Piercing Aftercare

Now that you have your new piercing here is how to take care of your new piercing to ensure healing 

Cleaning Instructions for Body Piercings

* WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.

* STERILE SALINE rinse as needed during healing. For certain placements, it may be easier to apply a saline-soaked gauze for a few minutes to loosen dry blood and discharge 

* DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products because cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury. Keep your piercing dry as much as possible.

What is Normal?

•: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising.

• During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry.

• A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient, and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period.

What To Do

• Wash your hands prior to starting your cleaning regime, leave it alone except when cleaning. During healing, it is not necessary to rotate your jewelry.

• Stay healthy; the healthier your lifestyle, the easier it will be for your piercing to heal. Get enough sleep and eat a nutritious diet. Exercise during healing is fine; listen to your body.

• Make sure your bedding is washed and changed regularly. Wear clean, comfortable, breathable clothing that protects your piercing while you are sleeping.

What To Avoid

• Avoid moving jewelry in an unhealed piercing, or picking away dried discharge with your fingers.

• Avoid cleaning with Betadine®, Hibiciens®, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial® or other soaps containing triclosan, as these can damage cells.

• Avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.

• Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.

• Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.

• Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others' bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.

• Avoid submerging the piercing in unhygienic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof wound-sealant bandage (Tegaderm) These are available at most drugstores.

• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc.

Jewelry

•do not change the jewelry before fully healed. 

• Contact your piercer if your jewelry must be removed (such as for a medical procedure). There are non-metallic jewelry alternatives available.

• Leave jewelry in at all times. Even well-healed piercing can shrink or close in minutes 

• With clean hands or paper towels, be sure to regularly check threaded ends on your jewelry for tightness. (To Your left or your friends Right) 

• In the event an infection is suspected, the jewelry should be left in place to allow for drainage of the infection. If the jewelry is removed, the surface cells can close up, which can seal the infection inside the piercing channel and result in an abscess. Do not remove jewelry unless instructed to by a medical professional.