Piercing Aftercare

Avoid cleaning with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, soaps containing Triclosan, Iodine or any other harsh products or detergents as these can damage the cells.

Avoid ointments as the prevent necessary air circulation.

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

DO NOT OVER-CLEAN! I This can delay your healing time and irritate your piercing.

Avoid all oral contact, rough play and contact with other 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 unhygienic bodies of water such as personal or public pools, hot tubs, lakes, rives etc.

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

WASH - your hands thoroughly prior to touching your new piercing for any reason. Leave it alone except when cleaning. During healing it is not necessary to rotate your jewelry.

CLEAN - your piercing 3-4 times per day. For certain piercings it may be easier to apply using Q-Tip or a clean gauze saturated with the solution of your choice.

RINSE - your piercing site as needed to remove any residue or build up left from the cleaning solution. DRY - your piercing by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products (i.e. paper towel). Cloth towels can harbour bacteria and can get caught on jewelry causing trauma to the tissue. What is normal?:

INITIALLY: Some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness and or bruising is NORMAL.

DURING HEALING: Some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whiteish-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 as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretion may accumulate.

NOTE: A piercing might seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in. The piercing may feel fine but the inside tissue remains fragile. Be patient and make sure you continue cleaning your piercing throughout the entire healing period. See earliest change date on the back of this pamphlet

Leave jewelry in at all times. Even healed piercings that you have had for years can shrink or close within a matter of minutes! If removed, re-insertion can be difficult, painful or may result in needing to be repierced.

Contact your piercer for non-metallic jewelry alternatives if your metal jewelry must be temporarily removed as for a medical procedure.

With clean hands or disposable paper products, be sure to regularly check the beads on your jewelry. Anything in your face and ears can vibrate loose!

Exercise during healing is fine.

Make sure your bedding is washed and changed regularly. Wear clean, comfortable, breathable clothing that protects your piercing while you are sleeping.

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

The healthier your lifestyle the easier it will be for your piercing to heal. Get enough sleep. To help healing and boost your ability to fight infections, eat a well balanced and nutritious diet. If you don’t, consider taking multivitamins or nutritional supplements daily.

What if my Piercing becomes “Infected”?

In the event that an infection is suspected. High quality jewelery or the initial jewelery should be left in place to allow for drainage of infection. If the jewellery is removed and the surface cell can close up which can seal the infection inside the piercing channel and reset in an abscess. A lot of the time, people think they have an infected piercing when the don’t. It is extremely difficult to get an infection is a piercing - as long as you follow these proper aftercare instructions. If you suspect that you have an inspection, please come in and speak with your piercer PRIOR to seeking medical attention. Your piercer will give you all the appropriate information you need to now and will recommend seeking medical attention if it is necessary.