Whether it is to disinfect the surface of the skin before getting your ears pierced or to disinfect the wounds after getting your ears pierced, you can use povidone-iodine. Povidone-iodine is one of the most commonly used antiseptic solutions, capable of killing most bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, and is more commonly used to disinfect before or after surgery. The skin and mucous membranes of the ear are relatively thin, so if you apply other irritating solutions, such as alcohol or tincture of iodine or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the wound, the irritation is greater, which may lead to pain, and if the irritation is greater, the epidermal mucous membranes are damaged, which is even more detrimental to the healing of the wound. Povidone-iodine is more effective in disinfecting wounds or skin with thin mucous membrane epidermis.