Piercing Aftercare
After you have been pierced it is important that you follow the instructions below.
DO NOT play with your piercing until it is healed and DO NOT touch it with your hands unless you have washed them thoroughly. It should be left dry, exposed to air and not restricted by tight clothing (be careful with navel piercings and waistbands as your piercing could end up crooked if it is held crooked during healing).
During healing your piercing will weep a fluid called lymph this will dry in a hard deposit around the jewellery. It is an important part of your cleaning to make sure that all the lymph is soaked off every morning and evening until your piercing has healed. The recommended cleaning product for all piercings is saline (salt water). You can mix your own using freshly boiled (but cool) water and a little sea salt. You can start to clean your piercing on the first morning after you are pierced (if your piercing is covered this is when you should remove your cover). The easiest way to clean the lymph from your piercing is to soak a clean cotton wool pad in saline until it is saturated and hold this on your piercing for a couple of minutes. The soft lymph can then be removed using a cotton bud. If you have been pierced with a ring you can start twisting the jewellery through the piercing (gently) after a week. You only need to twist the ring once or twice each time you clean it, wiping away any lymph that emerges from inside the piercing. It is very important that the external part of your jewellery is scrupulously clean prior to twisting it through your piercing.
In addition to the saline, for all piercings (except tongues), you should use a mildly medicated, antibacterial soap such as 'Provon'. Every three days, after cleaning with saline, place a drop of Provon in your hand and mix with a couple of drops of water. Apply this to your piercing, leave for about a minute and then wash off using clean water. DO NOT use the soap for the first week as it may sting.
For below the neck piercings sea salt can be added to your bath water to give your piercing a good soak.
Taking Vitamin C and zinc supplements can also promote healing and boost the immune system thus reducing the susceptibility to infection and reducing healing times.
Additional Information for Mouth Piercings
Labret, Madonna and Lip piercings - As well as following the previous instructions you need to keep the inside of your piercing clean by rinsing your mouth out with a saline solution twice a day.
Tongue piercings - A saline mouthwash is recommended 4-5 times a day (increase this if you smoke) during the 21 days or so your piecing is healing. If you have been provided with the homeopathic anti-inflammatory tablets, Arnica; two should be placed under your tongue and left to dissolve immediately after piercing, two before you go to bed and two when you wake up in the morning. DO NOT touch these tablets with your hands. Please always remember that if the jewellery is removed tongue piercings can close extremely fast (in just one hour in some cases) even when healed.
Cold drinks, ice-cream, ice cubes and Ibuprofen tablets such as Neurofen can all help keep the swelling down.
Warning
Household antiseptics are NEVER suitable for use on piercings these include: TCP, Dettol, surgical spirit, Savlon (cream or spray), hydrogen peroxide, and anything isopropyl alcohol based. 9krt gold, gold plated and sterling silver jewellery are NEVER appropriate for wearing in any unhealed piercing. DO NOT remove your jewellery during healing as you may find it impossible to re-insert and you greatly increase the risk of infection. DO NOT stretch your piercing until it has been fully healed and trouble free for at least one month. Piercees who wear jewellery with screw on balls such as barbells and bananabells should make it a regular habit to check they are tightly screwed on.
If you suspect any problems with your new piercing please contact us before doing anything drastic, like removing your jewellery. Claire, our piercer, has extensive experience of problems associated with the healing of piercings sucessfully and there are many things that can be tried before removal of your jewellery and the subsequant loss of your piercing become necessary.
