The upcoming month of May is National Sports and Fitness Month, so there’s no better time to talk about jewelry and safety for pierced athletes. There are certain types of jewelry that make sports easier on your piercings, especially those piercings that are less than six months old.
During the initial healing phase, and sometimes several months after, putting extra pressure on a piercing or knocking into it with sports equipment or other parts of the body can cause migration, or even spur rejection. To avoid undue pressure while participating in athletics, flexible jewelry made of bioplast, bioflex, or PTFE goes a long way. Also, for certain piercings in high traffic areas like those around the navel, going one step further to a flexible retainer can be the way to go.
Retainers normally come in clear or flesh tones, so if you don’t want piercings to be seen they’re the perfect cover. Most are invisible or at least barely noticeable, even from up close. Those that are made from bioplast-type materials are also biocompatible, which means they’re gentle on skin, and generally won’t be interpreted by the body as foreign material, like metals can.
Once you’ve got your jewelry sorted out, it’s important to follow the instructions of your piercer, especially if any of your piercings are new. Many will suggest exactly when and how to clean piercings after working out or playing sports, and some may advise protective measures during the activity, like using medical tape or padding. On the go aftercare products like mouthwashes or sprays are handy to carry inside gym bags for healed piercings that just need a quick rinse.
Just like sports, body modifications should be fun, so practice piercing safety whenever you play sports or participate in physical exercise. Summer sports, here we come!
