands!

Mix the sea salt with the water, and warm it up in the microwave. Make sure it's really warm, but not enough to burn you. Soak your piercing in it for about 15 minutes. Use a cotton swab to get any crusty stuff, or dried lymphatic fluid, off.

Most people do this after a shower.

Other people go with sterile saline wound wash. You can buy this at your local pharmacy. This is a much better bet if you're not familiar with how to measure and mix sea salts. And it's much more convenient. Just warm it up, again, not too hot, and soak for 15 minutes.

Some people just like to wash it in the shower. Make sure you're using a fragrance and dye free soap, as those can irritate piercings. Wash it last, so you can wash the soap, shampoo, etc, off.

Then there are people who go with the LITHA - Leave It The Hell Alone - method. Just wash it in the shower, and leave it alone. This doesn't work for everyone.

Most people recommend Provon or Satin soap - they're both dye and fragrance free.

For oral piercings, obviously, you don't want to use soap. Try to get a peroxide free toothpaste. You can rinse with sea salt or saline, but many people use Biotene and Tech 2000 mouthwash. You can find these in your local pharmacy. If you can't find either of these, make sure you at least get an alcohol free mouthwash.

My piercer told me to just use neosporin and alcohol. And he told me to rotate the ring. Is that okay?

Anti-bacterial creams (such as neosporin)	These are for wounds you want to heal CLOSED. Additionally, on the packaging, it states that these products are NOT for puncture wounds - which is exactly what a piercing is. All these do is clog the piercing, preventing it from healing.
Peroxide, Alcohol, , etc.	Remember when you would skin your knee, and your mom would put alcohol on it? And she'd tell you that the burning was the alcohol killing germs? Well, that's exactly what it does, but it also kills the cells trying to form. So do these other products.
Bactine	Most people are 50/50 on Bactine. It works fine for some people that know their body well, while others have had bad experiences with it. In addition, it has a very short shelf life. Unless you're experienced and know what you're doing, skip the Bactine.
Rotate the ring/barbell/etc	Like Bactine, most people are split on this one. A lot of people say to not rotate the jewelry at all, ever, but some say it's okay. Now, if you're just sitting around, with crusties all over your piercing, don't rotate it. You'll more than likely end up dragging the sharp crusty stuff through the very fragile fistula (the tube of skin trying to form), and you'll start the healing process all over again. However. If you're in the shower washing it, you can gently move the jewelry to get soap into the wound - but don't force it! If it doesn't want to move, and you force it, you're going to have the same problem described above. Make sure you rinse it thoroughly. And for goodness sake - wash your hands first!

Gauge is how the thickness of your jewelry is measured. Most piercings shouldn't be done any smaller than 14 gauge, but that's really up to you. They're measured in millimeters, and go up to about 00g, or roughly 8.2 mm.

Diameter is the distance between the middle sides of the ring - from the inside. Many people are confused and think they should pick their jewelry based on outer diameter. This is not the case, and can lead to rejection from too small diameter.

Length is pretty simple - it's the distance between the balls on a straight or curved barbell, or the length from end to end on a plug or taper.

Guns are bad - always. They are unsanitary, and cause unnecessary trauma. I know, that needle looks scary, but isn't hepatitis, keloiding, and infection scarier?

For most people, surgical steel is fine. However, some people can be sensitive to the nickel in this material, so Niobium or Titanium may be better. Even glass, like pyrex, or quartz for small gauges, is good for fresh piercings. Acrylic, organics, and other porous materials can harbor bacteria, and is inappropriate for fresh piercings.

This really depends on the piercing. Consult your piercer. Changing the jewelry before it's fully healed can damage it, and take you back to step one of the healing process. But remember - just because a person is a piercer does not mean they know everything. Generally, when your piercing hasn't produced any lymph (the white, pus like stuff) for at least 2 months, it's healed.

Remember - these aren't the same for everyone, just rough estimates. Always consult your piercer first.

Most people agree that 14 gauge is the minimum for most piercings. However, this is personal preference. With larger gauges, you have less chances of the piercings tearing. This is especially true for tongue piercings, which are commonly done at 14 gauge, which is too thin, in many people's opinion. 12, or even 10, is much better. And larger gauge piercings sometimes heal faster and with less problems.

Go see your piercer. If you can't make it to your piercer, find yourself a ruler, and measure! Don't try to guess, because jewelry that is too short and be problematic, and jewelry with a small diameter and cause rejection.

Most people have their ears pierced with a piercing gun, before they know the dangers. If this is the case, your ears are probably around 20 or 18 gauge. Buy yourself a nice water based lubricant, like KY jelly or Astroglide, and some 16 gauge jewelry. Lube up the jewelry and slide it in. There shouldn't be any pain or blood - if there is, downsize (put a smaller gauge piece of jewelry in) and wait a month.

Some people like to use tapers. Tapers are a nail like piece of jewelry that gradually stretches you up to the size at the end of the taper. Never skip gauges, and always use lube. Skipping gauges can cause blowout, tearing, and can just make your lobes look bad.

With larger gauges, some people like to use tape to increase the size of their lobes. By wrapping one layer of tape around the jewelry, and using a little lube, most people can stretch up quickly and safely. A lot of people use teflon tape (hardware and plumbing stores), bondage tape (adult oriented shops), and even duct tape and electrical tape (most general stores). Some people have reactions to the adhesive in the last two tapes, but very few people have problems with the first too, as they have no adhesive.

Some people gradually add rings to their holes. Don't force them, and try to use some lube!

Lately, many people are stretching using the Kaos Softwear Eyelets. If you decide to try these, don't try to stretch more than 1 size at a time, and use plenty of lubrication - make sure they don't dry out. Remove them at the first sign of any damage - while these are a great product, if used irresponsibly they can cause problems.

Try to sleep with your jewelry out. When you go to reinsert it, massage them for about 15 minutes with some oil. Oils some people have had success with include vitamin e oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and lavender oil. These may cause reactions in some people, so try different things.

That's dead skin cells, dirt, oils, and dust, kid. When you shower, take your jewelry out and wash those ears! Wooden jewelry helps with this a lot.

First, downsize. Then do salt or saline soaks, twice a day, for at least 15 minutes. Just baby them. Wait at least a month before you attempt to stretch any further.

Gauge	Millimeter
18	1
16	1.2
14	1.6
12	2
10	2.5
8	3.2
6	4.1
4	5.2
2	6.5
0	8.2
00	9.2


Lobe piercings	6 months
Cartilage piercings (helix, tragus, daith, etc)	at least 1 year
Navel	at least 1 year
Tongue, Tongue web, lip frenelum	2 months
Lip, Labret, Medusa etc.	4 months
Eyebrow	6 months
Nostril	6 - 9 months
Septum	6 months
Transverse lobes	9 months
Nipples	at least 1 year