Piercing Aftercare

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Now that your new piercing is complete it’s important you care for it properly in order to assist with the healing process and keep your piercing happy and healthy. 

• Sterile Saline Spray (Wound wash, h2ocean, recovery piercing spray)
• In the mouth piercings need Alcohol Free Mouthwash 

We sell piercing aftercare spray at Straight and Narrow Tattoos. If you don’t purchase the spray there you can get the sterile saline spray at CVS, Walgreens or Walmart in the band aid isle. You should get spray to start cleaning your piercing the same day you get it.

1. Spray your piercing on both sides with sterile saline spray 2x daily. In the morning and at night. Do this for (2) weeks. 
2. If your piercing is in the mouth you should rinse with alcohol free mouthwash 2x daily. If you smoke cigarettes you should rinse after smoking as well.
3. Use a wet q-tip to clean any crust off your new piercing. 

Don’ts:

• Don’t change your jewelry until your piercing is completely healed. 
• Don’t rotate your piercing.
• Don‘t swim in a swimming pool, hot tub or the ocean for 2 weeks. 
• Don‘t cover your piercing with bandages.
• Don’t put makeup, face wash or acne cream on your new piercing. 
• Don’t touch your piercing with dirty hands.
• Don’t use alcohol or peroxide on your piercing.  
• Don’t pick any scabs off of your new piercing.
• Make sure you don’t hit or bump your new piercing, this can cause trauma. 
• Avoid mouth contact with genital and nipple piercings for A minimum of 2 weeks. 

Do

• Keep your piercing clean. 
• Use a wet q-tip to keep your piercing free of crust that may build up.  
• Wear starter jewelry during the healing period. Our jewelry is implant grade titanium. Also wait until your piercing is healed to switch it from a flat back to a hoop. 
• Follow recommended aftercare and cleaning instructions. 
• If you need to have your jewelry changed before the healing period is up, let your piercer change it for you with sterile jewelry and proper tools. 

The amount of time your piercing takes to heal can depend on a lot of different factors. Most piercings have different time frames in which they heal.  Your immune system controls the speed in which your piercing will heal. Piercings can range in healing time between 4 weeks and 1 year to heal completely.  Your piercer will tell you how long the typical healing process is for your specific piercing.  

While uncommon, it is possible for your new piercing to become infected. Signs of infection include; redness, swelling and hot to the touch several days after the piercing was completed, pus, discharge or fever. If you think you may have an infection please contact me asap so I can look at your piercing. 

Some piercings have associated risks that are higher than others. Here’s a few important points regarding piercings risks.

• If your piercing was placed over existing scar tissue there is a higher risk of rejection. Rejection can cause your piercing to push or move from the original spot it was done in. A piercing that is rejecting should be removed.
• Migration, if your new piercing was placed very close to existing scar tissue it is possible for your piercing to migrate closer to where the pre-existing scar tissue was causing the piercing to shift.
• Surface piercings such as bridge, dermal, navel, eyebrow, surface bars etc. have a higher rejection risk over other piercings. 
• If your piercing experiences trauma it can get irritated, trauma can include bumping, hitting or excessive swelling that can cause embedding. 
• If your piercing swells and the jewelry is too short to accommodate the swelling, your piercing can become embedded.  If you notice your piercing is too tight you should come into the shop to get new Jewlery placed asap.
• Keloids. Some people may be prone to getting keloid scarring on a piercing. A keloid is a small hard bump that can form on or near the piercing. If you notice a keloid forming you should come in to have  the piercing examined asap. The larger a keloid gets, the more difficult they are to treat. There is a risk of forming a keloid if you change your Jewlery to a hoop before your piercing is completely healed. 
• Metal sensitivity. The studio uses implant grade titanium for all of our piercing jewelry. If you replace your Jewlery with another metal such as gold, stainless steel, copper or colored powder coated steel, your piercing may have a negative reaction. 
• Blood blisters can form on a piercing that has recently experienced trauma. They are red, sore bumps that form on the surface of the piercing. 

Remember your piercer is on your team. I want your new piercing to heal as well as possible.  if you have any questions of concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly for guidance. A piercing is an open wound and aftercare is extremely important to keep your body and your piercing safe from harm. 

After your piercing is complete I will provide you with a card that states the gauge of the Jewlery and the length or diameter of the Jewlery that your piercing was done with. The size of your jewlery when the piercing is healed may vary from the size it was started with. 

Implant grade titanium is MRI safe and is great for sensitive skin. We offer anodizing services to safely change the color of the titanium Jewlery to your liking.