During the first few weeks of healing it is possible that you will experience one or more of the following:
-Swelling, Pain or Tenderness, Clear or Cloudy Discharge, Bruising and Bleeding
As you go through the healing process you may experience one or more of the following:
-discoloration, itching, whitish yellow discharge, tightened tissue
Once healed the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; Do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning in your daily routine you may experience normal but smelly bodily secretions.
A piercing might seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because the 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 close up in a matter of minutes. This varies by person but to be safe keep your jewelry in place.
These are all very normal and are nothing to be worried about.
Sterile Saline or Salt Water Soaks
Sterile Saline
We prefer Neilmed (sold at Lucky Lady Tattoos) or H2Ocean. Either of these solutions are prepackaged and are sprayed in a mist 7-8 times per day.
Salt Water Soaks
Dissolve 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of non iodized fine grain sea salt into 8oz of warm distilled or bottled water. You will want to submerge the piercing in this solution for 7-12 minutes 3 times per day.
*Soaps, oils and alcohol based products will dehydrate your skin and cause a disruption in the healing process.
Wash your hand thoroughly before and after touching your piercing for any reason.
Saline rinse either with a premade sterile saline solution or a salt water soak.
Dry by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry.
Some piercings will need to be downsized after a few weeks. Initial piercings are often preformed with a longer post to accommodate for swelling. Once that swelling has subsided you must return to the studio to have a shorter bar fitted so that your piercing can continue to heal properly. Failure to do so can result in lumps, bumps and possible migration that may not be fixable.
DO return to the shop to have your jewelry downsized if the jewelry is too long after the initial swelling subsides.
DO change your bedding regularly.
DO wear clean comfortable clothing if covering the piercing site.
DO stay hydrated, dehydration will slow would healing.
DO rest and eat vitamin rich foods.
DO regularly disinfect items that come into contact with your piercing such as glasses, phones, headphones etc.
DO wash your hands prior to touching your piercing.
DO NOT sleep on your piercing.
DO NOT touch or allow others to touch your piercing. Only touch your piercing when absolutely necessary with freshly washed hands.
DO NOT remove your jewelry for any reason before the piercing is fully healed
DO NOT use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, soaps, iodine, bactine, ointments or other harsh products.
DO NOT overclean your piecing, this can delay healing and irritate your piercing.
Avoid unnecessary trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry and vigorous cleaning.
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 any unhygienic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, bath tubs etc. If this can not be avoided you can protect your piercing with a waterproof bandage.
Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions and sprays.
NAVEL
-A hard vented eyepatch can be applied under tight fitting clothing or secured using an elastic bandage around the body to avoid irritation and impact during physical activity such as contact sports.
-Take care not to get your piercing snagged on common objects such as laundry baskets and loofahs or when getting out of a pool or leaning over the washer.
EAR/EAR CARTILAGE AND FACIAL:
-Maintain cleanliness of phones, headphones, glasses, helmets, hats, and anything that comes into contact with your piercing.
-Use caution when styling your hair to avoid products coming in contact with the piercing and to avoid snags.
-If needed you can use a travel pillow to keep pressure off of your ear while sleeping.
NIPPLE:
-The support of a tight cotton shirt or bra may provide protection and feel comfortable.
-Take care not to get your piercing snagged on common objects such as laundry baskets and loofahs or when getting out of a pool or leaning over the washer.
Piercings are slow healing wounds that can take anywhere from 3 months to a year to fully heal. Complications can occur at anytime and is usually nothing that you need to be worried about but they still need to be addressed ASAP. Feel free to reach out at anytime with healing concerns. Please include as much information as possible-this includes if you've done something that you shouldn't have. We are more help if we know the entire situation.
Improperly fitting jewelry
If you have not had your jewelry downsized when you were advised this can cause issues. If your jewelry is too long you are more likely to get the piercing caught causing redness and bumps.
If you are earing jewelry that is too tight it can cause cutting and imbedding and overall discomfort.
Lumps and bumps
Lumps and bumps can be present in multiple forms and can be caused by many different things. The most common cause is the piercing being hit or snagged on something. For example if you snag your nostril piercing on your shirt while changing clothes you may notice over the next week that you now have a small slightly elevated pustule that is red and secretes blood or pus when popped (we do not recommend intentionally popping these bumps). This is often called a piercing pimple and can be treated with warm saline soaks or hot compresses several times a day; these should be continued daily for two weeks after the problem seems resolved. Light localized massage may help break with the pocket and prevent it from refilling.
Embedding
Embedding is when your piercing has become very swollen and the jewelry is sinking into the skin. It is normal for your piercing to swell however if it is actually sinking into or under your skin please contact us immediately to have longer jewelry installed. Letting this go for an extended period of time can result in having to have the jewelry surgically removed by a medical professional.
Infection
Signs of potential infection are extreme heat, redness spreading outward from the piercing site, extreme swelling, severe pain thick green/yellow discharge, nausea or fever. infection is rare and it is even more rare when you have followed to correct aftercare. Infection must be treated immediately by a medical professional.
If you do not feel your piercing is in a state of emergency, you can take high resolution photos of it and email them to us or book a check up with us as soon as possible. We are not medical professionals but we can tell you if something looks like a cause of concern.
If you do feel like your piercing is in a state of emergency and you are experiencing multiple signs of infection please seek emergency medical assistance.
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