Aftercare

aftercare piercing. piercing artist sanitizing piercing table

Aftercare Piercing & general information

Important during healing:

A piercing is a wound. It is essential to take good care of it during healing. Fortunately, it is not very difficult. You can avoid most problems by paying attention to the following points for your aftercare piercing.

  1. Don’t touch it! Bacteria and viruses are spread from the hands to your piercing and can cause infection.
  2. DO NOT turn to keep it loose! In addition to the risk of infection, you risk irritation and getting dirt in the wound. There is nothing to gain; your piercing CANNOT GROW INTO YOUR SKIN, so leave it alone.
  3. Don’t sleep on the piercing. You run the risk of infection through your pillow. Furthermore, the pressure can irritate, and the piercing can grow crooked. The latter does not always hurt, but it is permanent. 
  4. Never remove the jewelry yourself. Even if the piercing is irritated or infected. Please contact the piercer if you want to remove the jewelry.
  5. Make sure you do not wear any tight or dirty clothing over the piercing during healing.
  6. After showering, carefully dry the piercing by dabbing with kitchen paper or gauze. Be careful but dry it well. Beware of the wet hair too.
  7. Do not use substances such as sterile, alcohol, betadine, etc.
  8. Be careful with creams, lotions, and makeup. You can, of course, use these products on the rest of your body as you always do, but keep the area of the piercing free from these types of products. The rule of thumb is, if you don’t put it in your eye, don’t put it on the piercing.
  9. Do not go swimming for at least the first eight weeks. Running water such as a shower or rain won’t do much harm (clean and dry afterward, of course). On the other hand, standing water can contain all kinds of bacteria and chemicals that can cause infection and complications. Even after the first eight weeks, standing water remains a risk, so always pay attention to whether the piercing is not irritated or has recently bled. Always clean it afterward with sterile saline.

***If you experience problems during healing or if a piercing suddenly irritates again, recheck the above points. During the entire healing period, it is essential to pay attention to the above information.

Specific advice

  1. Aftercare is best done twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening). You can combine one of those moments with your daily shower.
  2. Wash your hands well beforehand.
  3. Only use sterile saline solution for aftercare. Spray a little on a clean kitchen paper or gauze, or spray it directly on the piercing and soak the piercing area for a few minutes.
  4. Let crusts soften until they come off ultimately.
  5. Wipe away the soaked crust with gauze or clean kitchen paper and pat the piercing dry carefully.
  6. If you can’t get scabs wiped away with the minimum force, you can either let them soak in the saline solution for longer or leave them on until the next time.
  7. During the rest of the day, give the piercing as much rest as possible and leave it alone. 
  8. After showering, dry the piercing with kitchen paper or gauze and not your towel. Also, be careful not to let your wet hair hang over it.
  1. Leave the inside of the nose alone as much as possible. Saline solution is safe to use on the inside of the nose. Only do the aftercare when necessary and no more than once a day.
  2. Clean the jewelry on the inside of the nose by spraying a sterile saline solution on a cotton swab and soaking the crust on the jewelry until the crust has become entirely soft and comes loose.
  3. Wipe away the crust.
  4. Never use anything other than a sterile saline solution on the inside of your nose. Do not use soap, sterile, alcohol, etc.
  1. Keep a close eye on your oral hygiene. Brush your teeth three times a day and rinse twice with a mouthwash that does not contain alcohol or, if desired, rinse with a mouthwash that contains chlorhexidine.
  2. Avoid spicy, dairy, and acidic foods.
  3. Alcohol and smoking ensure a longer healing time and can cause complications.
  4. Avoid kissing and unprotected oral sex during healing, even in a monogamous relationship.
  5. Piercings in the mouth such as tongue and lip piercings often swell a lot after insertion. That is normal and often quickly disappears, so don’t be alarmed.
  6. Always let tongue and lip piercings downsize to a shorter bar in time. Your piercer will give you instructions about this.
  1. Cleaning is done according to the same principles as with other piercings. Use only saline solution, soak the piercing and wipe away any loose crusts. Do not use soap or other aggressive agents.
  2. Intimate piercings can bleed afterward. That is normal so prepare yourself well! Wear a panty liner in your underwear for the first few weeks. It is more comfortable for men to get incontinence diapers for men, which fit their anatomy much better. Change these regularly
  3. Prince Alberts, reverse PAs, apadravyas, and ampallangs can bleed heavily for the first three days. Again, this is normal but extra precautions should be taken. A good way to prevent leakage is to wrap gauze around the piercing area and wear a nitrile glove over it. You can do this the first day or two days after getting pierced. Continue to wear an incontinence diaper for men until there is no more bleeding for a few days. 
  4. The first weeks after getting an intimate piercing, it is better not to have sex for a while. The spot is sensitive, and the longer piece of jewelry for healing will not be comfortable. When you want to have sex again, it is wise to be careful and stop when you feel it hurt. It is important to do this safely during the WHOLE HEALING PERIOD, even with a steady partner. So use a condom, dental dam, or other barriers to keep the piercing site free of foreign body fluids.
aftercare piercing. gold piercing jewelry in a female's ear by HOFMAN