Q: I’m pretty active outdoors, and I’m worried about getting a piercing before hiking or camping. Are there any types of piercings that are better suited for an active lifestyle  -Jamie

A: The best thing you can do is try to schedule your piercing so that it’s at least well-started on the road to healing before being active outside. There aren’t really any piercings that are specifically better for people who have active lifestyles, it’s more a matter of being able to make it work with the specific activities you engage in. If you’re into swimming in the ocean or a lake, you need to be completely healed no matter where the piercing is. If you’re into skiing, perhaps an ear piercing that would be covered by a helmet is not your ideal choice. As for hiking and camping, as long as you are able to clean your piercing twice a day with sterile saline wound wash spray, and you aren’t putting the piercing in contact with anything, there is no reason why you can’t have a healing piercing. It would just be a good idea to take a bit of time off from them after the initial piercing to make sure everything is ok and healing properly. Nobody wants to be out on the trail and discover they have a piercing emergency. Best of luck!

Q: I’ve got a few piercings, but I want to get my eyebrow done. Is it harder to heal than other piercings, or is it pretty easy? -Chris

A: The eyebrow can be a tricky spot to pierce. It is vitally important that it be deep enough to not reject, and the jewelry must be long enough to accommodate the swelling. This isn’t so much about the piercing itself but its proximity to your eye. It’s also very important that you get your jewelry downsized on schedule so that it’s not sticking out and waiting to snag on something. This is especially important because an eyebrow piercing is a surface piercing, so it is a lot more prone to rejection than an ear cartilage piercing. If you snag your jewelry on something, say a hairbrush for example, it can jumpstart the rejection process in a piercing that was doing perfectly well prior to that. Otherwise, the healing process is roughly the same as any other non-oral piercing. You may have a black eye after getting your piercing, which may take a week or two to go away. That is normal and nothing to worry about. Just clean it twice daily with sterile saline wound wash and gently dry it with either a clean paper towel or a hair dryer on the low/cool setting. (Don’t forget to use clean hands!) Happy piercing!

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!