Having a new piercing involves breaking the skin surface so there is always a potential risk for infection to occur afterwards. It is important that this advice is followed so that the infection risk can be minimised. A piercing is a wound. You should expect tenderness, swelling and possibly bruising, bleeding and itching. A natural part of the process for healing any wound includes the secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid called plasma. This fluid will dry and form a crust around the piercing and jewellery. Do not pick this off. It can be removed during routine aftercare or whilst bathing or showering.
Current medical advice strongly recommends that a new piercing is handled as little as possible, particularly for the first two days, so that exposure to germs is reduced.
Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling the piercing or jewellery.
We suggest that you use a salt-water solution to clean your piercing during the healing process. Use ¼ teaspoon of sea salt or rock salt (DO NOT USE TABLE SALT) to 1 cup of boiling water. Leave it to cool down for a few minutes and then it should be ready for you to use. Never apply hot solution to the skin. Soak the piercing with salt-water for 1-2 minutes to soften any dried discharge. Then clean around the piercing and jewellery with a cotton bud. Finally you should check that the balls on your jewellery are tight. You should clean your piercing twice a day until it has fully healed. New piercings should be kept as dry and exposed to the air as much as possible.
The initial jewellery used in some piercings will be bigger than required to allow for swelling. To help reduce the swelling you should apply ice to the piercing. If the jewellery does need to be downsized you should wait a minimum of 2 weeks for oral piercings and 6 weeks for all other piercings before coming back to us. We will then measure your piercing and fit the correct size jewellery. This will enable your piercing to heal fully and will cost £5.
Occasionally excessive swelling can occur on a piercing. If it looks like the jewellery is tight you should come in and we will fit a more appropriate size of jewellery.
DO NOT fiddle with the jewellery as this can cause your piercing to split and it may affect the placement of the piercing.
DO NOT let clothing etc. put unnecessary pressure on the piercing as this can cause problems.
DO NOT sleep on your piercing as this can cause irritation and may prolong the healing process.
DO NOT let any soap, cosmetics or hair products etc. come into contact with an unhealed piercing.
DO NOT subject the piercing to any form of dirt, oral contact or other bodily fluids.
DO NOT change the jewellery or stretch the piercing until it is fully healed.
DO NOT use Hydrogen Peroxide or Surgical Spirit to clean your piercing as they are cytotoxic (they can damage healthy cells and cause scar tissue).
DO NOT use alcohol-containing mouthwash as the high alcohol content is damaging to new cell growth. Overuse can upset oral flora and lead to a yeast infection.
DO NOT follow advice that is given to you by friends as it is not always correct!!!!
REMEMBER: Smoking and drinking excessively, ill health, tiredness, stress, worry and poor diet will cause a delay in the healing time.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO COME IN AND SEE US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR PIERCING.
HARLOW PIERCING STUDIO
9A ADAMS HOUSE
EAST GATE
HARLOW, ESSEX,
CM20 1BD
Tel: 01279 414115