Body piercings like tongue rings or belly button rings look great and are a good addition to a style, but they also require work, especially when you first get them, to make sure they heal correctly and are ready for you to use. The risk of infection is always present with any body piercing, and should be watched for in the days after the procedure. Bleeding is likely, but keeping the piercing still will help it close up and stay closed up. There are rare but serious medical risks involved with tongue piercings in particular, so if that’s what you’re getting for yourself, you should be aware of that as well.

The biggest problem with any piercing is the risk of infection, which is always present in the immediate days after a piercing. Your piercer will give you specific signs to watch for, and instruct you to call them or a doctor if any of them show up. Make sure you keep the piercings clean, which is a little more of a job for tongue rings than it is with other types of piercings, as the mouth naturally has bacteria in it.

Any piercing will bleed afterwards, and if you accidentally break it open while healing it will bleed again, so be careful to try and keep that from happening. Again, this is more work for the tongue than other piercings, but is still true for any of them.

Finally, if you are getting a tongue piercing, be aware of the rare, but more serious risks like endocarditis. This is a disease where bacteria gets into the membrane surrounding your heart and causes it to swell, which is a very serious problem. It’s rare, but it is documented.

Piercings look great, but you need to be aware of the risks that go along with them. By educating yourself you will be better prepared to treat the piercing while it heals.