1. Wash Hands
Always wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap before touching your new piercing or the surrounding area.
Daily Routine
2. Saline Soak
Spray with sterile saline solution twice daily. Gently pat the area dry with a clean, disposable paper towel or using the cold, low setting on your hairdryer
For full aftercare click
3. Leave It Alone
Do not twist, turn, or pick at your jewellery. Avoid sleeping on the piercing and keep products away from the area.
4. Secure Ends
Check that threadless or threaded ends are tight once a day with clean hands. This prevents jewelry loss during the healing phase.
The Stages of Healing
STAGE 01
STAGE 02
STAGE 03
Stage 1: Inflammatory
Stage 2: Proliferative
Stage 3: Maturation
Days 1-7
Weeks 2-6
Months 3+
Your body treats the new piercing as a fresh wound. Expect minor swelling, tenderness, and slight redness. This is completely normal and signifies that your system is working to protect and clean the area as it begins the natural repair process.
This is where 'crusties' appear. This discharge is a healthy mix of lymph fluid and dead skin cells, indicating that a tunnel (fistula) is forming. It is absolutely vital not to pick at these, as doing so can irritate the new skin and delay healing.
The tissue around your piercing starts to stabilize and toughen up from the outside-in. Remember, even if it looks perfect on the outside, the internal fistula is still maturing. Patience and consistent care are what lead to a lifetime of beautiful piercing results.
FULL AFTERCARE
- Clean your piercing(s) 2x a day with sterile saline spray.
- Gently dry your piercing(s) with clean paper towel and/or a hairdryer on the cold and low setting.
- Do NOT touch, twist, or fiddle with your piercing(s)
- Do NOT sleep on your piercing(s) to prevent irritation and angle migration
- Do NOT submerge your piercing(s) in any still water (bath, pool, ocean etc) for at least 3-4 months post-piercing.
- Downsize your piercing(s) once the initial swelling has gone down, approximately 4-8 weeks post-piercing.
- Be careful not to get any products (hair care, makeup, skincare etc) into the piercing site
- Should any problems arise please don't hesitate to contact your piercer to troubleshoot.
- Do NOT attempt to change the jewellery yourself until your piercing is fully healed.
- For oral piercings; avoid smoking, vaping, and drinking alcohol whilst healing.
- For oral piercings; avoid dairy, spicy, acidic, salty, and sugary foods for the first 2 weeks. Drink through straws for the first 2-4 weeks.
What's Normal
- Minor localized swelling and redness during the first week.
- Itchiness and dry skin around the piercing site.
- Pale yellow or clear fluid (lymph) that may form small crusties.
- Tenderness while swollen and when accidentally snagged.
When to Get in Touch
- Swelling that causes the jewellery to feel very tight or sink into the skin.
- Persistent throbbing pain, heat, or deep purple discoloration.
- Thick, green, or foul-smelling discharge.
- Sudden movement of the jewellery or thinning of the tissue.
Pillow With A Hole
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Common Questions
How long should I wait to downsize?
On average your swelling will be gone after 4-8 weeks post-piercing, you want to come back in to downsize after your swelling has completely gone. You'll know it's ready when the jewellery feels longer, it moves easily, and you may find you're snagging it easier.
How do I know if my piercing is healed?
The easiest way to tell it's healed is visit your piercer! We can tell you how it's doing and whether or not it's healed. Consultations are completely free and you can book in online for whenever suits you within our working hours.
When can I change to a ring?
You want to wait until your piercing is fully healed to change to a ring, especially if you want a snug fitting ring. Putting a ring in too soon can cause a lot of healing complications, we recommend waiting 9-12 months before fitting a ring (it can sometimes take longer).
It's still sore after a week, is that normal?
Yes! Your piercing can feel sore, tender, and be a little red during the swelling period. It will feel more uncomfortable if knocked or slept on. Best thing you can do is maintain a gentle cleaning routine and leave it alone.
How do I get rid of an irritation bump?
Go see your piercer, and have them troubleshoot what could have caused the bump. They can then discuss with you ways to get rid of it, avoid googling and using any homemade concoctions.