Piercing Aftercare
You finally got your beautiful piercings, what’s next? Getting a new piercing can be very exciting but there are a few things everyone should know. Here are a few steps we recommend you follow to properly take care of your piercing. It is crucial to care for your piercings correctly.
How to Clean Your Piercing
We recommend your clean your piercing no more than twice a day (morning and night). Make sure your hands are squeaky clean before touching the pierced area, you don’t want any bacteria getting in there! Afterwards, you’ll use your trusty saline solution that you can purchase from our shop, or you can even DIY your own solution, cool right? You can use a Q-tip to clean the piercing but remember to be gentle with it for it is an open and healing wound :) If you want to dry the pierced area after cleaning it or even after a shower, we recommend you always use a clean cloth or paper towel. Please DO NOT remove the piercing when cleaning it. Also keep in mind that you should not pick on your piercings, even if you notice stubborn crust. Picking on your new piercing(s) can disturb the healing process!
*Please be aware that over-cleaning a piercing can also cause irritation and increase the chances of delaying the healing process. *
Cleaning Mouth Piercings
Do you enjoy eating spicy foods? Well, sorry to say this, but you will have to avoid it for the first couple of weeks! Spicy food can irritate your piercing as much as it irritates your throat! If you are a smoker, don’t worry, you don’t have to quit smoking for this piercing! Although, we highly recommend you rinse your mouth with an alcohol-free mouth wash after you smoke and/ or eat.
How to Avoid Infection
The last thing you want is for your beautiful piercing to get infected! As mentioned before, make sure your hands are squeaky clean to the point where you can see your reflection through them, before handling your piercing(s)! Some things to avoid would be getting any lotion, makeup, perfume, or just any scented substances in and around the pierced area. Try to make sure your pillowcases, clothing, or anything that comes in contact with those piercings is just as clean! Also, remember to avoid tight-fitted clothing for body piercings because that can cause more irritation and disturb the healing process, which nobody wants!
Estimated Healing for Piercings
A facial piercing can vary between 2-3 months to heal. Ear/cartilage can take between 2-4 months. Below the neck piercings can take 3-4 months. Each body is unique and healing time can vary considerably. If your piercing is tender or secreting fluids, you should continue to clean it even if it is past the stated average healing time.
What to do if you think you have an infection
Give us a call! We can have a look and let you know what to do next. If you believe your piercing has become infected, we advise you to seek advice from a healthcare professional. You may require topical or oral antibiotics to heal the infection. We do not recommend that you leave the infection to heal on its own as this can lead to scarring or the infection spreading. If you are not sure if your piercing is infected, feel free to contact our shop and we can take a look at it and help you the best we can.