Q: When is it actually safe to kiss someone with a new lip or tongue piercing? — Cameron P.

A:  Ha, the question everyone’s secretly asking. Honest answer: later than you want to hear, but for a real reason, so stick with me.

The safe move is to wait until it’s fully healed. A fresh piercing is an open wound, and kissing introduces a whole lot of someone else’s bacteria right into it. That’s a genuine infection risk, plus all that movement and contact irritates a new piercing and can drag healing out. So the “fully healed” rule isn’t us being buzzkills, it’s protecting you from a swollen, angry, infected situation. Rough timelines so you know what you’re working with:

• Tongue: often heals faster, think around 4 to 6 weeks, but confirm it’s actually settled, not just feeling okay

• Lip (and labret): usually longer, more like 2 to 3 months

• Either way: “healed” means no swelling, no tenderness, no discharge, and it’s stayed calm for a good while, not just “it stopped hurting”

If you truly can’t wait the whole time, at the very least hold off through the early healing weeks (when swelling and risk are highest), keep any contact gentle, and absolutely skip it if either of you is sick or has any cold sore activity. But the clean, honest answer is still: fully healed first.

I know it’s not the fun answer, but a few weeks of patience beats an infected piercing that sets you back way longer. Let it heal, then kiss away with zero worries.

Q: Besides titanium what metals are safe if my piercing is really sensitive? — Kyleeah

A: Totally fair question, because titanium gets all the hype but it’s not your only good option. If your skin is really reactive, the whole game is avoiding nickel, which is the usual troublemaker. Here’s what else is genuinely friendly:

• Solid 14K (or higher) gold. A great choice, but the keyword is solid, not plated. Plating is where cheap nickel hides underneath, so solid gold is the safe version. This is a big one for sensitive skin, and it’s something we carry a ton of at Body Candy

• Niobium. Kind of titanium’s underrated cousin, hypoallergenic, nickel-free, and comfy. A quieter option but a really good one for reactive skin

• Platinum. Lovely and very biocompatible, just on the pricier end, so you don’t see it as often

• Solid gold higher karats (like 18K) work too, just know very high karat is softer and can scratch or bend more easily

And the ones to steer clear of if you’re sensitive:

• Anything “gold plated,” “gold filled,” or “rose gold”-toned mystery metal, since the base underneath is often nickel. These are fine for the average person but not hyper-reactive piercings.

• Surgical steel for truly sensitive skin, since steel still contains a small bit of nickel and can set reactive skin off

A couple of tips: always ask for the actual material (a good shop will tell you exactly what it is), and for a fresh or cranky piercing, lean on implant-grade titanium or solid gold while it settles, then branch out once you know what your skin tolerates. So you’ve got real choices, solid gold and niobium are your best friends alongside titanium. Stick to solid, nickel-free pieces and your sensitive skin will thank you.

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!