Piercing Aftercare

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• Swelling, redness, and light bleeding are totally normal.
• Ice is your best friend, apply for relief!  

• Yellow "crusties" may form, but don't pick or touch them.
• Let your body do the work.  

• Redness should be fading.
• Keep up your cleaning routine.  

• Come in to say hi! We may need to change your jewelry for a better fit.  

• Wash your hands before touching your piercing.
• Only touch when cleaning — no twisting!
• Exercise is fine, but avoid activities that aggravate the piercing.
• Clean, breathable clothing and fresh bedding are essential.
• Showers are safer than baths (bathtubs = bacteria).
• If taking a bath, clean the tub first and rinse your piercing after.  

• Spray with STERILE saline up to 4x daily.
• Let the spray air dry, no need to rinse.
• A moist piercing = an angry piercing.
• Do not twist jewelry or pick at crusties.
• Avoid pools and spas.
• Do not sleep on the piercing!  

• Use alcohol-free mouth rinse 2x daily after eating.
• Swelling is normal for up to 2 weeks.
• Cold drinks = good, soft foods = better.
• Avoid playing with the jewelry.
• Downsize your jewelry after 2 weeks.
• Rinse with cold water after eating.
• Hydrate often!  

• Follow ear piercing aftercare.
• You can use nursing pads or frozen menstrual pads for relief. 
• Keep all bodily fluids away from healing wounds.
• Healing can take a minimum of 6 months.  

• Bumping or sleeping on a piercing can slow healing and cause irritation bumps.
• Avoid low-quality jewelry (e.g., low-karat gold or sterling silver) — it can cause reactions.
• Don’t chew or play with oral jewelry — it leads to tearing and scar tissue.
• Avoid harsh products like:
  • Alcohol wipes
  • Dettol
  • Betadine
  • Listerine They’re too strong and will harm the healing process.  

We do not recommend making your own sea salt solution.

• Use a sterile saline wound wash ONLY.
• Check the label for 0.9% sodium chloride (sometimes "purified water" too).
• Avoid anything with added moisturizers or antibacterials.
• Do not use contact lens saline, nasal sprays, or eye drops — they are not the same.  

• Alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, antibacterial soaps
• Ointments — they block airflow
• BZK (Benzalkonium Chloride) products like Bactine® or “ear care” solutions
• Over-cleaning — yes, you can do too much
• Trauma or friction — from clothing, movement, or playing with jewelry
• Unprotected sex or contact with bodily fluids
• Submerging in water (lakes, pools, hot tubs, oceans, etc.)
  • Use waterproof transparent film dressing if needed (great for nipples, navels)
• Stress, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, drugs — these slow healing
• Cosmetics, sprays, lotions around the piercing
• Charms or dangly jewelry — wait until you're fully healed