After Care
CLEANING SOLUTION
Packaged sterile saline is a gentle choice for piercing aftercare. Mixing
your own sea salt solution is no longer a suggested practice from
the APP. We strongly encourage you to use a sterile saline labeled
for use as a wound wash. Contact lens saline, eye drops, and other
saline products should never be used on a body piercing. Your saline
ingredients should list .09% sodium chloride as the only ingredient.
Mixing your own sea salt solution will commonly result in the product
being far too salty and strong, this can over dry the piercing and
interfere with healing.
CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS FOR
BODY PIERCINGS
WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing
for any reason.
SALINE rinse as needed while healing. For certain piercings it may be
easier to apply using clean gauze saturated with saline solution.
RINSE site as needed to remove cleaning solution residue. Moving or
rotating jewelry is not necessary during cleaning or rinsing.
DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth
towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry causing injury.
WHAT IS NORMAL?
Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, and/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 piercing; 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 might seem healed before the healing process is complete.
This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it
feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient, and keep cleaning
throughout the entire initial healing period.
Even healed piercings that you have had for years can shrink or close
in minutes! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing,
keep jewelry in - do not leave the hole empty.
WHAT TO DO
Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; leave it alone except
when cleaning. During healing it is not necessary to rotate your jewelry.
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.
TO STAY HEALTHY
• The healthier your lifestyle, the easier it will be for your piercing to
heal.
• Get enough sleep.
• To help healing and bolster your ability to fight infection, eat a
nutritious diet.¹
WHAT TO AVOID
• Avoid cleaning with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial soaps,
iodine, or any harsh products, as these can damage cells. Also avoid
ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.
• Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions, and other products
containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and
are not intended for long-term wound care.
• 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, including excessive caffeine,
nicotine, and alcohol.
• Avoid submerging the piercing in unhygienic bodies of water such as
lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof
wound-sealant bandage. These are available at most drugstores and
work best for nipple, navel, and surface piercing placements.
• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing
including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc.
• Don’t hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing
is fully healed.
• Sleeping directly on a healing cartilage piercing can cause irritation,
even causing shifts in the piercing’s angle. Placing a travel pillow, on
top of your pillow, and then placing your ear in the opening can be
helpful to avoid this.
HINTS AND TIPS
JEWELRY:
Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the
initial jewelry, leave it in the place for the entire healing period. See
a qualified piercer to perform any jewelry change that becomes
necessary during healing. See the APP website to locate an APP
member, or to request a copy of our Picking Your Piercer brochure.)
¹”Nutrition Guidelines to Improve Wound Healing” Cleveland Clinic 2008. 4 Jan. 2013
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/nutrition/hic_nutrition_ guidelines_to_
improve_wound_healing.aspx
Contact your piercer for a non-metallic jewelry alternative if your
metal jewelry must be temporarily removed (such as for a medical
procedure).
Leave jewelry in at all times. Even healed piercings that you have had
for years can shrink or close in minutes! If removed, reinsertion can
be difficult or impossible. See the APP brochure Preparing for Medical
and Dental Procedures for more information.
With clean hands or paper products, be sure to regularly check
threaded and threadless ends on your jewelry for tightness.
Should you decide you no longer want the piercing, simply remove
the jewelry (or have a professional piercer remove it) and continue
cleaning the piercing until the hole closes. In most cases only a small
mark should remain.
In the event an infection is suspected, quality jewelry or an inert
alternative may be left in place to allow for drainage of the infection,
if approved by your physician. On rare occasion, when the jewelry
is removed, the surface cells close up, which can seal the infection
inside the piercing channel and result in an abscess. Until an infection
is cleared up, discuss with your physician if you should leave in quality
jewelry or an appropriate substitute.
FOR PARTICULAR AREAS
NAVEL:
A hard, vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies) can be applied under
tight clothing (such as nylon stockings) or secured using a length of
elastic bandage around the body (to avoid irritation from adhesive).
This can protect the area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation,
and impact during physical activities such as contact sports.
EAR/EAR CARTILAGE AND FACIAL:
Use the t-shirt trick: Dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt and turn
it nightly; one clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.
Maintain cleanliness of phones, headphones, eyeglasses, helmets,
hats, and anything that contacts the pierced area.
Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or
healing piercing.
NIPPLE:
The support of a tight cotton shirt or sports bra may provide protection
and feel comfortable, especially for sleeping.
GENITAL:
Genital Piercings - especially Triangles, Prince Alberts, Ampallangs,
and Apadravyas - can bleed freely for the first few days. Be prepared.
Additional cleaning after urination is not necessary.
https://safepiercing.org/product/general-aftercare/