Phase 1: Approximately 1 Week
A small, dry scab forms around the jewelry; skin begins to grow. Your piercing is still open on the inside and is susceptible to infection.
General Aftercare Information
Each person heals at different rates depending on factors like health, smoking, exercise, stress levels, etc. Make sure you eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water. Avoiding alcohol, smoking, and other drugs will also benefit your piercing. Until you know your piercing is completely healed, it’s imperative to continue following the recommended care instructions.
How Piercings Heal
Phase 2: Up to 2-6 Months
Healthy people will notice the inside sheds dried scab and cellular waste material; the new skin is still growing and delicate. Be sure to continue protecting your piercing and following proper aftercare.
Phase 3: Approximately 1 Week
A small, dry scab forms around the jewelry; skin begins to grow. Your piercing is still open on the inside and is susceptible to infection.
Daily Care
Healing Tips
Jewelry Fit
Your jewelry will be fitted to allow for a normal amount of swelling without being so long it is problematic. Many piercings will benefit from shorter jewelry once the initial swelling goes down.
Contact us for a replacement if you think your jewelry might be too loose or tight. Tight jewelry tends to indent the openings. Loose jewelry tends to move easily and cause irritation.
Checkups and Downsizing are Important!
We want to see you for a checkup, generally about 6-8 weeks from the date of your piercing. You will receive a reminder text and/or email.
You’ll probably have an easy time with healing, and that’s great. It’s still important to let our piercers take a look at your piercings. If everything is going great, we’ll let you know!
For shorter healing piercings, such as earlobes, we can let you know if your piercing is healed or needs more time. It’s important to be sure your piercing is healed before you change jewelry or stop care.
Things to Avoid
DON’T Touch It
The main causes of infection are dirty fingers and dirty fluids. Keep both your and your friends’ fingers away.
DO NOT twist/turn the jewelry or play with it - it’s irritating, like picking a scab. If you notice a build-up of material on your jewelry - and the build-up is not attached to your skin - you can gently brush it off the jewelry with DRY sterile gauze.
DON’T Soak It
This will introduce bacteria and irritating chemicals and water-log your piercing. Waterlogged skin is more delicate and susceptible to damage. Soaking has never been shown to improve the healing process.
This also means no swimming or baths while your piercing is healing!
DON’T Use Cotton Swabs/Balls
These products can leave irritating lint on and around your piercing and easily snag on your jewelry.
Use non-woven sterile gauze instead!
DON’T Use Harsh Chemicals
No tea tree oil, alcohol, peroxide, antibacterial soap, or ointments. DO NOT use moisturizing soaps like Dove and Olay or antibacterials like Dial. These soap additives leave a residue that builds up in a piercing and can contribute to irritation bumps.
DON’T Take Your Jewelry Out
If removed during the healing process, your piercing will close almost immediately. Once healed, it is safe to take your jewelry out long enough to change it, but not longer. As your piercing becomes more established, you’ll be able to leave it out for longer periods. This process can take a year or longer.
If you need to hide your piercing for work, or need a non-metallic option for surgery, we can help!
Troubleshooting
Excessive Swelling/Embedding
If your piercings seems to be swelling more than expected, cool compresses may help (see Healing Tips). If it swells enough that the jewelry is inside the piercing, you need to see us for longer jewelry within 24-48 hours. Book a checkup appointment online ASAP and let us know what’s happening.
Jewelry Falling Out
If you cannot easily reinstall the jewelry yoursef and the piercing is still healing, book time to have us install new jewelry ASAP. We can generally save the piercing within 24-48 hours. As worn jewelry requires a lengthy cleaning process before sterilization, we will need you to purchase a new piece of jewelry to install. You can leave your original jewelry with us to be cleaned and re-installed later.
Please DO NOT install random items like string/plastic/etc. This will do more harm than good.
When to See a Doctor
Rarely, serious complications can occur in piercings that require a doctor’s intervention. If you have a concern that something is wrong, we do want to see you first! The APP has a great brochure on Troubleshooting problems.If you have any concerns about your piercing, please book an appointment for a checkup to let our piercers assist you.
Infections
Irritation in piercings is much more common than actual infections and can be mistaken for an infection. Irritation can result in redness around piercings, swelling, and/or small bumps forming next to the piercing. Irritation results from physical trauma like snagging or sleeping on your piercing, chemicals like shampoo getting into the piercing, playing with the jewelry, over-cleaning, and/or using harsh aftercare products. The key to clearing up irritation is to remove the source of the irritation and let your immune system heal things. This can take several weeks, depending on the seriousness of the irritation. Infections are caused by germs getting into a piercing, usually by touching the piercing with dirty hands or swimming while a piercing is healing.
Actual infections will need to be evaluated and treated by a doctor. The following are symptoms of an infection:
- Red streaks radiating from the piercing
- Area is hot to the touch
- Discharge is a funny color like green/blue/purple and/or smells bad (Normal discharge will be an off-white to honey color)
- Extreme swelling.
Complete Embedding of your Jewelry
If your piercing has swollen to the point that your jewelry is now inside your piercing and it’s been that way for more than 48 hours, it is beyond the help that our piercers can offer. Please see your doctor about surgical removal. If you are having extreme swelling and/or discomfort, it should be taken care of ASAP. Otherwise, it can be taken care of at your convenience.