Piercing Aftercare

Healing varies from person to person. For some it may take less time for the piercing to fully heal, for others it might take longer. Many people expect a similar healing time to tattoos but that is not the case. In reality the healing time is much longer for piercings. Depending on the placement it can take as little as 4 weeks or longer than a year. Below we listed approximate times of healing for different piercings.

• 4-8 Weeks: Ear Lobe, Septum, Tongue
• 6-8 Weeks: Eyebrow, Side Lip
• 2-3 Months: Upper and Lower Lip
• 3-4 Months: Nostril, Male Nipple
• 3-9 Months: Ear Cartilage including Snug, Rook, Daith, Helix, Tragus, Conch and Antitragus
• 6-9 Months: Navel, Female Nipple, Surface

Note that this is a rough estimate and it can take longer than the timeframe stated above. There is a possibility that your body can respond to the piercing negatively. Which in turn can prolong the healing time or make it necessary to take the piercing out. Another factor is not caring for it properly or touching the piercing too much during the healing process, as that can lead to an infection.

During the piercing we take any and all precautions in order to make it as safe as possible. However once our job is done it is up to you to look after it properly. What do we mean by proper aftercare you might ask. First off, do not touch the piercing. The only time your hands should have contact with the area is when you’re cleaning it, provided that your hands are cleaned prior. Dirty hands carry bacteria among other things that can cause an infection. Even when cleaning please try to have as little contact as possible. Keep in mind that certain piercings require a different cleaning process. Below you will find the necessary steps you need to follow when cleaning your piercing:

Initially clean it twice a day for 6 weeks, after that period clean your piercing every 2-3 days until fully healed.

1. Put 2 teaspoons of sea salt into a clean cup
2. Fill it about ¾ with distilled water or allow fresh boiled water to cool down.
3. Use 1-2 cotton buds and the solution you made to clean around both sides of the piercing. Make sure to remove any crust or discharge.
4. Don’t change your piercing for a minimum of 6 weeks. If after that time the area is still tender you should leave it for longer.
5. Don’t twist or play with the piercing as it will cause swelling and may become infected.
6. You might see some bleeding which normally occurs in the first few days after the piercing, however if it’s tugged or twisted it can bleed further down the healing process. We recommend that you compress the area until it stops, which can take up to 5 minutes.
7. Don’t take the jewellery out as the area will close up.
8. Avoid twisting the piercing as it can cause swelling and inflammation which can lead to infection.
9. Should you face any problems or prolonged swelling come back to us instead of seeking help elsewhere.

Initially clean it twice a day for 6 weeks, after that period clean your piercing every 2-3 days until fully healed.

1. Put 2 teaspoons of sea salt into a clean cup.
2. Fill it about ¾ with distilled water or allow fresh boiled water to cool down. Make sure that the water is cold before cleaning.
3. Use 1 cotton bud and the solution you made to clean around the outside of the piercing. Make sure to remove any crust or discharge.
4. Use the rest of the water to rinse the inside of the lip piercing for 30 seconds.
5. Don’t change your piercing for a minimum of 6 weeks. If after that time the area is still tender you should leave it for longer.
6. Don’t twist or play with the piercing as it will cause swelling and may become infected.
7. You might see some bleeding which normally occurs in the first few days after the piercing, however if it’s tugged or twisted it can bleed further down the healing process. We recommend that you compress the area until it stops, which can take up to 5 minutes.
8. Don’t take the jewellery out as the area will close up.
9. Avoid twisting the piercing as it can cause swelling and inflammation which can lead to infection.
10. Should you face any problems or prolonged swelling come back to us instead of seeking help elsewhere.

Initially clean it three times a day for the first week. After we change the bar, you need to clean it twice a day for another five weeks.

1. Put 2 teaspoons of sea salt into a clean cup.
2. Fill it about ¾ with distilled water or allow fresh boiled water to cool down. Make sure that the water is cold before cleaning.
3. Rinse around the tongue for 30 seconds.
4. If you wish to use mouthwash make sure that it is alcohol free and rinse for 10 seconds.
5. The initial bar must be changed after 7 days to a smaller one. You need to keep the smaller bar for another 5 weeks before you can change it.
6. You might see some bleeding which normally occurs in the first few days after the piercing, however if it’s tugged or twisted it can bleed further down the healing process. We recommend that you swirl water and compress the area until it stops, which can take up to 10 minutes for a tongue piercing.
7. Don’t take the jewellery out as the area will close up.
8. Should you face any problems or prolonged swelling come back to us instead of seeking help elsewhere.

As mentioned above, it is very likely that there will be discharge and crusting around the piercing, except the tongue. It happens as a result of your body expelling bacteria and anything else that might have gotten into it. It’s a way for your body to keep itself clean on the inside. Despite the best efforts there is still a possibility of an infection, although proper aftercare and minimal contact lowers that possibility significantly.

Piercing guns might seem like the less scary option. That is far from the truth! Piercing guns are on their way out and for good reasons. Most of the studs used for them are made from stainless steel which have a high nickel content that can be harmful to your body. The studs are also very blunt and travel at high speed in order to pierce the skin. Which causes problems as they cause blunt force trauma to the surrounding tissue. It is very likely that the procedure will cause long term problems due to the damage it has caused. Not to mention that they have a tendency to jam half way through the piercing, which can cause extreme pain and discomfort.

Another point to be made about the piercing gun is that it’s nearly impossible to sterilise properly. As majority of them are made in part with plastic they cannot be sterilised by autoclave. The high pressure and temperature will melt the plastic rendering it unusable. Without proper sterilisation the only option to clean them is surgical spirit or antibacterial spray. This cleaning method carries a risk of leaving microspores of blood on the equipment. The spores accumulate and can be from every person that the piercing gun was used on.

Piercings done via gun can be prone to infections and over swelling due to incorrect jewellery size. This can also lead to bumps and mutations of the skin known as keloids. This can happen with any piercing but it is far more common with guns than with needle piercing.

The needle is the way to go. It is designed to pierce the skin at the point and push it apart as it tapers. Customers experience less pain during the piercing as well as the surrounding tissue receives a lot less trauma. The procedure is a lot safer due to the reasons stated above. All of the equipment can be sterilised or it is disposable. The best advice is to always choose a shop that provides piercing by needle.

Some things can cause your ear to swell. Oftentimes the swelling causes people to panic and think that it’s an infection. Many of the cases are not infections but other factors. One of the common causes of swelling and redness is simply sleeping on the side that was pierced. The ear may feel like it got infected as it will feel very sore and swollen. It can also cause some bleeding. It’s nothing to worry about. The things you need to look out for are:

• Inflammation
• Discharge
• Tenderness/Swelling
• Feeling Feverish
• Foul Smell
• It feels hot to touch
• Very red or dark (depending on skin tone)

If you notice these symptoms it’s best that you contact us first. Do not wait for symptoms to get worse before contacting us. After the consultation you might be referred to a doctor if the piercer recommends a course of antibiotics. If you are unsure whether it is an infection, get in touch with us. DO NOT take the jewellery out as it’s creating an opening for the discharge to leave from. If you take the jewellery out it can lead to closing of the skin and make the infection worse. Whilst complications are rare provided best equipment is used and aftercare is followed properly, the most common complication is an infection.

One of the possible complications that can occur is migration. It can occur as a result of the piercing not being given enough space for it to sit properly. If it’s done too close to the edge the likelihood of migration increases. Also piercings that are more prone to this are surface piercings. In order to minimise the possibility of piercing migration its best to pick an area that can offer sufficient depth and thickness. As shallow piercings run the risk of migration or rejection.

Rejection of the piercing can happen when your body does not agree with the foreign object being put into it. It is not as common as say infections or keloids but it does happen. Your piecing might feel fine at first but after some time you might notice some changes. For example, the area will feel unusually hard and look very red or inflamed. The jewellery would have migrated from its original place. What is essentially happening is that your body is trying to push out the foreign object. If this occurs its best to take the piercing out. If it’s not taken out it can lead to the skin being torn and cause unnecessary scarring to the area.

Another complication that can occur is embedding. Embedding occurs as a result of your body trying to absorb the foreign object. If the piercing is not given enough room to swell your body will try to grow skin over it. If you spot this happening contact the piercer as they can assess if the piercing can be saved. This can sometimes be done by changing the jewellery to a longer one. You might be advised to either try the cleaning process again or to take it out all together. The reason being that the piercing can be re attempted once healed, but it will be much harder if the area is damaged. Roughly after 3 months the piercing can be
reattempted.

In order to minimise the possibility of infections and complications we only use disposable needles, equipment that can be sterilised in autoclave and titanium jewellery. The area that you get your piercing done in is also kept clean and as sterile as possible. We try to provide our customers with the best care and service that’s possible.

To summarise the above information about the things to avoid. These will aid you in getting the best result.

Touching where possible we already mentioned but can’t stress enough. We see many customers touching fresh piercings due to several reasons. One of them being swelling, people try to check how bad the swelling is or twist the piercing thinking it will reduce swelling. Another is that they try to see it better in the mirror or play with it. Whatever the reason we strongly advise to just let it be. This can cause irritation to the area and possibly lead to an infection.

Do not use products such as alcohol wipes or spray. This will cause irritation and cause the body to potentially reject or absorb the piercing. Certain solutions or creams that are marketed as piercing aftercare can also have similar effects. It’s best to avoid them as they can contain chemicals that are harmful to your piercing. You should use the sea salt solution already mentioned to clean your piercing.

Avoid cheap stainless steel jewellery. Stainless steel is made up of different alloys, one of them being nickel. High contents of nickel can have negative effects as it is very reactive to the body. It can cause your piercing to migrate or get rejected. We highly recommend titanium jewellery. If that’s not possible to get please make sure to check that the jewellery is at least surgical steel.

Avoid piercing guns like the plague, literally. Always get a piercing with a needle instead of a piercing gun. Needles are cleaner due to the equipment being properly sterilised or disposable. They also hurt less and provide the best results long term.