After Care
Your new piercing will need lots of love and a little attention to allow it to heal properly. Healing times vary for each person depending on age, health, lifestyle and diet. Taking care of your piercing while it's fresh is important so it heals with zero complications for you to enjoy for as long as you still love it.
What to expect after the piercing...
- Localised swelling, tenderness, redness, itching, bruising and bleeding is normal in the first few weeks. You may experience non, some or all of the above and have a healthy piercing.
- A white/yellow fluid may form a crust on the piercing. This is just lymph fluid which your body creates when healing and will dry to a crust on the jewelry. Don't pick it as that could cause irritate the piercing.
- A red bump may form around the piercing (hypergranulation). This can appear even if you take a good care of your piercing but is more common with neglected piercings. It's important not to touch or pick them and keep following your after care advice.
Piercings can seem healed before the healing process is actually complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in. It may appear to be fine but the inside could still be fragile, please be patient.
After care advice
Clean Twice a Day
Using a simple solution of sea salt and warm water use a clean cotton bud to gently clean all around the piercing and the jewellery. Allow the solution to soak of any crusties - avoid picking these as they could cause damage to the skin. You should do this twice a day for a minimum of 2 months for ear lobes and 4 months for cartilage piercings.
Keep Hydrated
A hydrated body is a healthy one. Drink plenty of water before and after to encourage good cell growth to he heal your new piercing faster.
Do Not Touch
Don't touch your new piercing unless you're cleaning it and only do that with clean hands. Do not twist or turn your jewellery as this can disrupt the formation of new skins cells and pre long the healing process.
Avoid any pressure or trauma such as tight clothing and sleeping on your new piercing.
Solutions To Avoid
Do not use ointments, peroxide, contact lenses solution, Savlon, alcohol or pierced ears solutions on your piercing. These are not intended for long-term use and may cause irritation.
No Swimming Pools
Avoid shared water spaces such as swimming pools and hot tubs as these contain chemicals and bacteria that can get into the piercing. Swimming in the sea is ok as the sea water will have the same natural anti bacterial effects as the cleaning solution.
Hair Washing
When washing your hair make sure you thoroughly rinse all products out and avoid your hair getting wrapped around any new piercings. Be careful when towel drying and if your using heat like a hair drier, avoid blowing the hot hair directly onto the piercing.
Glasses
If you wear glasses, clean the arms regularly with alcohol gel.
Pets
If you have pets, avoid sharing a bed with them or allowing them to get too close to the piercing.
Don't Change Your Piercing Too Soon
Earlobe piercings should only be changed after a minimum of 8 weeks. Cartilage piercings can be changed after 6 months providing they are healthy.
Check It's Secure
The balls on the end of your jewellery can loosen over time so it's a good idea to check these occasionally to ensure they are secure. With clean hands or a paper towel, hold both ends of the bar and gently screw the ball to tighten.
Be Aware of Changes
If you notice any abnormal changes or if any excessive pain/heat persists during the healing process, please contact us immediately or seek medical advice.
Downsizing your piercing
When you initially get your new piercing it will be done with a longer bar/stud so that there is plenty of room to allow for any swelling. After a couple of weeks if there is no swelling and the piercing isn't sore or tender you should make an appointment to have a shorter bar fitted. Failure to downsize the piercing can result in cartilage bumps developing at the piercing entry and exit points, and may cause the piercing to migrate.
There is no charge for getting your piercing downsized however there will be a small fee of £6 to cover the cost of the jewellery.
If infection occurs...
Keep Your Piercing In!
If you believe you have an infection please seek medical advise and make your piercer aware so they can advise you on what to do next.
It's important to keep the piercing in. Removing the piercing can allow the wound to close, trapping the infection and gives it the opportunity to spread. By keeping the piercing in, the infection has an exit and will be able to escape.