As a smoker, how can I take the best care of my lip piercing?

Question

I smoke several times a day and it's really not an option for me to quit right now. I recently had my lip pierced and I want to take all the steps I can to make sure I keep it from getting infected. I got it pierced on 8/13/08, and it's now two days later and I do have expected swelling. Though earlier I squeezed out a little pus from the hole. The pus was white, maybe whitish yellow. I hear that this is normal and it's actually lymph, but I'm not sure. If the piercing is already infected, what should I do to fix it without removing the piercing?

Answer 1

Use a non-alcohol mouthwash after each cigarette, as you should be doing after anything other than water enters your mouth anyway. And do your sea salt soaks. It should be just fine, as long as you're diligent with your cleaning. And don't squeeze out the pus. It's normal, it'll come out on it's own at the rate it needs to. you shouldn't be touching it, especially not putting pressure on it and squeezing it. Yeah, white or slightly yellow is fine, but keep your hands off it unless they're well washed and you're cleaning the piercing. I smoked while I was healing my lip. I cut back a little, but I just made sure to clean it. didn't your piercer give you aftercare instructions?

Answer 2

I have mine done and am also a smoker, I used Listerine after every smoke I had, and it seemed to take care of any infections.