A new piercing will be sore, tender or red for several days up to three weeks. Complete healing normally takes several weeks or more. Below are more specific healing time estimates. During this period, care must be taken to avoid infection. Touching--or, for genital and oral piercings, sexual activity--is usually discouraged.

Healing times:

Septum piercing: 3 – 6 mos
Eyebrow piercing: 2 – 4 mos
Tongue piercing: 6 – 10 wks
Over time, after the piercing, the resulting wound is allowed to heal, forming a tunnel of scar tissue called a fistula. When the piercing has fully healed, the initial jewelry may be changed or removed for short periods.


Behaviors which tend to support successful healing
Revisiting the piercer for an evaluation at any time, if needed
Practicing good hygiene
Following the recommended aftercare guidelines

Behaviors which tend to contribute to unsuccessful healing
Contact between the new piercing and another person's skin
Touching the piercing, unless cleaning it, in which case only with washed hands
Smoking and drinking alcohol(in the case of oral piercings)
Contact between the piercing and bodily fluids, perfume or cosmetics
Oral sex and genital intimacy, where this could cause one of the above
Swimming in public swimming pools, lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans as they may be too harsh to promote skin cell healing. Chlorine in swimming pool water may be an irritant. Bacteria, protozoa, and parasites found in non-chlorinated water can lead to infections.

Oral piercings
For tongue, lip, cheek and labret piercings, it is recommended to rinse the mouth after eating and drinking (except water). One should also not smoke while having an open wound in their mouth. Some piercers recommend using Listerine, while others, claiming that Listerine is too harsh on the piercing thereby hindering the healing process, recommend a non-alcoholic mouthwash such as Oral-B Non-Alcoholic or Biotene, or a diluted saline solution. Kissing and oral sex are advised against for 4-6 weeks after the piercing, as are excessively cold, hot, or spicy foods.

Changing of initial jewelry to allow for swelling
For some piercings (in particular tongue piercings) changing the initial jewelry is an essential step. In the case of tongue piercing this is because the initial jewelry is significantly longer than the jewelry for a healed piercing, to allow for swelling.

source: wikipedia.org