England
Aftercare
Looking after your new piercing has never been so easy!
There's three rules for a new piercing:
Keep it clean. Keep it still. Keep it dry.
Cleaning
You'll want to remove any dry matter from the piercing when it needs it. If you shower frequently (3-4 times a week) then the water will get off any dry matter ready to come off all by itself. Shampoo/condition/body wash as normal, but do take extra care when doing so, be sure to rinse off your piercings thoroughly before exiting!
Out of the shower you want to DRY your piercing thoroughly. I would recommend using kitchen roll or non-woven gauze for this, as cotton buds/pads can leave tiny fibres behind which can get stuck and irritate the area. With the gauze or kitchen roll, gently dab the skin around the piercing (entry and exit) to dry off any excess moisture. Using a hairdryer on a COOL setting is also a great idea to dry your piercings without getting too close!
DO NOT go to bed with wet hair.
You may find there is some dry matter in between shower days, for this you want to use Sterile Saline or water on kitchen roll or non-woven gauze. Wet the kitchen roll or gauze with water or sterile saline and gently wipe around the piercing (entry and exit), any crust that's ready to come off will do so easily, DO NOT force or pick the crust off, this can slow the process down! Once you've finished, use another piece of kitchen roll or gauze to dry the piercing thoroughly!
For lip piercings. care for the outside as explained above. For the inside of the mouth maintain your usual oral hygiene routine. Brush, floss and mouthwash (non alcohol) twice a day as normal. After food it can be worth rinsing your mouth out with some cool water to make sure no food debris is trapped around the flat base. You may want to avoid certain foods for comfort and to stop any potential irritation. Foods include anything spicy, acidic or citrusy!
I only recommend cleaning your piercing when it needs it,
so if you see crust give it a clean, no crusty? No cleany!
If your piercing has an attachment, check that it is secure regularly, natural movement/cleaning/fiddling can make it loose and then fall off. It is up to you to keep on top of checking this, if you loose you attachment/cannot get it back on, secure the post with tape and message me so I can assist you!
What’s Considered Normal?
Bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness and bruising, this is all very normal for the first few days/weeks.
During the entire healing period your piercing can remain sore, you may also get some dis-colouration, itching and secretion of a whitishyellow fluid (not pus) that will form as a crust around the jewellery.
The tissue may feel tight around the jewellery, never force it. Once healed, your piercing may accumulate smelly bodily secretions, this means your piercing needs a good clean!
Lumps and Bumps
We often refer to these as irritation bumps (NOT Keloids). These bumps will form when something is irritating the piercing, such as; knocking/pulling/twisting/playing/sleeping on it. The only way to get rid of them is to stop the irritation from happening, avoid using any chemicals/creams/picking/squeezing, this can make them worse. Always message me if you’re ever concerned.
Golden Rules
DO NOT touch or play with it. This means no twisting/turning and don’t pick the ‘crusties’! Clean them off as instructed above!
DO NOT sleep on it, even if it doesn't hurt!! Use a travel pillow or place a large hair clip on that side to prevent pressure on the piercing. Sleeping on it can cause extra swelling, irritation and can lead to the piercing healing at an angle.
AVOID chemicals! Savlon, TCP, Tea Tree, Surgical Spirits, Dettol, Chlorine are very harsh on fresh piercings. Also avoid all shared water sources (lakes, the sea, swimming pools) this can lead to infection.
DO NOT change your jewellery too early! Piercings heal from the outside in, so it may look and feel healed early on but it’s still likely to still be raw on the inside. Please message me to book a check up if you’re unsure.
DO NOT take out your jewellery! Removing the jewellery may cause the hole to shrink or fully close up, which ultimately means you will not be able to reinsert the jewellery and you will have to re-pierce it. Even fully healed piercings can shrink or close, if you like your piercing, keep it in! Where possible, use glass retainers to keep your piercing ‘hidden’ for long periods of time.
AVOID spicy food and foods strong in citric acid for at least 2 weeks with oral piercings. Also try and cut down on smoking and vaping as much as possible during this delicate stage of healing.
AVOID heavy drinking for at least 2 weeks with oral piercings. Alcohol is an irritant and a blood thinner, which can cause your new piercings to bleed.
DRINK plain Chamomile tea if you like it, its an excellent soothing anti-inflammatory drink for sore or swollen oral piercings. Eating ice cream/ice cubes or drinking cold water is helpful too. You can also sleep with an extra pillow to elevate your head more, this helps keep swelling to a minimum.
NO plasters or band-aids. Your piercing needs to breathe! Clothing is obviously okay, but avoid clothing that is really tight and high wasted clothing over any body piercings, as this will rub and irritate.
AVOID netted shower sponges. Tale care not to get towels and face cloths caught on the piercing, and keep make-up/creams/cleanser out of facial piercings until they are fully healed.
If at any point you have any problems/issues and you would like some advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, I am always more than happy to help!