Congratulations on your new piercing! Seeking out and getting pierced by a reputable piercer is the first step to a healthy piercing, but how you take care of your piercing is what will set you up for success!
PIERCING AFTERCARE
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR PIERCING
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ALWAYS wash your hands prior to touching your piercing for ANY reason. Leave it alone except when cleaning. During the healing period, it is NOT necessary to rotate your jewelry. Your body will provide a natural seal and rotating your jewelry will reopen the wound.
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Apply sterile saline spray NeilMed or Steri-Wash (recommended) to the front and back of the piercing 3-4 times daily during the healing process. Pat dry with a clean, disposable paper towel or by using a blow dryer on cool setting.
DO'S
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DO use sterile saline wound wash 2-3 times a day.
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DO allow water to gently run over the piercing for a few minutes for a complete rinse right before exiting the shower. This will also help any scabs or debris to come off naturally.
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DO contact your piercer if your jewelry must be removed for any reason (We do carry non-metallic jewelry alternatives if needed for medical procedures).
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DO downsize accordingly. Most piercings will be ready for a shorter post within 4-6 weeks.
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DO with clean hands, make sure to tighten and regularly check threaded ends on your jewelry.
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DO use caution when styling your hair or getting a haircut. Warn your stylist or barber of your new piercing
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DO clean your bedding regularly. If you have pets, they should not be in or on the bed for the duration of the healing time.
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DO stay healthy! Eat a nutritious diet, get plenty of sleep, and drink plenty of water. A healthy body is better equipped to successfully heal your piercing.
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DO contact your piercer with any questions!
DONT'S
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DON'T clean with products like alcohol, peroxide, iodine, bactine, pierced ear care or harsh soaps as these can damage new skin cells and prevent proper healing. Avoid using ointments or making your own saline solution.
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DON'T sleep on your healing piercing. Prolonged pressure in the wrong direction can cause your piercing angle to shift which can result in irritation.
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DON'T touch, twist, rotate, play with, or remove your piercing while it is healing. Movement of the jewelry can cause irritation while removing jewelry from a healing piercing will cause the piercing channel to quickly shrink or close.
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DON'T submerge your healing piercing in ANY body of water, including but not limited to: oceans, intercoastals, hot tubs, jacuzzis, swimming pools, lakes, rivers, baths, spas, etc.
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DON'T excessively expose your fresh piercing to UV/sun rays, including tanning and sunbathing.
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DON'T allow oral contact, rough play or contact with others’ bodily fluids on your piercing while healing.
WHAT IS NORMAL?
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Piercing may bleed on and off for the first few days and up to a week. Bruising, redness, tenderness and localized swelling are all normal for a new piercing.
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Itching is also normal with a healing piercing and is a sign of healing occurring. Despite the itch, do not scratch!
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Your piercing will have some secretion of a white-ish or yellowish fluid. This may dry and form a scab like “crust” around the piercing. These secretions are a normal part of the healing process and will diminish as it continues to heal. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals. DO NOT pick off scabs.
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The piercing will shrink or fully close if jewelry is removed for any length of time during the healing process. For this reason, unless there is an issue with the size or the material of initial jewelry, leave it in place for the entirety of the healing period. A qualified piercer should perform any necessary jewelry change that occurs during healing.
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A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because the piercing heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior tissue remains fragile. Be patient and keep cleaning it throughout the entirety of the healing period.
WHAT IS DOWNSIZING?
Most piercings are started with jewelry that has a small amount of extra length/diameter to allow for swelling and cleaning during the initial weeks of healing. Once the swelling has gone down, that jewelry can sometimes feel long and annoying. Although your piercing downsize estimate will be written on the back of your aftercare booklet, is is generally a good rule of thumb to book your downsizing within 4-6 weeks of initial piercing.
If your jewelry isn't downsized within the first 4-8 weeks, irritation may occur due to the jewelry moving about within the piercing channel due to the excess length once swelling has gone down.
In addition, if slept on, snagged or bumped, this excess length can cause the piercing to permanently migrate/shift. This makes it so that your jewelry may not sit flush against your skin, and may make it more difficult to eventually wear alternate styles of jewelry in the piercing in the future.
When initially pierced, longer length is used for swelling.
After the piercing, swelling occurs for about 4-6 weeks.
After the swelling goes down, the jewelry is downsized.
If not downsized,
the piercing angle can permanently shift.
ORAL PIERCINGS
Oral piercings are prone to swelling on and off, initially. We recommend cold food and drinks, such as ice water, which can be beneficial to help reduce swelling. Maintain good oral hygiene for the duration of healing! Do not use any products that contain whitening chemicals as this can cause irritation. We also recommend rinsing with bottled water after eating or drinking.
Avoid any activities that would put you in contact with someone else’s bodily fluids, including sharing food and drinks. Be aware that smoking can be harmful to a healing oral piercing.
Make sure to downsize the jewelry to a shorter length once the swelling has gone down to help reduce the risk of damage to teeth or gums, or migration/shifting of piercing.
Follow up with check ups so we can decide when downsizing is appropriate for you!
HOW TO DO WARM COMPRESSES
Wash your hands and then saturate a 2" x 2" piece of gauze with sterile saline and place in a ziplock bag. Warm the gauze in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. You can then take the gauze out of the bag and hold this up to the piercing; the heat will soothe any swelling and tenderness. Leave the saline gauze against the piercing until it cools, then rinse the piercing. Always dry the piercing after soaking or any cleaning. Do this at least once a day for one week. Never move the jewelry back and forth through the piercing. Likewise, do not twist or rotate jewelry in the piercing. Excessive movement can cause irritation and
issues while the piercing is healing. For any questions, always contact your piercer!
STILL HAVING ISSUES?
More often than not, people who think they have an infection are actually just experiencing irritation. Irritation is much more common than infection and is usually caused by friction or constriction (jewelry being too tight.) Adjusting your care or changing your jewelry can usually help that irritation improve. If you are having any issues, please do not hesitate to contact us or come in for a check up- check ups are always free of charge. We will not know if something is wrong if you do not contact us, so please use us as a resource while your piercing heals!
In the event an infection is suspected, quality jewelry should be left in place to allow drainage of the infection while being treated by a healthcare professional. Please contact your piercer BEFORE removing your jewelry. If the jewelry is removed, the surface cells can close over, which can seal the infection inside the piercing channel and result in abscess.
Always contact your piercer with questions and concerns, most issues can be resolved!