Congratulations! If you’re reading this, you’ve probably just received a new piercing, or at the very least, are taking the appropriate steps towards learning how to care for and maintain a healthy piercing. Most clients expect the piercing to be the hardest part of the procedure. This is not the case, the healing afterwards requires consistent use and a good understanding of aftercare techniques. These techniques differ depending on the location of the piercing, and your own personal life style.

 

The success of your body piercing will depend on a number of different factors, which can vary according to your day to day habits and activities. Avoid engaging in stressful activities, and situations as much as possible. Eat healthy foods, and get the appropriate amount of sleep each night. Doing these things while also maintaining a cleaned and undisturbed piercing site will allow your body to dedicate as many resources to the healing process as possible.

 

Things to consider when healing your piercing.

diet

lifestyle

stress level

aftercare regimen

certain physical activities

 

Things to do when healing your piercing

• Get enough rest
• Pay attention to what you put into your body
• Gently clean the piercing site with freshly washed hands, using single use, sterile gauze pad, and sterile saline wound.
• Avoid bumps, snags, and anything that may cause extra trauma in the area of the piercing.
• Avoid sleeping on the same side as a fresh piercing.

 

The following cleaning routine is generally recommended 2-3 times a day, depending on lifestyle and area of the piercing.

 

Sterile saline wound wash is a wonderful substance, but not a magical one. It’s not responsible for healing your piercing, just keeping it clean. Proper protocol for cleaning is as follows.

 

• Wash hands thoroughly. (Disposable gloves are very helpful for this)
• Apply liberal amount of sterile saline wound wash to sterile gauze pads.
• Gently apply to piercing site, and hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, remove.
• Allow to air dry, or pat dry with a sterile gauze pad.
• Avoid allowing moisture to remain behind or under the exposed parts of your jewelry.
•  During showers, allow warm water to run over the piercing site to help loosen any “crusties” or build up of discharge.

 

The number one thing they all have in common is, Leave the jewelry alone. There are many misconceptions and popular myths about piercing, one of the most common being that you need to twist or rotate the jewelry while in the body. On the contrary, this will actually prolong the healing process. Do not do this, as the healing process involves getting the body to grow and develop skin inside the healing piercing, technically referred to as a fistula. When you twist, rotate, or slide your jewelry, you are actually ripping the tissue that’s developing. This can lead to several problems including, but not limited to, increased trauma, swelling, uneven, migrated, or drifted piercing, and potentially infection, among other things.

 

We love to take a look at your piercing while it’s healing, and encourage you to stop by the studio regularly for check ups, this can help identify any issues you may not have noticed, or those which may not have fully developed. Early Identification of potential issues is crucial for resolving complications quickly and in an efficient manner. Aftercare isn’t one size fits all, and adjustments may need to be made to the routine on a per client basis. Which brings us to downsizes.

 

Downsizing your jewelry is very important. Initially the jewelry we install will be a bit larger to accommodate swelling. Obviously that won’t be ideal long term, or comfortable once the piercing has completed the first stage of healing. The best way to keep you and your piercing as happy as possible is to stop issues and irritation from happening in the first place. So we strongly encourage you to visit us again for a downsize around 2-6weeks, depending on the piercing and how fast your body heals the initial wound. We also love seeing the end results of our work. Smiling customers are the best part of our jobs.

 

Tips and tricks:

• Wash your pillow case, sheets and blankets frequently during the initial stages. A clean t-shirt placed over your pillow helps as well. Particularly for facial and ear piercings
• If you have a fresh piercing on the side you normally sleep on, consider a travel pillow, as this will allow you to relax, and simultaneously avoid putting pressure on your fresh piercing.
• Light, loose fitting clothing for torso piercings, really helps to relieve irritation.
• For oral piercings, drink lots of cold water to help with swelling, an extra pillow to elevate you head at night can do wonders.

 

OUTSIDE CARE

I think hands down the most important thing to know is; a healthy body makes a healthy piercing. All the essentials; sleep, hydration, hygiene, and nutrition are the keys to a successful piercing.

Ink Therapy recommends using a Sterile wound Wash Saline Solution from a pressurized can. We feel one of the best ways to apply the saline is with a sterile gauze pad. A gauze pad held gently to the piercing for no more than 2 minutes. Try not to rub or move the piercing with the gauze pad. This process should be done 2-3 times a day.

A hot shower can help loosen up any crusties or build ups prior to the sterile saline cleaning.

 

INSIDE CARE

Here's the difference with a general aftercare routing and the oral aftercare part. We all know our mouth tends to have a lot of germs. So how do we counter balance this? Cleaning an oral piercing.

Use a new toothbrush and store it in a clean area away from other toothbrushes. Brush after each meal with a non-whitening toothpaste. You may also rinse with an alcohol free mouthwash. Drinking water throughout the day can help clean the food debris away from the piercing site during and after a meal.

 

SOME HELPFUL HINTS OF THINGS TO AVOID

• Do not play with jewelry - playing with the jewelry can increase long term issues. Such as damage to teeth and gums.
• Sexual contact such as French kissing or oral sex.
• Putting foreign things in your mouth such as chewing on tobacco, gum, fingernails, pencils, etc.
• Keep from submerging in any type of large body of water.
• Smoking, drugs, and alcohol are all going to greatly slow down the healing.

 

Thank you!

The Ink Therapy Team

~ Piercing Aftercare ~