PIERCING aftercare

• WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing.

• If your piercer suggests using soap, gently lather around the piercing and rinse as needed. Avoid using harsh soaps, or soaps with dyes, fragrances, or triclosan. •RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.

• DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.

            *  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.

      *    What To Do

• Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; 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.

• Showers tend to be safer than taking baths, as bathtubs can harbor bacteria. If you bathe in a tub, clean it well before each use and rinse off your piercing when you get out.

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

•  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.

 cleaning with Betadine®, Hibiciens®, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial® or other soaps containing triclosan, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.

• Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and are not intended for long term wound care.

• 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 unsightly and uncomfortable 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 stress and recreational drug use, including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

• Avoid submerging the piercing in unhygenic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof wound-sealant bandage (such as 3M™ Nexcare™ Clean Seals). These are available at most drugstores.

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

• Don't hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.

   * Navel:

• A hard, vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies) can be applied under tight clothing (such as nylon stockings) or secured using a length of Ace® bandage around the body (to avoid irritation from adhesive). This can protect the area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation, and impact during physical activities such as contact sports.

    *  Ear/Ear Cartilage and Facial:

• Use the t-shirt trick: Dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt and turn it none 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 caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

     *  NIPPLES• The support of a tight cotton shirt or sports bra may provide protection and feel comfortable, especially for sleeping.

    *Genital:

• Genital Piercings—especially Prince Alberts, Ampallangs, and Apadravyas—can bleed freely for the first few days. Be prepared.

• Urinate after using soap to clean any piercing that is near the urethra.

• Wash your hands before touching on (or near) a healing piercing.

• 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 gentle 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.

• Use clean, disposable barriers on sex toys.

• Use a new container of water-based lubricant; do not use saliva.

• After sex, an additional saline soak or clean water rinse is suggested.

       Let’s remember Each body is unique and healing times vary considerably.

     If you have  any questions, please contact your piercer. 

Nose - 3 to 4 months or longer           

Septum- 4 to 8 wks or longer                   Eyebrow - 6 to 8 wks or longer

Tongue - 4 to 8 wks or longer                Cartilage - 3 to 9 months or longer

Labret- 6 to 8 wks or longer                     Earlobes  -4 to 8 wks or longer

Monroe- 2 to 3 months                         Daith/Tragus - 3 to 9 months or longer

Belly - 6 to 9 Months or longer           Nipples Male -3 to 4 months or longer

  Nipples Female - 6 to 9 months or longer

 ?  How much it will hurt ? 

 Pain is relative, and everyone experiences is different .
What one person might say is very painful, another may say they barely felt anything.
However, most piercings are a bit of pressure, a slight pinch and your done .
Most  client’s prepare for the worst and end up saying “it wasn’t that bad “ afterwards.

  ?  How is it done ?

All piercings are done with a  single use, sterilized, tribevel, surgical needle.
They are extremely sharp, making the piercing as painless as possible.
You can watch every package be opened . 

 Needles are disposed of immediately after the procedure.

? Can I swim ?

For ear lobe piercings, it is a good idea to avoid swimming for the first 6-8 weeks until the inital healing process is complete.
For cartilage and other piercings that take longer to heal; we recommend waiting at least 3 months before swimming.

Unless you can cover your piercing with a Tegaderm patch bandage. This is a clear, adhesive, water-proof bandage that can be comfortably worn on some piercings, such as navels with curved barbells, and nipples.
It can usually be found at most pharmacies. Of course, if it’s a facial piercing, just avoid submerging it.

? Is my piercing infected ?
 If you do develop a bump on your piercing this isn’t necessarily an infection, or keloid. Often its an irritation  bumps . Keloids are quite rare unless you are genetically prone to them.  A Doctor would also have to diagnose them, along with an infections. 

Typically what this bump means is something  is irritating  the new piercing  , and process of elimination from lifestyle ,  to new trauma at the area or aftercare routine,  is explored to get rid of your irriation bump.

True signs on infection include the piercing site becoming very red, swollen, hot to the touch, and secreting thick, dark yellow or green fluid. If you are exhibiting these symptoms, please go to your doctor to receive antibiotics, this is something we cannot help with .

  ? Why Should I downsize my jewelry ?

     Downsizing refers to switching jewelry in a piercing to a shorter post, once initial swelling   has subsided.

 Because of the way piercings heal, most require initial jewelry with a noticeable amount of extra room to allow the tissue to swell in the early phases of healing. This is crucial to avoid jewelry embedding in the skin.

However, once the initial stages have passed, this initial swelling will have gone away. This will reveal the initial extra room and results in the initial jewelry now being too long. 

Jewelry that is too long can snag easily and move around excessively, leading to irritation and renewed swelling. In oral piercings, excessively long jewelry can lead to damage to teeth, gums, and other oral structures .

 At this stage, it’s important to return to your piercer to have shorter jewelry installed to reduce these issues. The piercing is not healed enough to safely change your jewelry by yourself at this point in healing.

If this window for downsizing is missed for piercings such as the helix, the excessive length may lead to migration or a change of angle of piercing, especially if the piercing gets slept on. This damage is irreversible and can get bad enough to result in the piercing failing.

 ? Can I get a Piercing during Pregnancy ?

The short answer is no.

The body’s immune system undergoes serious changes during pregnancy. These changes have a negative effect on healing, and may even prevent piercings received shortly before becoming pregnant from finishing healing. Sometimes even healed piercing will act up while you are pregnant. For these reasons, we even advise against stretching existing piercings during pregnancy.

There is also a slight but important risk that if you experience a complication, such as an infection, that your pregnancy or fetus would be negatively affected. While the chances are slim, it’s just not worth the risk, and no reputable professional would knowingly offer you services while you are with child.