Piercing After Care

Please read and follow these important instructions carefully.

Ear Piercing Aftercare

What to Expect:
  • Initial localized swelling and periodic bleeding
  • Mild redness, tenderness and/or soreness
  • Swelling may last up to 2 weeks
  • ‘Crusties’ on the earring
  • Itchiness
  • Total healing time for lobes is approximately 6-8 weeks. Cartilage/others are approximately 4-8 months
What to Do:  
  • Always wash your hands before cleaning the piercing
  • Clean twice daily with saline solution 
  • Keep it clean
  • Sleep on fresh clean pillowcases
  • Maintain cleanliness of phones, headphones, glasses and anything that comes in contact with the piercing
  • Showers tend to be safer than taking baths as bathtubs can harbor bacteria

What to Avoid:
  • DO NOT TOUCH, PLAY OR PICK AT YOUR FRESH PIERCING otherwise you will most likely end up with some form of a bump
  • Do not use alcohol, Bactine or gel creams on your piercing (it will dry out your skin)
  • Do not share hats or helmets
  • If you use any hair products, keep them away from your piercing
  • If you have long hair, tie it away from your piercing to avoid it getting caught and pulling at it
  • Do not go to sleep with wet hair
  • Do not change your earring(s) before it’s healed unless advised differently

Face Piercing Aftercare

What to Expect:
  • Periodic bleeding for the first few hours
  • Mild redness, bruising, tenderness, or soreness
  • Swelling can last up to 2 weeks
  • ‘Crusties’ on the jewellery
  • Itchiness
  • Healing time is approximately 4-8 months
What to Do:  
  • Clean twice daily with saline solution
  • Keep it clean
  • You may ice it every 10 minutes of each hour for up to 48 hours after getting the piercing (optional but recommended for sensitive skin and keloid-prone skin) 
What to Avoid:
  • DO NOT TOUCH, PLAY OR PICK AT YOUR FRESH PIERCING otherwise you will most likely end up with some form of a bump
  • Do not use alcohol, Bactine or gel creams on your piercing (it will dry out your skin)
  • Try to avoid vigorously scrubbing at your new piercing while washing your face
  • Avoid exfoliating face soaps with textures such as little beads or walnut scrubs
  • Don’t sleep on your face
  • If you use any facial products keep them away from your piercing
  • Do not cake makeup over it, try going around it or using a small beauty blender
  • Do not change your jewellery before it’s healed unless advised differently

Oral Piercing Aftercare 

What to Expect:
  • Periodic bleeding for the first few hours
  • Mild discoloration, tenderness, or soreness
  • Swelling may last up to 2 weeks
  • Difficulty talking and eating for the first few days (tongue piercings especially)
  • Total healing time is approximately 4-8 months
What to Do:  
  • Clean daily with saline rinse or alcohol-free mouth wash 
  • Keep it clean
  • You may suck on ice or have popsicles/ice cream (non-dairy for the first 2 weeks)
  • Eat soft, easy to chew, cold foods for tongue piercings
What to Avoid:
  • DO NOT TOUCH, PLAY, CHEW OR BITE AT YOUR PIERCING. Tongue piercings may be fun to wiggle around in your mouth but constantly chewing on it can lead to irreversible gum or tooth damage
  • Do not use alcohol mouth wash
  • Do not put dirty things in your mouth
  • Avoid spicy food and have minimal dairy for the first 2 weeks
  • Do not smoke or drink alcohol for at least 2 weeks. If you do, clean it with alcohol-free mouth wash afterwards
  • Do not engage in oral sex until your piercing is healed (especially tongue piercings)
  • Do not change your jewellery before it’s healed unless advised differently

Body Piercing Aftercare

What to Expect:
  • Periodic bleeding for the first few hours
  • Mild redness, bruising, tenderness or soreness
  • Swelling may last up to 2 weeks 
  • ‘Crusties’ on the jewellery. 
  • Itchiness
  • Total healing time is approximately 4-8 months
What to Do:  
  • Always wash your hands before cleaning the piercing
  • Clean twice daily with saline solution
  • Showers tend to be safer than taking baths as bathtubs can harbor bacteria
  • Keep it clean
  • You may ice it every 10 minutes of each hour for up to 48 hours after getting pierced (optional but recommended for sensitive skin and keloid-prone skin)
  • Wear clean, comfortable clothing
  • Make sure your bedding is kept clean

What to Avoid:

  • DO NOT TOUCH, PLAY OR PICK AT YOUR FRESH PIERCING otherwise you will most likely end up with some form of a bump or infection
  • Do not use alcohol, Bactine or gel creams on your piercing (it will dry out your skin)
  • Do not wear super tight fitted clothes
  • Do not sleep on the piercing
  • Do not change your jewellery before it’s healed unless advised differently

.

Have any more questions? Get in touch with us!

[email protected]  (416) 503 4513   IG: @piercings_by_martine

If infection occurs, seek medical attention within 24-48 hours and please advise us.

General aftercare list.

  • Saline Soak

    A sterile saline solution is strongly recommended to heal fresh body piercings, especially to soothe an irritated piercing. Perform saline soaks with packaged sterile saline solution with no preservatives (label should read “iso-tonic saline,” or “0.9% sterile saline” without preservatives). Sterile saline in a spray can, such as Saline Wound Wash, is recommended because the contents never become contaminated. Saline that comes packaged as a squeeze bottle or screw off lid is intended for single use only as the solution can easily become contaminated. Nasal irrigation saline sprays and eye contact lens saline cleansers often contain preservatives that can harm your healing piercing as they’re not intended for wound aftercare.

  • Wash Hands Thoroughly

    It is important to wash your hands thoroughly before you clean or touch your new piercing. Avoid playing with the jewellery, rotating the jewellery or any excessive motion to the body jewellery. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications. Do not remove jewellery during cleaning.

  • Lymph

    Crusties, an informal term that describes white or yellow fluid (lymph, not pus) that secretes and dries around a fresh piercing. This is a natural healing phase your body goes through for all body piercings. Gently wash them off with a cotton swab when they become moist during cleaning. Crusties may become itchy and in some cases may cause discomfort. It is imperative not to scratch or pick at these dried secretions, doing so delays healing, causes scarring and risks opening a channel for infection to enter the new piercing. Other possible symptoms during your healing phase are possible redness, bruising, mild bleeding and/or moderate swelling.

  • Avoid Soaking

    Avoid soaking your piercing in a bathtub, hot tub or by swimming in a pool, lake or ocean due to harsh chemicals and bacteria. If necessary, use a waterproof bandage for protection such as Nexcare or Tegaderm. Avoid petroleum/oil based products such as peroxide and alcohol; these items are too strong for your new piercing. Do not use any creams or ointments during the healing process as they prevent necessary air circulation, product labels will often read “not intended for the use of puncture wounds”. Stay away from products like bactine and ear piercing solutions you find at the mall, they often contain benzalkonium chloride (BZK) and benzethonium chloride (BZT). These items can be irritating and are not intended for long term wound care.

  • Keep a Sterile Environment

    Prevent fingers, pens, pets, hair, cosmetics, headphones/ear buds, and cell phones from touching or causing friction to your new piercing. Ensure eyeglasses, clothes, sports gear, and bedding remains clean. Do not wear tight or restrictive clothing against your piercing. Clean your piercing before and after your workout routine. Avoid getting someone’s body fluids from entering your new body piercing. The skin tissue surrounding the piercing heals from the outside in giving the appearance that it healed fast. Although the piercing may feel fine, the interior tissue remains fragile. Be patient, and continue cleaning until the healing process has run its course. A poor diet, lack of sleep and stress can all have a negative effect on healing time.

  • Leave Initial Jewellery in Place

    Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewellery; leave it in place for the entire healing period. Seek assistance of a professional piercer for changing initial jewellery! If an infection is suspected, quality jewellery should be left in place to allow for drainage of the infection. If jewellery is removed, the piercing may close over, sealing the infection inside resulting in an abscess. Do not remove jewellery unless instructed by a medical professional. Jewellery should be purchased from a qualified piercer; it is not unheard of for piercings that are many years old become destroyed from low quality jewellery. Keep spare beads with you in case of breakage or loss of jewellery. On a regular basis, use clean hands to check the tightness of beads on your barbells. Do not hang weights or objects from your jewellery until the piercing is fully healed.