Aftercare

Body Piercing Aftercare

Cleaning Solution:

• Packaged sterile saline (with no additives, read the labels) is a gentle choice for aftercare.
  The only ingredients you want is USP Grade Water, USP Grade Sodium Chloride (9 mg/ml)
• We suggest Neilmed Wound Wash Piercing Aftercare.
• Available for purchase in our studios.

Cleaning Instructions:

• WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning, or touching your piercing for any reason.
• SPRAY the piercings entrance and exit holes with wound wash saline solution.
• WIPE any crusty discharge away from the jewelry with non-woven gauze soaked with saline.
• DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products.
  DO NOT use cloth towels, as they can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury. You may also use a clean hair dryer set to cool.
• Once daily: rinse your piercing with fresh water in the shower. This should loosen any crusty matter that forms on the jewelry.
  After you shower, do a saline cleaning.
• Clean your piercing 2-3 times per day, for the entire healing process.

Oral Piercings:

Oral piercings can benefit from the introduction of cold to soothe swelling. Drinking ice water can be very helpful.
Elevating your head with an extra pillow while you sleep can also help with swelling.
Avoid any activity that would result in someone else’s body fluid getting into the piercing, including sharing food or beverages.
Rinse with filtered or bottled water regularly.

What is Normal?

• Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising are expected.
• During healing: some discoloration, itching, and secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry.
• 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.

Your piercing will start with a piece of jewelry that is going to seem like it is too long, but this is necessary to leave room for your piercing to swell. It is very important to visit us again after a few weeks to have us change your piercing to a more appropriate size, once the swelling is down.

When to Seek Medical Attention:

Infections are rare.

Symptoms include:

• Sudden onset of swelling
• Excessive bleeding
• Discharge of yellow, green, or dark-colored fluid.
• Some redness is normal, but excessive redness and/or stripes coming from the piercing site are signs of serious problems.

What To Avoid:

• Avoid touching your piercing with unwashed hands.
  Contamination of the piercing site from touching with unwashed hands can result in an infection!
• Avoid cleaning with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, any soaps, iodine, tea tree oils, Bactine, pierced ear care solutions, and any other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK).
  These can be irritating and can damage cells. Also, avoid ointments as they prevent necessary circulation.
• 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 submerging the piercing in unhygienic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc.
• Avoid stress and recreational drug use, including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
• 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.

Hints and Tips

• The healthier your lifestyle is, the easier it will be for your piercing to heal.
• Get enough sleep and stay hydrated!
• Eat a nutritious diet. If you don’t, consider taking nutritional supplements daily.

Jewelry:

• Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in place fort he entire healing period.
  See a qualified piercer to perform any jewelry change that becomes necessary during healing.
• Contact your piercer for a non-metallic jewelry alternative if your metal jewelry must be temporarily removed (such as for a medical procedure)
• Leave jewelry in at all times. Even healed piercings that you have had for years can shrink or close in minutes! If removed, reinsertion can be difficult or impossible.
• Should you decide you no longer want your piercing, simply remove it (or have a professional piercer remove it) and continue cleaning the piercing until the hole closes up, in most cases, only a small mark should remain.

Ear/Cartilage and Facial:

• Clean bedding can help prevent complications. A clean t-shirt over your pillow, changed regularly until your pillowcase is washed, is strongly encouraged for ear and facial piercings.
• Travel pillows can help you avoid sleeping directly on your ear while healing a piercing. You can also visit www.etsy.com/shop/TheHurtsDonut to order yourself the same pillow I use for my piercings!
• Maintain cleanliness of telephones, headphones, eyeglasses, helmets, hats, and anything that contacts the piercing area.
• Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

Nipple:

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

Surface Anchors:

• These piercings require maintenance during their entire lifetime because matter can build up underneath the threaded top causing the piercing to become irritated.
• Avoid putting make up on these piercings even after healed.
• Even with proper care, surface anchors may be less permanent than other body piercings.