General information about how to take care of your new piercing
Congratulations on your new piercing! Thank you for trusting me as your piercer. I am committed to helping you care for your new adornment. The following is intended as a simple, general guide, but each individual heals at their own pace and according to their own lifestyle.
A piercing is a puncture wound which will take some time to heal because we are trying to heal the wound around a piece of metal, your jewelry. i have done my part to reduce complications by using implant grade metals for our jewelry, by choosing internally threaded or threadless jewelry for safety and best healing, using only disposable sterile materials, and using gentle techniques while practicing asepsis. Healing your piercing now depends on your commitment to your aftercare regimen. Please reach out to me if you have any questions which are not answered here, or if you have concerns, or something just doesn’t feel right.
What to expect from a healing piercing
Like all puncture wounds it’s normal to experience light, intermittent bleeding from the piercing site which gradually stops altogether during the first few days. Some people don’t see any blood. Along with or after the bleeding stops it’s normal to see an odorless yellowish discharge on your jewelry coming from your piercing site, this can get dry and feel crusty; it is the waste product of your healing. When you no longer see this crusty discharge you’ll know that you have successfully gone through the first stage of healing which is what we are most concerned with as most complications develop during this time. It is also normal to feel tenderness along with some redness and swelling around your piercing. This is normal for a puncture wound which causes the body to respond by sending white blood cells to the site in order to fight bacteria. Although it may not be very pleasant, this is the body’s natural response to a wound and it will get better with patience and gentle care. You must let your body do its work without interruptions.
To help with the care of your new piercing I have developed some rules which are easy to follow.
The Rules
Rule #1 Do NOT touch your piercing
Throughout the day we handle many things with our hands that have not been sanitized and cleaned properly. When you touch your piercing with dirty hands you are inviting foreign matter and bacteria into a fresh wound which is the easiest way to get an infection. Although infections are uncommon, the greatest risk comes from touching your piercing with unwashed hands. Constantly playing with your jewelry is also interrupting the body’s natural healing process and this will extend healing times, possibly even making the healing difficult or impossible. Piercings are fragile during the first stage of healing so be gentle.
Rule #2 Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
This can mean different things for different people but mainly what we mean by this is that you eat well, that you stay hydrated, that you get enough rest and that you avoid stress as much as possible.
Proper nutrition is important for wound healing. During the healing process the body requires proteins, vitamin A and C, as well as the mineral zinc. These can come from a variety of different sources, for example; citrus fruits, leafy greens, broccoli, orange and yellow vegetables, fortified cereals, beans, nuts, etc. Ensuring that your body gets the right nutrition is a good way to help your body heal well.
Along with proper nutrition, hydration is important because water is a major component of blood and blood is what transports nutrients to and from the cells, it helps remove toxins and waste products from the body. Dehydration can also delay wound healing so it’s important that you drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.
Recent studies suggest that rest is even more important than nutrition for wound healing. This along with avoiding stress can reduce healing times for some people. This is a good time to treat yourself with care and attention. (www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00547.2017).
Rule #3 Keep it clean
Your body is doing the heavy work, you just need to maintain your health and hygiene. You can shower normally but right before you step out of the shower you should make sure to rinse your piercing and jewelry for several minutes to remove any products and discharge and/or blood which may have accumulated on the jewelry around the piercing. Let the area dry completely before stepping outside. It’sa good idea to clean your piercing a couple of times during the day if you notice any discharge. Follow these steps to clean your healing piercing:
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water
Irrigate the piercing with sterile saline to loosen discharge
Use gauze soaked in sterile saline to wipe away the discharge
Wipe away any remaining saline with clean gauze
let dry
Rule #4 Do not remove the jewelry
during the healing of the piercing. It’s important to keep jewelry in the piercing at all times so that the piercing doesn’t shrink, making it difficult to put the jewelry back in, or close completely.
Even though your piercing may feel like it’s healed it will be fragile for several months so changing jewelry too often or wearing costume jewelry in your piercing during this time can cause irritations.
Rule #5 Downsize as soon as swelling has done down
Oftentimes the jewelry you are pierced with is longer in length or wider in diameter to accommodate for any swelling which can happen. Once the swelling has gone down permanently, it’s important to downsize the jewelry for a more comfortable fit, also so that the length doesn’t irritate the piercing causing bumps. If the jewelry isn’t changed to something shorter or smaller in diameter, it’s possible that the piercing will migrate so that it no longer looks straight. Rejection is also possible if the length of the jewelry is no longer appropriate. Along with your piercing you are entitled to a free check up with us 4-8 weeks after your initial piercing to see if you are ready to downsize or if more time is needed. Your first jewelry change comes at a discounted price.
Other tips to consider
AVOID SWIMMING, HOT TUBS, SAUNAS, SOLARIUMS, ETC. Any places where you are likely to be exposed to other people’s body fluids are places to avoid for the next 4-8 weeks or if your piercing is irritated.
DO NOT USE ALCOHOL, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, or OCTENISEPT*. These can be very irritating to healing piercings, can actually slow the healing process or otherwise toxic to some piercings. They can also tarnish your jewelry.
DO NOT USE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENTS. These are not intended to be used for a prolonged period of time and can actually harbour bacteria and help it to proliferate.
Avoid sleeping in positions which place pressure on your piercing until it is fully healed. Undue pressure will prolong the healing process and it can cause migration and difficult healing.
Leave your piercing alone unless you need to clean it or adjust it gently. rotating your jewelry in your unhealed piercing and unnecessary handling causes friction in what should be considered fragile tissue during the healing process. Too much friction can lead to piercing bumps and a delay in healing.
If you run out of sterile saline and you cannot make it to the studio to get a new can, you can purchase sterile saline from any Pharmacy. You can find it as sterile wound wash, 0.9% Sodium Chloride, 0,9% NaCl. This is not the same as contact lens cleanser as it has a different pH. it is best to purchase it premade as the salt to water ratio is exact and it comes sterile. You will also be able to purchase prepackaged sterile gauze from a pharmacy.
As a general rule, if it feels irritating, it is not great for your piercing. Remember that your body has all it needs to heal as long as you are healthy and you maintain regular hygiene.
Changing your bed linens to help keep your piercings clean is a good idea. You can also use clean t-shirts as pillow cases for ear or facial piercings changing them often during the healing process. Clothing made of natural materials such as cotton is preferred over synthetic materials.
Don’t share your bed with pets and avoid other people’s body fluids during the initial healing. Should your piercing come into contact with any of these during healing, follow the cleaning steps listed in Rule #3 as soon as possible.
Please get in contact with me if you have any concerns or questions. I’m here to help you!