Summer and Piercings

Summer! After the long grey dark of a Seattle winter, I am the most excited for bright, hot summer days. It’s no secret, that while others lament the heat and humidity, I’m one of those who thrives in it. And even if you are someone who dislikes the heat, it’s likely you’ll still be participating in some amount of summer fun. But what about our piercings, particularly fresh or still healing ones? Are there any special considerations we should take this time of year? Well, as a matter of fact there is a lot to consider with summertime and piercings! So let’s take a closer look.

SPF, Please

Summer fun usually comes with the summer sun. And of course, the risk of sunburn. Every year I regretfully have to turn clients away when they arrive bright pink with the peel of a fresh sunburn. We all have heard it since childhood- make sure to wear your sunscreen. This is doubly important when it comes to our piercings. See, we can not pierce you if you have a sunburn (I have a whole blog post about why here) as the skin is already quite damaged from the burn. But existing piercings can also have a hard time and get easily irritated if you get burnt. This creates a difficult struggle, as getting sunscreen directly in a piercing can also cause some irritation. A happy middle ground is applying sunscreen everywhere else and leaving a small border around your piercing. To prevent that area from burning I suggest wearing a sun hat! These days there are multiple options made with UV-blocking fabrics and designed to cover your ears and nose and prevent any sun damage. If you have any healing ear piercings during summer, these are super helpful!

Once piercings are fully healed you can apply sunscreen around them with no issues, but while they are fresh or still healing I would be cautious. Always patch-test products to see how your skin responds to them. However- it is still very important to apply sunscreen every day even if you are still healing! Sunscreen is an important step in protecting our skin and minimizing UV damage and skin cancer.

Heat, Humidity

Summer heat often also means summer humidity! These damp conditions and additional sweat can pose some unique challenges for folks. Clients who work outside or spend a lot of time outdoors and are sweating heavily may notice some struggles with moisture irritations on piercings. I see this the most during summer with earlobe piercings on all ages, but I also notice it on eyebrow and bridge piercings as well. Occasionally, clients who find they sweat profusely in summer may deal with similar irritation in other locations, such as behind a large end on an ear piercing, inside their navel, or with various genital piercings. Sweat and oils from our skin can build up and become trapped against the jewelry, creating a very moist environment and sometimes contributing to moisture irritations, particularly on earlobe piercings. Keeping a small handkerchief with you to blot sweat or wearing a cooling bandana or scarf can be great ways to minimize this. And I know the heat of a blow dryer in the dead of summer may seem a bit much, but drying your hair after showering or swimming is a great way to prevent these moisture irritations- particularly on lobe piercings.

Say…speaking of swimming…

Swimming with Piercings

I have an entire blog post dedicated to this subject here, which I strongly encourage you to read.  But a few main takeaways are as follows:

There is always an inherent risk in getting into a body of water with a fresh or unhealed piercing. Bacteria in the water can lead to somewhat serious infections quickly. Please use your best judgment- does the water seem clean? If this is a natural outdoor spot, check the website for water safety and bacteria levels. Some lakes and rivers around us are currently not suggested for swimming due to bacteria or contamination, always double check this before taking a dip. For pools, the chemicals used to keep a pool clean and functional may be too harsh for your piercing. Make sure whatever body of water you rinse and clean the area thoroughly afterward. If your piercings do get irritated from swimming please contact your piercer ASAP so they can help!

Getting Pierced

If you are planning new piercings as part of your summer fun- exciting! I love it! My approach would be as follows- look at your schedule surrounding your piercing. You have a hike to a lake you plan to swim in next week, and then a pool party at a friend's. Maybe schedule your piercing appointment for after these events, when you have a few weeks at least to stay out of the water. If you are someone swimming all summer long, maybe stick with ear and facial piercings, and don’t get your head wet when you swim. Navel and nipple piercings are more ideally done in early fall, so they can heal through winter and spring and be ready for summer adventures! Consider sunscreen in your piercing choices, and invest in a mild but strong SPF, UVA, and UVB product, and ensure that it doesn’t irritate your skin. Also, consider a sun hat or UV protective clothing- especially if you work outside regularly.

I encourage you to enjoy your summer to the fullest- get out there and appreciate the sun and summer fun. Hopefully this blog post can help you feel prepared to enjoy your summer with your piercings. Happy Healing! <3