PIERCING AFTERCARE

Taking care of your piercing is actually a fairly easy process as your body heals itself. 

With that being said, you still need to be committed to following aftercare properly. 

If you are neglecting your piercing or doing things to it that may irritate it such as playing with it, sleeping on it, exposing it to harsh chemicals or changing it too early then it will be much more likely to experience complications, slow healing or not heal at all.

The concept is very straightforward – let your body heal. 

Harsh chemicals, antibacterial soaps, ointments or essential oils (such as tea tree oil or otherwise) often do more harm than good and can hinder the healing process. 

Prevent makeup, health and beauty products, sunscreen and other cosmetics from touching the piercing site or jewellery. 

A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t want it in your eye, you wouldn’t want it in your piercing.

Swelling / tenderness / redness will appear over the first 1-3 weeks, you can ice your piercing to help reduce swelling (5 minutes on, 5 minutes off). Some minor bleeding / bruising / discolouration is normal for the first week or so and not necessarily a sign of complication.

 Your piercing may remain in this state for around 4-6 weeks.

Use only our recommended Aftercare Spray / Sterile Saline (or Alcohol-Free Mouth Rinse for oral).

These are a gentle, smart choice for piercing aftercare. 

We do not recommend making your own salt solution at home. 

Your body will heal a piercing without fancy oils or creams. 

Our aftercare/sterile saline will help remove ‘crusties’ and debris to keep your piercing clean while your body works its magic.

It’s very important to note that products like Tea Tree Oil / Alcohol / Peroxide are not designed for piercing aftercare and can result in significant irritation to a fresh piercing. 

We highly recommend avoiding use of these products! 

• Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason – This is important. Hands are pretty dirty!
• Rinse/Spray your piercing with your aftercare solution twice a day (morning and night) to flush out any debris and cleanse the piercing site of any ‘crusties’ that are ready to come off on their own. Do not use cotton tips to remove crusties. 
• If you are cleaning the area too roughly then you may be removing the crusties that are still attached to the piercing site and can leave you open to irritation, infection and/or a longer and more difficult healing process!
• Leave it alone. This is all you need to do to keep your piercing clean!

We advise you to continue this daily routine for at least the first 3 months of your healing period.

• Do not touch your piercing unless you are cleaning it. It’s not necessary to twist or rotate your jewellery, this will only delay your healing.
• Leave your initial jewellery in for the minimum healing time advised by your piercer.
• Avoid bodies of water for at least the first month of healing. Pools, spas, bathtubs, lakes etc all harbour bacteria and can result in infection.
• Do not sleep on your piercing! This puts a lot of pressure on your piercing and can cause healing complications (changing the angle of the piercing itself, which is irreversible). Travel pillows that have an open ring in the centre are very useful for healing ear piercings.
• Keep yourself healthy during the healing. Avoid big weekends or excessive stress. Your piercing will be a reflection of your general health!

• Avoid tight clothing around the piercing. Again, this will put a lot of pressure / friction on the piercing and will cause healing complications.
• Keep your navel piercing dry. When you get out of the shower, make sure there is no moisture around the piercing site.
• No bodily fluids on healing wounds.
• This piercing can take up to 6 months to settle

• Rinse with sterile saline or alcohol-free mouth rinse for 30 seconds twice daily after eating. Do not clean more than the recommended times daily as this area can be over cleaned.
• On top of this, rinse with cold water after each time you eat to help flush any food away from the piercing. 
• Maintain good oral hygiene PLEASE!
• Avoid smoking and drinking during healing. This will lengthen your healing time and increase your risk of complications.
• It’s important to down size your original bar after roughly 4 weeks. Swelling will subside significantly after this period and you need a proper fitting bar for optimal healing.
• Sucking on small ice cubes can help with swelling and discomfort during the first week.
• We recommend to avoid dairy for the first 2 weeks as it can upset the balance of bacteria on the tongue while it is trying to heal and can lead to the development of oral thrush. Stick to fruit/ice based frozen or cold foods.

• Sleeping on or bumping your piercing will slow healing and can cause bumps to form.
• Your piercing may have ups and downs. Some recurring swelling or redness is normal but if it’s excessive or prolonged, get in touch with us so we can assess it.
• During healing your piercing can get irritated. This can present itself as a bump around your piercing, this is not uncommon but it needs to be addressed (in person with your piercer).
• If you fail to maintain good aftercare or downsize your post after the recommended time, you can experience unnecessary irritation or even a drastic change in the angle of your piercing, which is irreversible and can cause many issues later down the track (usually these piercings are advised to be removed).
• Many issues are NOT an infection and many piercings are misdiagnosed as such by inexperience and lack of piercing knowledge. 
• Any reputable piercer will know when to suggest for you to seek medical advice, so always contact your piercer as soon as you notice any issues. Remember - There is no such thing as a silly question and we are always happy to help!