| |
For tattoo aftercare click here.
What To Expect
Caring For Your Piercing
Additional Care For Oral Piercings
Jewelry
What NOT To Do
Congratulations! Your piercing was performed by a professional with the highest quality implant grade jewelry available. In a clean environment using aseptic technique - the first step towards successful healing. Now it is up to you! By following these simple suggestions to care for your new piercing, the healing process should go smoothly.
|
|
| |
• Understanding how your body works is important when healing a piercing. Maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit will help the healing process, allowing for fast and easier healing.
• Sickness, stress, and fatigue will have a negative effect on the healing of your piercing. Rest, low-stress lifestyle, consistent routine, positive attitude towards healing and a healthy diet including plenty of water are all factors that contribute to how the body heals.
• There are no short cuts or miracle products for your piercing, just your immune system.
What To Expect
A normal healing piercing…
- May be tender, itchy or bruised for a few weeks.
- May bleed a little for the first few days.
- May be slightly red. Redness may persist on and off for the entire healing period.
- May secrete a whitish-yellow fluid, which may crust on the jewelry. This discharge is normal during the healing period and will stop when the piercing is healed.
- May be swollen. An ice pack wrapped in a clean disposable paper towel and applied to the swollen area will help alleviate the swelling. You can also consult with your physician for a suggested over-the-counter anti-inflammatory to help reduce swelling.
- May need to be checked periodically to ensure threaded jewelry is still tight. Threaded jewelry is the same as most threaded items: “righty tighty, lefty loosey”. Don’t forget to wash your hands before touching your jewelry.
- May need to have jewelry downsized or adjusted after any swelling has subsided. Please visit your piercer in 3-4 weeks for a free consultation to determine if you will need to shorten or adjust your jewelry and take advantage of our free check-ups.
|
 |
|
| |
Caring For Your Piercing
In the shower:
At the end of your shower, after washing your hair and body, lather a dime-sized amount of Satin or Provon antimicrobial soap in the palm of your hands and use your clean fingers or a cotton swab to gently clean your jewelry and the surrounding tissue. Do not use a washcloth or loofah near the piercing because these items can get caught on your jewelry and damage delicate healing tissue. The soap should not get inside the piercing, so avoid turning, twisting or rotating the jewelry. Rinse the entire area thoroughly. Soap residue remaining on the skin can irritate your piercing. During the entire healing period avoid using soaps containing perfumes, dyes, or the active ingredient Triclosan (found in most antibacterial products), which tend to irritate healing piercings. Antimicrobial soaps should only be used once or twice daily; overuse of the soap can strip your skin of its natural oils and delay the healing process. |
|
| |
Sea salt soaks:
Mix ¼ teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt into 8 ounces of distilled water. To make a larger batch mix 4 teaspoons of sea salt into one gallon of distilled water (shake the gallon well before use). The ratio is important, so please measure carefully! Pour some of this solution into a clean, disposable cup and warm in the microwave to the temperature of warm bath water. Soak your piercing 2-4 times daily by completely submerging your piercing in this solution for 7-10 minutes. After your soak, rinse your piercing thoroughly and gently pat it dry with a clean, disposable paper towel. Hot compresses made from disposable paper towels may be used for difficult soaking sites (like bridges or napes), but are not as effective as sea salt soaks. Submerging the piercing is always advisable if possible. Some people with very sensitive skin prefer to use sterile saline instead of sea salt soaks and can use a product like Blairex sterile saline, which can be purchased through most pharmacies. |
|
| |
H2Ocean:
A sterile sea salt spray, H2Ocean, may be misted onto the piercing throughout the day, but this does not replace all sea salt oaks. This product is designed to be used 3-6 times a day and should not be used with any other chemical product, including Satin and Provon antimicrobial soaps. In addition to spraying your piercing every 3-4 hours, you should also be doing at least 1-2 sea salt soaks a day. It may also be beneficial to carry a clean plastic baggy with clean cotton swabs to clean crusted matter off your piercing when you are not able to do a sea salt soak. |
 |
|
| |
Additional Care For Oral Piercing
- Rinse with an alcohol-free mouthwash after eating, drinking, smoking or putting anything in your mouth other than water. Alcohol-based mouthwashes are too harsh and will irritate your piercing.
- Rinse with warm sea salt water solution 3-5 times a day. Sea salt water rinses will speed healing and ease the healing process.
- Get a new toothbrush and brush your teeth three times a day during the healing process.
- Avoid drinking alcohol for the first few weeks of your healing period. These beverages will increase your swelling and may make your piercing bleed.
- You can consult with your physician for a suggested over-the-counter anti-inflammatory to help reduce swelling.
- Gently sucking on shaved ice or ice chips and drinking cold beverages such as smoothies or slushies are both options to reduce swelling and feel good.
- Reduce or stop smoking. Smokers may experience considerably longer healing times.
- EAT!!! It’s important to keep your body healthy while healing your piercing. Soft and bite-sized foods will be easiest for the first week or two. Try to avoid hot, spicy or crunchy foods until your piercing is healed.
- Most oral piercings will need to be downsized 2-4 weeks into the healing period. Wearing the initial jewelry once your swelling has subsided can lead to dental damage. Come back when you are ready for a downsize and see your piercer to ensure you get properly sized jewelry. To help you avoid complications, we are happy to put in your new jewelry as well. Except for downsizing, jewelry should not be changed until your piercing is completely healed.
|
 |
|
Jewelry
Good Jewelry is Not Cheap and Cheap Jewelry is Not Good
- Buyer Beware: Not all jewelry is created equal. We sell only jewelry that is made from implant grade materials, appropriate in size and style, appropriately sterilized and inserted by a professional. All jewelry we offer is made for long term wear.
- We want to help you heal your piercing quickly with no complications: reactions to poor quality metals, embedded jewelry that was not an appropriate size, issues with poor jewelry design, or improperly cleaned, non-sterile jewelry. We respect your body and hope you do as well!
- Most piercings will need to have the jewelry downsized (shorter post or smaller ring) and will require visiting us again when your swelling has subsided and most discharge has ceased. While this second piece of jewelry will be a required purchase, we do not charge for jewelry changes. We are also proud to offer a 10% VIP discount off jewelry purchases as well.
|
|
| |
What NOT To Do
- DO NOT touch your piercing with dirty hands – this is the number one cause of infection due to the introduction of bacteria and germs. Your piercing should only be touched during cleaning, with freshly washed hands only.
- DO NOT twist, turn or rotate your jewelry. This damages healing tissue.
- DO NOT let your piercing come in contact with dirty bedding, unclean clothing, pet hair or other people’s body fluids. Also, please be careful when drying yourself with a towel or washcloth and when dressing or putting on hats and scarves, as you can snag and potentially tear your piercing
|
 |
|
| |
- DO NOT expose your piercing to any water other than your shower or your sea salt water solution. NO rivers, lakes, hot tubs, oceans or swimming pool. Clean and thoroughly rinse the tub before taking a bath.
- DO NOT get cosmetics, facial cleansers, tanning oils, lotions, moisturizers, hair spray, hair gels or similar products on the piercing. Avoid contact with acne prevention medications, as the harsh chemicals will irritate your piercing and can lead to the formation of unwanted scar tissue. When receiving professional services such as a haircut or color, you should cover facial or ear piercings with a plastic bag or waterproof bandage (such as Tegaderm or Clean Seals) to avoid exposure to harsh products.
- DO NOT use any products that have not been recommended by your piercer. This includes Neosporin, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, Betadine, Bactine, witch hazel, astringents, salves, antibiotic ointments, etc.
- DO NOT wear restrictive clothing, irritating clothing or anything that limits oxygen flowing over the piercing.
- DO NOT change your jewelry before your piercing is healed. It is also a good idea to come in and let your piercer change your jewelry for the first time.
- DO NOT hesitate to stop by or give us a call if you have any questions or concerns regarding your piercing. We offer free piercing checkups and will answer any question you may have.WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP YOU!!
|
|
|
