Aftercare of Piercings

Handling your piercing at the beginning is the
same as taking care of a little wound. It's
important to take good care of you piercing,
especially when the fistula hasn't formed yet.
Don't wear tight or filthy clothing on your new
piercing. Your hands should be disinfected before
touching the piercing, after all, hands carry a
lot of bacteria.

Don'ts

* Don't take the jewelry out in the healing period.
The wound will heal better and won't close as fast
when you remove the jewelry for a short while.
* Don't apply any ointments on the piercing. It's
best to keep the piercing as dry as possible.
Ointments keep the oxygen out and will slow down
the healing.
* Avoid make-up, shaving cream, strong soap or
perfumed stuff around your piercing.
* Don't hang charms from your jewelry until the
wound is fully healed.
* Avoid sleeping on the piercing while healing.
* Don't over clean. Cleaning the piercing wound
more than twice a day is not advisable, it will
slow down the healing.
* Don't use band-aids on your piercing. There
will not be enough air circulation and the adhesive
can cause irritation.
* Avoid swimming pools, jacuzzis (the warm air
above the water surface harbors a lot of bacteria),
lakes,... If there is sea life, motor oil or children
in the water, then it is not clean enough! If you
are going in water, and you doubt if the water is
clean enough, then you can put a non water-permeable
band-aid that seals off the piercing before going
in the water. It will prevent the dirty water from
getting inside the wound. Cleaning the wound afterwards
will not be effective in preventing any infection!
* Avoid oral contact or body fluids that are not
your own! Your own body fluids like sweat are not
harmful for your piercing, but you do have to clean it.


Do's

* Wash your hands prior to any contact near the
healing piercing!
* Wear clean and breathable fabrics around the area
of your new piercing. Don't wear tight clothing
around the piercing.
* Your bedding should be clean at all time.
* Leave the starter jewelry in for at least the
minimum healing time.
* A healthy lifestyle will help your piercing heal faster.
Staying away from drugs and alcohol, eating nutritious
foods and avoiding stress will show their benefits.
* Take a shower instead of a bath. A bath tub tends to
contain lots of bacteria. If you insist on bathing,
clean the tub with a bleaching product each time before
bathing, and rinse it with water. When you get out of
the bath, rinse your piercing with water.

Cleaning solution

Mild seawater soaks are recommended (daily), they give
the best results for accelerating your healing and
increasing your comfort. Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of sea
salt in a cup (8 oz.) of warm water. Make sure the
cup is clean. Don't make the solution any stronger
because too much salt can get the piercing to burn.
Invert the cup over the area and soak directly for
a few minutes. You can also use a cotton ball soaked
in the salt water in stead of the direct soaking when
the piercing is on a difficult place.


Cleaning instructions

Clean your piercing twice a day during the initial
healing period. Don't clean it too much, it will
cause irritation. Stay away from your piercing the
rest of the day. Before the cleaning, wash your hands
with soap (recommended is that you take one with an
antibacterial working) and hot water. First you have
to rinse the area of the piercing with warm water to
make sure the crusts that have formed are removed.
Otherwise they can get into the piercing and the
piercing can get infected. Cleanse the area around
the piercing and the jewelry with the cleaning solution.
Carefully move the piercing jewelry up and down to
get the cleaning solution into the piercing. Let the
solution do it's work for a minute.
You may bathe normally, just don't get any other
products then the cleaning solution into your piercing
on purpose. Rinse the piercing with running water.
All of the cleaning solution must be removed. Pull
the piercing jewelry back and forth real gently while
rinsing so that the solution from inside the piercing
is also removed. Pat the area dry with tissues or
gauze. Avoid cloth towels, they can be a source of
bacteria.


What's normal


Bleeding, bruising and swelling are normal,
they don't point to an infection. Tenderness,
discomfort are not abnormal in the first several
weeks. You can feel burning, stinging or aching
on the first days on and off. Itching is also very
common.

The secretion of a whitish fluid forms crusts at
the openings of the piercing. This is not pus. It
contains blood plasma, lymph and dead cells. It's
completely normal and indicates the healing process.

Keep cleaning.


If you notice anything abnormal, or the piercing
gets badly infected, contact the piercer or a doctor.
If your piercing secretes pus, you should go see a
doctor for an antibiotic treatment. The piercing
should be left in at all times to ensure the drainage
of pus. If the jewelry is removed, the piercing
can close and you can get an abscess... Leave your
jewelry in!!!


Healing Time

Ear lobe: 6-8 weeks
Ear cartilage: 4 months - 1 year
Eyebrow: 6-8 weeks
Nostril: 2-4 months
Nasal septum: 6-8 months
Lip: 2-3 months
Tongue: 4 weeks
Nipple: 3-6 months
Belly Button: 4 months - 1 year
Male genitalia: 4 weeks - 6 months
Female genitalia: 4-10 weeks