Piercing Aftercare General Guidelines
- Always wash your hands immediately before touching OR cleaning your healing piercing.
- Wash the piercing once a day with a good anti-microbial or germicidal soap. To do this, take a small amount (about the size of a dime) of soap and lather up the area around the piercing and the jewelry. Rinse the area & jewelry with clean water and dry thoroughly.
- This can be done easily in the shower, do this at the end so you are not running dirty water over your clean piercing by washing your body, hair, etc.
- When washing, make sure you remove any dried matter (crusties!) which may have formed on the jewelry. Do not try to remove or “spin” your jewelry when this is dry, it can easily cause damage to the tissue on the inside of your piercing.
- Avoid bathtubs, hot tubs and Jacuzzis as they can easily harbor bacteria and germs
- Believe it or not, you should avoid cleaning the piercing too often,this can make the healing process take longer.
- It is normal to experience some swelling, redness and for the piercing to be sore at first. This will go away.
- Keep any clothing that may come in contact with the piercing clean and loose.
- DO NOT USE: rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, scented soaps, Betadine or Hibiclens on the piercing.
- DO NOT USE: Neosporin, Bacitracin or any other ointments on the piercing, these ointments are not meant to be used on puncture wounds.
- Avoid using make-up, beauty products, hair sprays or lotions on or around the piercing area. These products will irritate the piercing.
- If you want to keep the piercing, keep jewelry in it at all times. Not having jewelry in the piercing can cause the hole to close, even if it’s just a short period of time. Reinsertion of the jewelry may be difficult or impossible. Non-metallic retainers are available if you have to take out metal for a medical procedure.
- Keep everything that may come in contact with the piercing clean such as: clothes, cell phone, hats, eyeglasses, etc. It is acceptable to cleanse the piercing 2 to 3 times daily with an Earcare solution or Bactine, do this by using a cotton swab to apply the solution to the piercing.
Oral Piercings
- Tighten the ends of threaded jewelry at least once a day to ensure the jewelry does not loosen and fall out.
- Rinse with an alcohol-free antimicrobial mouth rinse for the first 2 weeks any time you eat or drink. Listerine is not alcohol-free. If you’re going to use this product, cut it 50/50 with bottled water.
- For the first 24-48 hours letting ice chips dissolve in your mouth will help reduce the amount of swelling. Cold drinks and food will help keep swelling down as well.
- For the first 3 to 5 days, using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxin (Aleve) will help reduce the amount of swelling you may experience. Use as directed on the bottle.
- Avoid lots of caffeine, aspirin, smoking, and putting objects such as pencils, toothpicks, etc., in your mouth. Avoid kissing and oral sex, you have an open wound in your mouth.
- Avoid spicy, salty, and acidic foods. These foods may increase swelling and delay healing time.
- Brush your teeth gently during the healing process. After the piercing is completely healed, brush jewelry while brushing teeth to help avoid plaque build-up.
- After the first 2 weeks, you can switch the initial jewelry (longer length to allow for swelling) out to a smaller size length. This will make the jewelry more comfortable for you and help avoid any damage the longer jewelry could cause.
- For Lip, Labret, and Monroe piercings, make sure to also follow the general care listed above to care for the external part of the piercing.
There is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to healing your piercing correctly. Please CALL US, NOT YOUR FRIENDS, with questions! 302-762-1650