Which Health Shortcuts Are OK?

Trying on Pierced Earrings in the Store

Risk Rating: 1

If your piercings are completely healed and have no redness or cuts, you can most likely try on those cute hoops without any problems. But if you have new piercings, don't put anything through them that hasn't been properly cleaned with alcohol or peroxide. The reason: You never know if the last person who tried on the earrings also had unhealed piercings. "Freshly pierced ears―holes that are less than six weeks old―may contain live skin cells, pus, or even blood, which can carry viruses and other transmittable infections," says Kelly M. Cordoro, a clinical instructor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco.