According to experts, if you decide to get pierced, here's a general outline of what to expect when getting pierced.
Pick your jewelry first.
Ask to watch your piercer set up. S/he should wash his hands, put on latex gloves and place the piercing equipment on a metal tray. The needle should be in a sealed in an individual sterile package--don't allow yourself to be pierced if it isn't!
The piercer will mark the piercing area with a pen.
The piercer will take a small cotton swab and dab around the piercing in case you bleed a little, which is normal.
After you've been pierced:
Your piercer will go over how to care for your piercing. They should have a sheet outlining the instructions. Read this before you leave the piercing parlor to make sure you understand everything thoroughly (ointments, harsh soaps, and hydrogen peroxide are NOT proper cleaning agents).
Be committed to cleaning your piercing every day during the healing process. It's normal for it to swell, secrete a whitish-yellowish fluid, bruise and/or itch.
Be careful. Try not to engage in rough physical activity that could injure your piercing.
