Basic Piercing Aftercare:
The first step to healing is to be healthy!
Happy, healthy bodies make for happy, healthy piercings! Good personal hygiene and a stress free life, complimented by a nutritious diet with proper hydration will enable your body to heal faster. Showering daily and using saline irrigation will reduce chances of an infection and minimize irritation.
General Piercing Aftercare:
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before cleaning or even touching any piercing. Use sterile packaged saline solution (salt water) by spraying the solution onto a gauze pad, then gently apply the gauze to the piercing. You can also apply a very small amount of pressure to help saturate the entire area. Do this 1-3 times daily.
Saline helps keep the area hydrated and allows the blood vessels to open up, essentially giving the piercing more oxygen and promote the healing process.
Oral Piercing Aftercare:
Important!: Buy a new toothbrush (or a new head for an electric brush).
For all lip and cheek piercings (excluding vertical labret), use an antiseptic, non alcoholic mouthwash at least 5 times a day (definitely after each meal!). Rinse for 30-60 seconds, then immediately rinse again with water for a few seconds.
For the outside of the piercing, follow the general piercing aftercare instructions above.
DO NOT fiddle or play around with the jewellery as it can damage the tissue and cause tearing.
When eating, opt for soft, easy to chew or even liquid foods for the first few days until the piercing feels comfortable.
Oral piercings may take 8 weeks to 6 months to heal fully.
Avoid smoking or vaping for at least a week after an oral piercing.
Due to the swelling of a new oral piercing, it will feel awkward and you may feel the need to almost re-learn how to use your tongue! However do try to eat, drink and talk as normally as possible.
And finally….
Never over-handle your piercing! Try to touch it as little as possible to reduce the risk of infection and other complications.
Avoid chemicals. A fresh piercing is an open wound, so avoid rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, Neosporin, Antiseptics (other than the suggested mouth wash), Anti-Bacterial soaps and any other chemicals inside the mouth.
DO NOT use ointments, oil, lotions, creams, hair sprays, dyes, or make-up ON or NEAR the piercing site.
NO swimming or submerging. Avoid lakes, poole, hot tubs, bath tubs, rivers, oceans, creeks, ponds or mud puddles!
Waterproof bandages don’t always work as protection against contamination. So it it worth the risk?
Avoid tight or restrictive clothing at the piercing site, breathable cotton fabrics are best.
Avoid sleeping ON your piercing for the whole of the healing period, particularly so if you’ve had ear cartilage piercing!
DO NOT use tanning beds or false tans during healing, heat and chemicals both aggravate healing tissues.
Avoid other people’s body fluids.
DO NOT remove your jewellery for any reason during the healing period. If the jewellery does come out, return to us immediately for assistance as we can usually rectify this quicker, easier and cleaner than someone trying to themselves!