Piercing Aftercare

Use one of the following solutions for healing piercings:

Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label), or a non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt mixture: Dissolve ¼ teaspoon into one cup (8oz) of warm distilled or bottled water.  A stronger mixture is not better; a saline solution that is too strong can irritate the piercing.

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

Saline soak for five to ten minutes once or more per day.  Invert a cup of warm saline solution over the area to form a vacuum.  For certain piercings it may be easier to apply using clean gauze, paper towel, or q-tip saturated with saline solution.  A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.

Dry by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products.


What to do: Stay healthy, it will be easier for your piercing to heal. 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: Cleaning your piercing with alcohol, peroxide, dial, or other harsh products. Do not rotate your piercing or use ointments. 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, or protect your piercing using a waterproof wound-sealant bandage.



Oral Aftercare

Use one or both of the following solutions for inside the mouth:

Antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouth rinse. (Crest Pro Health, Biotene, Breath-RX)

Packaged sterile saline solution or non-iodized sea salt mixture.

   We strongly suggest you use a new toothbrush after receiving an oral piercing.

Rinse mouth with cleaning solution for 30 seconds after meals and at bedtime (4-5 times daily) during the entire healing period.  Cleaning too often or with too strong a rinse can cause discoloration and irritation of your mouth and piercing.

 

Tips and Hints:

 

Once the swelling has subsided, it is vital to replace the original, longer jewelry with a shorter post to avoid intra-oral damage.  Consult your piercer for their downsize policy.

 

With clean hands or paper product, be sure to regularly check threaded ends on your jewelry for tightness (righty-tighty, lefty-loosey)

 

Contact your piercer for a non-metallic jewelry alternative if your metal jewelry must be temporarily removed (such as for a medical procedure)

 

Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in the place for the entire healing period.

Particular Areas



Ear and face: Use the t-shirt trick: Dress your pillow in a large clean t-shirt and turn it nightly; one clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.

 

Maintain cleanliness of telephones, headphones, eyeglasses, helmets, hats, and anything that contacts the pierced area. Use cation when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

 

Genital: In most cases you can engage in sexual activity as soon as you feel ready, but maintaining hygiene and avoiding trauma are vital; all sexual activities should be genital during the healing period.

 

Use barriers such as condoms, dental dams, and waterproof bandages, etc to avoid contact with your partners' body fluids, even in monogamous relationships. After sex, an additional saline soak or clean water rinse is suggested.

 

Surface Anchors: Clean around and irrigate the piercing with saline throughout the day.  Flushing underneath the threaded end to prevent build up of discharge and lifting.  This should be done for 6-8 weeks or until signs of healing stop.

 

Use latex free waterproof bandage while sleeping throughout the healing process.  This will prevent catching and snagging.



What is Normal?

• Initially: 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. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.

• Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.

• 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.

• Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave it empty.

 

*In the event an infection is suspected, quality jewelry or an inert alternative should be left in place to allow for drainage or 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.

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