PIERCING
Aftercare
Basic aftercare for ALL piercings:
Before you start cleaning your piercing it’s very important you get your supplies (saline solution & q-tips or paper towel) and then wash your hands throughly. WASHING YOUR HANDS BEFORE HANDLING ANY PIERCING (HEALING IR NOT) IS REALLY SUPER IMPORTANT!!! Our hands guide us through the world, also possibly guiding the world’s ick into your piercing.
Always (and only) use a sterile saline solution to clean your piercings. Cleaning the piercing 2-3 times a day & drying it off afterwards. We have Steri-Wash for sale, but you can also visit your local pharmacy’s first aid section to pick up a sterile saline wound wash.
You should never use a made in house aftercare solution, essential oils, rubbing alcohol, Bactine, or hydrogen peroxide to clean a piercing. These things can cause irritation & rejection. You should avoid applying any lotions, oils, creams, on a healing piercing.
While you’re healing you need to avoid submerging the healing piercing. This means no swimming, bath tubs, hot tubs, pools, lakes, lochs, rivers, springs, oceans. A shower & saline should be the only liquids touching your healing piercing. When you’re in the shower, you can let the water hit the piercing for a few seconds to loosen any “crust” on the jewelry.
If you exercise there is no need to change your routine - just be a little more gentle with yourself. Make sure you clean the piercing throughly after your workout
** please see navel & privacy piercings for extra precautions on those piercings**
Avoid sleeping on your healing piercing if you can - each piercing section will have their own precautions for this.
Jewelry changes come at different times for different piercings. MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH - If you like it, wait to put a hoop in it! Waiting a minimum of 3-6 months (depending on the piercing) to change the jewelry to a hoop can help you avoid irritation - such as those pesky piercing bumps!
Patience is key with healing a piercing, most piercings take 6months-a year to FULLY heal. Your healing journey is totally dependent on how you take care of your piercing.
Hypertrophic scarring / piercing bumps are VERY common in the healing process. Most of their time they appear because day to day things happen such as bumping or snagging. Sometimes though, they do appear because of neglect. If you feel one is starting to appear, feel free to reach out! **If it is a keloid it will need to be removed by a medical professional. While I am not a medical professional, I can tell the difference between the two but would suggest a medical professional’s opinion**
PLEASE SEE SECTIONS BELOW FOR A BREAKDOWN OF PIERCING AFTERCARE BY LOCATION
FACIAL PIERCINGS:
Ideally you should wait 6-8 weeks before downsizing. And after having the piercing for 3-6 months with no issues, we can install your dream jewelry! Just like any other piercing, you should clean your healing piercings 2-3tines a day with the saline solution. With your new facial piercings you should try to be careful when washing & drying your face. Use warm not hot water with a scent free/dye free soap. Be a little softer in your face cleaning, trying to avoid the healing piercings. It is okay if soap gets on the piercing, but do not actively scrub it until you are fully healed. Lastly make sure you are pat drying your face to avoid snagging.
You can do your skincare how you normally do, just try to avoid applying products to the healing piercings. As an extra precaution I highly recommend cleaning the piercing after you’re done applying the skincare.
Speaking of precautions here are some that I’d like you to be aware of. Be careful when getting dressed, being physically affectionate/intimate, blowing your nose, wiping your face, applying skincare/makeup, eating & drinking.
ORAL PIERCINGS:
Most oral piercings can be downsized at 6-8 weeks & have dream jewelry installed after 3-6 months if there are no issues.
You should be doing 2 steps to clean your oral piercing. First - rinsing the inside with an alcohol free mouthwash & following that with cleaning the outside with the saline solution.
You should be cleaning the piercing after you eat, drink, vape, smoke anything. Please avoid being intimate with your healing. No foreign bodily fluids should come in contact with your healing piercing.
During your first bit of healing you should avoid big bite foods - burritos, burgers, etc. Eating pellet ice can help with swelling your first few days!
Avoid applying skincare on your healing piercing, but should you accidentally during application just be sure to clean the piercing once you’re done with your routine!
EAR PIERCINGS:
Most ear piercings take 6-12 months to FULLY heal. Keeping them clean, dry, and avoiding pressure on them can significantly help with a smoother heal out.
You should clean the piercing 2-3 times a day, avoiding touching/rotating/moving/removing the jewelry. If you apply any hair products to your hair, make sure you’re cleaning the piercing afterwards.
If you wear glasses, make sure you’re cleaning the temples & ear pieces with a Clorox wipe. Make sure the glasses are dry before putting them back on.
With your new piercing you should be cautious with being physically affectionate, intimate, getting dressed/undressed, brushing/washing your hair. If you have a hair appointment while healing out - be sure to let your stylist know before beginning your service.
If you’re like me I sleep like a rotisserie chicken - constantly rotating/moving. Adding a travel neck pillow to the inside of your pillowcase can help relieve pressure for you to sleep more comfortably. If a travel neck pillow is too thick for you, try a donut towel. This is when you roll a towel up long ways & then form it into a donut form. To connect the ends of the towels, put a hair tie on one end before joint the two & putting the hair tie over the both ends of the towel.
NAVEL PIERCINGS:
THERE SHOULD BE NO SUBMERGING THE PIERCING WHILE HEALING. Just as any other piercing- clean this 2-3 times a day with a saline solution. Avoid activity putting soap on your healing piercing, but it is okay if soap gets on it in the shower. Before getting out, make sure you are rinsing the piercing off really well.
With your piercing - healing or not - you should be cautious of getting dressed/undressed, wash cloths, loofahs, sponges, and towels. Pat dry your piercing afterwards you’re out.
With navels it’s wise to be extra cautious with high waist garments, seatbelts, counters, laundry baskets, pets, and children.
If you are a side or stomach sleeper i recommend you should wear a shirt/nightgown to bed to avoid having the jewelry snagged. If that sounds like a sensory nightmare - please reach out & I can tell you how to go about covering it for sleep.
If you are active and just got this piercing, it’s wise to avoid crunches, sit ups and lifting for the first week. Easing yourself back into it and being easy on yourself while healing.
NIPPLE PIERCINGS:
THERE SHOULD BE NO SUBMERGING OR SEXUAL ACTIVITY WHILE YOU SRE HEALING OUT. Be sure you are cleaning this 2-3 times a day and wearing a clean & supportive bra (avoid anything lace & pushup bras while healing). Sports bras, bralettes, and non underwire bras are ideal for this heal out. Sleeping in a shirt is important to protect against snagging.
With nipple piercings- healing or not- it’s wise to be extra cautious with showering, being intimate, seatbelts, crossbody bags, purses, being physically affectionate, counters, laundry baskets, pets, and children.
When showering you should avoid actively putting a loofah or wash cloth on this piercing. This can possibly cause the piercing to be snagged/pulled causing irritation.
PRIVACY PIERCINGS:
Privacy piercings need gentle care, cleaning them 2-3 times a day with the saline solution & using an unscented clean wipe after each bathroom visit. Especially during the menstruation cycle.
Absolutely NO loofahs or wash cloths are to be used in the area - healing or not. During healing, it’s fine to allow water to rinse the piercings. Avoid direct contact with soap on the piercing while healing. Once healed to clean privacy piercings you can GENTLY clean the area with a mild soap.
If you are physically active please allow two weeks before returning to your normal routine, and when you start back up make sure you are easing back into it. While you are healing there are some activities that need to wait until you are fully healed; sexual activity, bike riding, horseback riding, submerging, and no lace underwear.