Cleaning Solutions for Body Piercings

• Use a sterile saline, labeled for use as a wound wash. Your saline ingredients should list .09% sodium chloride as the only ingredient (sometimes purified water will be listed). Additives like moisturizers and antibacterial agents should be avoided, as well as contact lens saline, nasal spray, or eye drops. If saline is not available, use clean water.

Cleaning Instructions for Body Piercings

• WASH your hands thoroughly.

• SPRAY with sterile saline wound wash or apply clean water.

• WAIT for the cleaning solution to soften crusty buildup.

• DRY with clean, disposable products like a folded corner of a paper towel, gently removing any crusty debris or build up.

  *If you have stubborn debris that is stuck to your skin, do NOT pick the scab. Give it time and it will release itself.

  *Cloth towels should be avoided as they can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry.

  *Cotton swabs can leave behind loose fibers that wrap around your jewelry and harbor debris. Cosmetic cotton swabs are preferred for being more tightly-wound and precise.

  *Moving or rotating jewelry is not necessary during cleaning/rinsing and may actually irritate the piercing. If your jewelry needs adjustment for aesthetics or comfort, follow the cleaning steps first.

Cleaning Solutions for Oral Piercings:

• Alcohol-free, hydrogen peroxide-free, non-whitening mouth rinse or dry mouth oral rinse.

• Plain clean water. Bottled or filtered water is preferred.

• Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label). This is not for internal use but external use only (like cleaning the outside of your lip piercing).

• Do not use contact solution, eye drops, or nasal rinse products on your piercing.

Cleaning Instructions for Oral Piercings

Internal:

• Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.

• Keeping good oral hygiene practices is important in maintaining a healthy mouth and piercing. You will want to floss, brush and use mouth rinse twice a day.

• Get a new toothbrush, and select a toothpaste that is free of whitening products.

• Gently brush the jewelry with a clean toothbrush regularly to avoid plaque build up.

• Rinse with water (bottled or filtered) thoroughly after every time you eat, drink or smoke.

  *Do not use mouth rinses excessively. Twice a day is best, overuse can cause irritation to your piercing.

External:

• Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.

• Be sure to rinse your piercing thoroughly with clean water or sterile saline twice a day to loosen debris.

• Gently remove any discharge or crust that may have built up on your jewelry, then dry the area carefully with a folded corner of a paper towel.

What is Normal?

• Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising.

  1. During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.

  2. A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is actually complete. This is because this type of wound will heal from the outside to the inside. Although it may feel fine on the outside, the interior could still be fragile. Be patient, and keep the piercing clean throughout the entire healing period.

  3. Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. Cleaning your piercings as part of your normal hygiene routine can help them stay clean and avoid having normal, possibly smelly, secretions accumulate.

  • TIP: Piercings, even healed ones, can shrink or close in minutes, even after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave it empty.

What To Do

• Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; leave the piercing alone except when cleaning.

• During healing, do not twist, spin, or rotate your jewelry.

• Exercise and sweating during healing is fine. Avoid activities that could jostle or aggravate the piercing. Keep the piercing protected from bacteria present on gym equipment or exercise mats.

• Make sure your bedding is washed and changed regularly. Wear clean, comfortable, breathable clothing that protects your piercing while you are sleeping.

• Showers tend to be safer than taking baths, as bathtubs can harbor bacteria. If you bathe in a tub, clean it well before each use and rinse off your piercing when you get out.

What To Avoid

• Avoid cleaning with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial soaps, iodine, or any harsh products, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.

• Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions, and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and are not intended for long-term wound care.

• Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.

• Avoid undue trauma such as friction and pressure from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.

• Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others’ bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.

• Avoiding things like excessive stress, drug use, excessive caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are suggested as they can prolong the healing process.

• Avoid submerging the piercing in bodies of water such as lakes, pools, oceans, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof transparent film dressing. These are available at most pharmacies and are ideal for nipple, navel, and surface piercing placements.

• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc. *Give yourself a few millimeters away from the jewelry.

• Don’t hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed. 

Jewelry

• Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in place for the entire healing process. Many piercings heal more comfortably and predictably with a “downsize”. During your “downsize” appointment, your initial jewelry is switched for a more fitted piece to prevent unnecessary movement or snags.

• Leave jewelry in at all times. Even well-healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes! If removed, reinsertion can be difficult or impossible. Contact your piercer for a non-metallic jewelry alternative if your metal jewelry must be temporarily removed (such as for a medical procedure).

• With clean hands, be sure to regularly check threaded and threadless ends on your jewelry for tightness. A paper towel helps you get a solid grip on your jewelry.

• Should you decide you no longer want the piercing, simply remove the jewelry (or have a professional piercer remove it for you) and continue cleaning the piercing until the hole closes. Body piercings create a permanent change to the body, while most scarring is minimal, piercings will leave scars in their absence,

• In the event an infection is suspected, discuss with your physician if you should leave quality jewelry or an appropriate substitute in place

Area-Specific Advice

Oral Piercings (Tongue, Lip, Vertical Labret, Philtrum, “Bites”:

• “Downsize” appointments are imperative for oral piercings to minimize or eliminate risk of tooth and gum damage. A “downsize” is when we switch out your initial jewelry for a shorter length, when your body is ready. The swelling of oral piercings tends to fluctuate for 10-14 days after your initial piercing, then we “downsize”.

• Initial swelling tends to poof up while you are asleep. You may notice your jewelry has more excess room in the evenings, before you go to bed, and then the extra space is gone in the morning.

• For lip piercings, it is typical for the jewelry to “nest” slightly into the lip (on the inside) once it is healed. Eventually your jewelry may sit inside your lip, and not touch your teeth.

• Even healed piercings that you have had for years can shrink or close within a few hours if the jewelry is removed. This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in! Do not leave the hole empty for a long period of time.

• Check your jewelry for tightness often. The vibrations of speaking and movement of eating can cause your threaded jewelry to loosen over time.

• Avoid oral sexual contact including wet kissing or oral sex during healing.

• Avoid chewing on tobacco, gum, fingernails, pencils, sunglasses, and other foreign objects that could harbor bacteria.

• Avoid sharing plates, cups, and eating utensils.

What To Do To Help Reduce Swelling in Oral Piercings

• Allow small pieces of ice to dissolve in the mouth.

• Take an over the counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium according to package instructions.

• Don’t speak or move your jewelry more than necessary.

• Sleep with your head elevated above your heart during the first few nights.

Eating with a New Oral Piercing

• Take your time with eating until you are used to the piercing and the jewelry is downsized to prevent irritation or prolonged healing.

• Avoid eating spicy, salty, acidic, or hot temperature foods or beverages for the first two weeks (no specific foods need to be avoided).

• Cold foods and beverages can be soothing and help reduce swelling.

• For labret (cheek and lip) piercings: be cautious about opening your mouth too wide as this can result in the jewelry catching on your teeth.

Navel:

• You can protect your piercing from excess irritation, physical trauma from activities like sports, or tight clothing with a hard, vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies). To avoid irritation from adhesive/medical tape, you can secure it over your piercing using tights/stockings or using a length of elastic/ace-type bandage around your body. 

• Moisture buildup is common for this area. If you notice a gummy, red bump, schedule a free consultation to find the cause and solution. Often times, using a blow dryer on cool/comfortably warm will help clear up the moisture as part of your daily routine.

• It is best to avoid sleeping on your jewelry. Blocking yourself in with strategic pillows can help.

• Watch out for your pants. Jeans may be uncomfortable during initial healing. Ideally, the waistband of your clothes rest either fully over or fully below your jewelry—rather than on top of it.

Ear/Ear Cartilage and Facial:

• Clean bedding and pillow cases are important. You can use the t-shirt trick: slip your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt. You can get up to four clean surfaces for sleeping by rotating the pillow and turning the t-shirt inside out.

• Surfaces like phones, headphones, eyeglasses, etc can be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant. Items like hats, scarves, headbands, etc should be washed regularly.

• Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

• Sleeping directly on a healing cartilage piercing can cause irritation, and often causes shifts in the piercing’s angle.

  *A travel pillow can make sleeping more comfortable, you can put your ear in the middle opening to limit pressure on the jewelry.

  Surface Anchors / Surface Bars:

  •  These piercings require maintenance during their entire lifetime because matter can build up underneath the threaded top causing the piercing to become irritated. Saline and/or shower rinses may be helpful with removing matter from underneath the threaded top.

  •  Avoid putting makeup on these piercings even after healing.

  • Even with proper care, surface anchors may be less permanent than other body piercings.

    *Surface anchors can be exceptionally difficult to clean thoroughly without assistance. Take advantage of our free cleaning appointments if you need help.