Piercing Aftercare

Instructions

Cleaning Solutions

Sterilized Saline Spray: Ingredients: Sodium Chloride 0.9%. (Neilmed)
Soft Soap: Non-antibacteria and non-scented. (Dove sensitive skin, Cetaphil, Dr.Bronners)

Cleaning your Body Piercings

WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason. SALINE soak for five to ten minutes twice per day.
If your piercer suggests using soap, gently lather around the piercing and rinse as needed. Avoid using harsh soaps, or soaps with dyes, fragrances, or tricolosan. RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.
DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing an injury.

What is Normal?

Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising.
During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.
Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the jewelry; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.
A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because the tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing process.
Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep the jewelry in - do not leave it empty.

What to Do

Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; leave it alone except for when cleaning. During healing, it is not necessary to rotate your jewelry.
Stay healthy; the healthier your lifestyle, the easier it will be for your piercing to heal. Get enough sleep and eat a nutritious diet. Exercise during healing is fine; listen to your body.
Make sure your bedding is washed and changed regularly. Wear clean, comfortable, breathable clothing that protects your piercing while you are sleeping.
Showers tend to be safer than taking baths, as bathtubs can harbor bacteria. If you bathe in a tub, clean it well before each use and rinse off your piercing when you get out.

What to Avoid

Avoid moving jewelry in an unhealed piercing or picking away dried discharge with your fingers. Avoid cleaning with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or soaps containing triclosan, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments, as they prevent necessary air circulation.
Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.
Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.
Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others' bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.
Avoid stress and recreational drug use, excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
Avoid submerging the piercing in bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc.