Q: How often are you supposed to clean your belly button piercing and what are you supposed to clean it with? -Nala

A: A fresh belly piercing should be cleaned twice a day with a sterile saline spray – no other ingredients, just pure sterile saline wound wash. (Neilmed makes an excellent one, but any brand will work so long as it’s pure saline). If you do something that gets your piercing dirty such as sports, or getting sweaty, you can give it an extra cleaning. You can rinse your piercing after the cleaning to make sure all the saline is washed away. However, if your piercing is fully healed, there is no need to keep cleaning it twice a day unless it’s dirty or you’re having problems with the piercing. Happy piercing!

 Q: I had my industrial done for almost 3 years now. out of the blue the top started getting a bump that really hurts and if I try to move the bar it gives a stinging pain. Is it possible that it just now starting to reject or is it just a random bump? -Genya

A: First of all, stop trying to move the jewelry. Don’t touch it unless you are cleaning it and if you must touch it, make sure your hands are clean. It seems unlikely that your piercing is rejecting after all this time, and irritation bumps are fairly common with cartilage piercings. You could have easily slept on it wrong without even realizing. However, to be certain, your best move is to go see a trusted APP piercer and get it checked. If your industrial is, in fact, rejecting then it needs to be removed ASAP to minimize the damage and scarring. They can take a look at it and tell you for sure what’s going on. Fear not, the odds are definitely in your favor on this one. Best of luck!

Disclaimer: Body Candy is only here to give you fun and helpful advice and information when it comes to getting pierced. Always consult a professional piercer to make sure a new piercing is right for you!