Piercing Aftercare
You've just received a body piercing by a professional body piercer. Now it is up to you to take appropriate care of your piercing during the critical healing period.
Heal Times:
Ear & Facial Piercings:
Earlobes: 6 - 8 weeks
Ear Cartilage: 6 months - 1 year
Eyebrow: 6 - 8 weeks
Nostril: 6 months - 1 year
Septum: 6 - 8 weeks
Bridge: 8 - 10 weeks
Oral Piercings
Tongue: 4 weeks
Lip/Labret: 6 - 8 weeks
Monroe / Madonna: 6 - 8 weeks
Philtrum: 6 - 8 weeks
Cheek: 6 months - 1 year
Body Piercings
Nipples: 6 months - 1 year
Navel: 6 months - 1 year
Cleaning Instructions:
DO NOT use ANY product
marked “For External Use Only” including, but not limited to,
rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, lidocaine (e.g. Bactine),
triple antibiotic ointment (e.g. Neosporin), or antiseptic.
Use products that will not irritate the piercing and will facilitate fast healing, such as:
1. Packaged sterile saline solution with NO additives (H2Ocean, NeilMed). We offer STERIWASH piercing aftercare spray for sale in our studio.
2. Sterile Wound Wash. This can be purchased at any drugstore in the “first aid” section. It can also be found in most grocery stores in the “first aid” section.
Wash your hands before cleaning your piercing! Use the cleaning solution(s) recommended for your piercing for the entire healing time. Do this even if the piercing looks or feels healed sooner.
Do not move the piercing jewelry when the site is crusty; it does more harm to the piercing site than good.
Do not play with the new piercing, physical irritation is the worst!
When clothing is in contact with the piercing, make sure it is clean, loose and breathable.
Swimming in chlorinated pools may dry out the piercing and cause irritation. Swimming in the ocean introduces foreign microorganisms and sediment (dirt and debris) to your healing piercing (which is essentially an open wound). Please wait 4-5 months before swimming in a pool or the ocean. Avoid hot tubs for at least 6 months.
Aftercare Instructions per Piercing Placement:
EARLOBES: Rinse with sterile saline twice daily, sea salt soaks as desired for comfort. A travel pillow or an “ear pain relief pillow” can help you avoid sleeping on your fresh piercing.
EAR CARTILAGE: Rinse with sterile saline twice daily. Cartilage is prone to developing irritation bumps. Be sure to rinse the piercing after shampooing to remove residue. Clean the piercing after using styling products. Daiths, Rooks, Traguses and other “inner ear piercings” can prove difficult to keep clean so we recommend using a small non-woven gauze square that has been liberally sprayed with sterile saline to gently compress and swab the piercing. Sleeping on your new piercing can cause irritation and will extend the healing time. A travel pillow or an “ear pain relief pillow” can help you avoid sleeping on your fresh piercing.
NOSTRIL: Rinse the outside of your nostril piercing twice daily with sterile saline. The inside can be difficult to spray with sterile saline so we recommend using a small non-woven gauze square that has been liberally sprayed with sterile saline to gently compress and swab the piercing. A tightly wound Q-Tip soaked in sterile saline spray can be used to clean the inside of your nose if excess buildup occurs.
EYEBROW: Rinse with sterile saline twice daily. Additionally, rinse with sterile saline after any rigorous activity that results in excessive sweating. Use gauze soaked in sterile saline to wipe off buildup on the piercing.
TONGUE: Rinse with alcohol-free antiseptic mouthwash morning, night, and after eating or smoking (but please try to not smoke). Biotene mouthwash is a great choice. Substitute saline as needed; saline can be used as often as desired. You will have swelling for about a week. Rest your tongue. Do not stick it out past your teeth for the first week. Eat small frequent meals and frozen fruit bars. Advil, Aleve, and Motrin will help swelling but may also cause bleeding so don’t overdo it. Drinking alcohol in any quantity will significantly increase swelling during the first week or two. Drink plenty of water. Brush teeth gently at first; do not brush the tongue during healing. Expect to see some lymph drainage coming from the piercing site. No kissing (or any oral contact) until healed. Check to be sure the barbell balls are screwed on tight and be sure to downsize after healing.
LABRETS / LIPS: Rinse the outside of the piercing with sterile saline twice daily. Rinse with alcohol-free antiseptic mouthwash morning, night, and after eating or smoking (but please try to not smoke). Remember that intra-oral healing appears white. If a stud was used, expect the disc to embed slightly into the lip over time, but do not allow new skin to form over the disc. If this begins, see your piercer immediately for a jewelry change. Downsize labret post length after two weeks.
NAVEL: Rinse with sterile saline twice daily. Expect some redness at the edges for up to a couple of months. A hard, vented eye patch can be applied under tight clothing or secured by using an elastic bandage around the body. This can protect the area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation, and impact during physical activities such as contact sports. Pants or skirt lines should be worn below your navel or it can be irritated so badly that it will not heal.
NIPPLES: Rinse with sterile saline twice daily. No oral contact until fully healed. This piercing can produce “crusties” for a year or more. During the first few days, many women report that wearing a bra helps with soreness. A sports bra is helpful at night. Men usually find a tighter fitting cotton tank top is helpful as well.