We have outlined a few things that should help to heal your piercing.
Remember – These are only suggestions and if you have any adverse reactions or
questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
There are various factors which will determine the healing time of your piercing.
These include diet, lifestyle, your immune system and irritation to the piercing during
the healing period.
FOR MOST PIERCINGS (EXCEPT ORAL PIERCINGS):
- USE 1/4 OF A TEASPOON OF ROCK SALT IN 1/2 A PINT OF PRE-BOILED WATER.
- LET THE WATER COOL AND THE SALT DISSOLVE.
- USING A CLEAN COTTON BUD, CLEAN ONE SIDE OF THE PIERCING THOROUGHLY.
- USING A CLEAN COTTON BUD, CLEAN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PIERCING THOROUGHLY.
- DO NOT TWIST, PICK OR PULL THE PIERCING.
- DO THIS TWICE A DAY, MORNING AND NIGHT FOR 8-12 WEEKS
Navels, Nipples & Genitals
These piercings can be amongst the hardest to heal due to irritation from clothing
and a lack of air to the piercing.
Any crust formation on the jewellery should first be soaked off with clean, warm
water. A small amount of antibacterial soap should then be lathered over the piercing
and left on for a minute or so. Rinse thoroughly with fresh clean water – preferably in
the shower.
For best results this should be repeated no more than twice daily.
The most common irritation with navel piercings is clothing. Waistbands of trousers,
skirts, underwear etc. should be kept off your piercing at all times. Also try and
avoid aggressive exercise and sleeping on your stomach. You may also find that
chlorinated swimming pools, jacuzzis or saunas may cause irritation or infection. To
prevent this try using a “Tegaderm” or “Mepore” patch or similar dressing which is
specifically designed to keep the area dry and clean.
Ears, Septum, Nostril, Eyebrow and Bridge, Outside Lip & Cheeks
As facial and ear piercings are harder to soak, cleaning after a bath or shower will
make the process much easier.
Wet a clean cotton bud with Benzalkonium Chloride and soak around the piercing
and jewellery, making sure to remove any crust formation. When totally clean, leave
the piercing to dry naturally or dry with a clean cotton bud. Repeat this process 2-3
times daily.
Tongue, Inside Lip & Inside Cheek
An oral piercing is when all or part of the piercing in inside the mouth.
The following instructions are to be used to care for the inside of the mouth.
To care for the outside, follow the instructions above.
To clean the inside of oral piercings we suggest a special antibacterial mouthwash
“Tech 2000”, which is alcohol free and can be used undiluted. If an alcohol based
mouthwash is used it should be diluted 1/3 mouthwash to 2/3 water. It should be
used after everything you eat, drink or smoke until the piercing is fully healed.
With all oral piercings there will be some swelling. This is perfectly normal and the
jewellery you have been pierced with will allow for this. Sucking on ice can help
reduce the swelling. If you are at all worried about the amount of swelling or if the
jewellery starts embedding please call in to have it looked at by your piercer.
For the first few days of your new piercing eating way be difficult (you may notice
this especially with tongues). Take it easy, start on soft foods like soup
and work your way up to tougher foods.
We suggest you avoid hot spicy foods at this stage.
It is also advisable to change your toothbrush as your old one may harbour bacteria.
The tongue is covered in a thin natural healing agent called “peptide”. This will help
to aid the healing process.
Problematic piercings can often be caused by:
Aggravation (due to clothing on the area)
Not using suggested aftercare products
ANY contact with unwashed hands or bodily fluids
By using the appropriate aftercare solution and keeping irritation to a minimum, you
will ensure the best possible healing environment for your pircing.
Hot compress or Osmosis
(1/4 teaspoon MAXIMUM of rock salt to 1/2 a pint of hot water) – This method works
best when using hot but not boiling water.
Soak a cotton pad with the saline solution and place on the piercing for 5 minutes
(until it cools down). This helps open the pores of the skin.
Pour the remainder into a clear container that’s just big enough to cover the area (eg
Navel/Mug, Eyebrow/Long contact lens case or an eggcup). Soak the piercing for 10
minutes, making sure the water is warm. This draws out any of the impurities or
trapped fluid out of the piercing.
Your antibacterial solution should then be used to clean the area. This can be
Benzalkonium Chloride on a cotton bud or antibacterial soap (Provon, Satin or
Antibac) which should then be rinsed off thoroughly with CLEAN water.
This can be repeated a few times a week to heal a piercing, but when treating a
problematic piercing, twice a day is preferable.
CONCLUSION
When you get a piercing you must be aware that there may be some swelling or
scarring to the area. Although not a common occurence, some piercings have the
potential to reject or grow out. This is only a caution and you will find that there is
only a small amount of people which this can affect.
We hope your experience with us has been a pleasant one and that we will see you
again in the near future!
ENJOY YOUR PIERCING 🙂