aftercare and healing

Swelling is a completely normal part of the healing process. Some initial swelling is to be expected, the first 5-7 days especially, but can sometimes slowly decrease during the first month of healing depending on the piercing.

If you suspect or have sudden and/or really bad swelling feel free to contact me using the troubleshooting button up top.

Some bleeding in the first 12-24 hours is not uncommon. If you notice it bleeding during the cleaning process try skipping your nightly cleaning routine and then in the morning running saline or warm water over it.

Unfortunately with piercings come a bit of pain. Minor pain and soreness is to be expected with any piercing and can last a few days and even the first few weeks, but should not be unbearable. Your piercing may be sore for a little while. There are things you can do to minimize pain and one of the easiest is not touching or moving your piercing.

Some whitish, clear discharge is a normal part of the healing process and is where the "crusties" come from. Your body is injured and is attempting to create a scab in order to heal. It just can't completely due to the jewelry being in the way. You will gently get this off during the cleaning process. Please do not pick or scratch them off.

There are a few piercings where bruising is more common such as anywhere near the soft tissue of the eye. If you're prone to bruising already don't be surprised if a bruise accompanies your new piercing for a few days.

I can not stress this enough! Touching and playing with your piercings is the easiest way to get them infected and prevent healing. Do not twist it or turn it, your body is trying to heal a wound and you are essentially ripping it back open and making your body work harder. Not to mention the risk of infection goes up with ever touch. 

Do not put any of the following on your piercing. 

No antibacterial soap

No peroxide

No rubbing alcohol

No crushed aspirin

No Neosporin

No tea tree oil

No bactine

No vasaline

No Make up

No moisturizers or lotions

No self tanner

No sunscreen

No face wash

The only thing that should be going directly on your new piercing is Sterile Saline Solution. Harsh soaps and chemicals with additives and moisturizers are terrible for any healing wound including your piercing.

Taking your jewelry out during healing can cause your piercing unnecessary damage or cause it to close. You do not need to remove your jewelry for any reason during the initial heal time for your piercing. Even well healed piercings can close quickly once the jewelry is removed. 

I know it's hard to change all of your sleeping habits when trying to heal certain piercings, but it is so important to keep irritation as minimal as possible. Sleeping on fresh or even well healed piercings is one of the biggest irritants for many piercings. To cut down on irritation, a travel neck pillow can be used to avoid putting pressure on the area and still have a comfortable nights sleep.

Please shower as normal, but do not submerge your piercing in water during the healing process. This does mean no swimming for quite a while. No baths, especially with bath bombs or bubbles. No swimming in the ocean, lake, pond, river, pool, even saltwater pools. Especially no hot tubs. If swimming is a big part of your life during the warmer months then I usually suggest getting pierced during Autumn.

While your friends and family might your best interest in mind they are not a trained professional to give advice. 

Google can be a good source of information, but getting through all of the bad information can make it hard and confusing to figure out just what you should be paying attention to.

Facebook groups, TikTok, Instagram, Etc. are so oversaturated with terrible advice that it's never a great idea to go there for troubleshooting.

We all love our pets! Please don't let them near your new piercing! Licking is especially not good for healing! Animal hair can also cause plenty of issues.

Some piercings are in places our partners sometimes like to enjoy. Looking but no touching is a good rule to put in place during healing. I know kissing can be a wonderful thing, but when healing oral piercings if you can avoid it please do. This also extends to keeping your partners mouth off of any other areas you've recently gotten pierced, the human mouth is full of bacteria and a little fun time isn't worth the infection.

Your initial starter jewelry is almost always going to be longer to accommodate the swelling that can happen in the beginning stages of healing. Not every person is going to start with the same sized jewelry as everyone has different anatomy. 

Since your starter jewelry is longer or bigger you'll want to have it downsized in an appropriate time frame. Different piercings are going to have different time frames for downsizing and some piercings can have multiple downsizes. It can also depend on how a person is healing, some people are going to swell worse than others depending on how their body heals and reacts to being pierced. I always suggest stopping in within the suggested time to check on if its time for your piercing to be down

Having your jewelry downsized in the appropriate time frame can be very important to the overall health and healing of your new piercing. It cuts down on the extra movement that can irritate your piercing when the swelling subsides. It can also prevent migration of the piercing channel. 

All you'll need to clean your new piercing is Sterile Saline Wound Wash. 

Nothing you put on your piercing is going to make it heal any faster regardless of claims made by certain companies. 

Please be gentile when cleaning your new piercing, scrubbing and extra movement is going to cause irritation. Your only goal is to flush any visible debris off of your jewelry. You'll want to irrigate your piercing 2-3 times a day. If your piercing feels "stuck" to your jewelry it is perfectly normal please do not try to "unstick" it. If you find there are debris stuck to your jewelry that are hard to get off, do not scrub at them. Try cleaning them after you get out of the shower, the heat and 

A non-alcoholic and peroxide free mouthwash can be used after meals. Some people prefer to rinse with sterile saline for their oral piercings instead and that is ok too.

Brush your teeth and floss like you normally would twice a day. Be careful to avoid brushing directly on top of or around your new piercing. Also be careful not to bump your new piercing while flossing.

Brush your teeth and floss like you normally would twice a day. Be careful to avoid brushing directly on top of or around your new piercing. Also be careful not to bump your new piercing while flossing.

Avoid playing with your piercing, I know this can be especially hard with oral piercings, but the softer tissue of your mouth and tongue are especially prone to tearing. You also risk wearing down the enamel on your teeth if you get into the habit of clicking your jewelry on them.

Try to avoid spicy food, not only will it hurt, but it can cause the swelling to be worse. 

Be careful eating when your have your longer starter jewelry in so that you don't bite down on your jewelry!

Avoid smoking and vaping, I know this is a hard one for a lot of people, but it will slow down the healing process. Also limiting your alcohol consumption during the healing process is recommended. Alcohol is harsh on new piercings and can also prevent healing. 

A good rule of thumb when dealing with oral piercings is that if anything you're doing is uncomfortable you should stop or modify the way you are doing that task.

These are technically semipermanent and do not usually last. While they can potentially stay very long term, for most people even a perfectly performed and perfectly healed single point piercing has a life span of about 2-5 years. 

I always say to take your lifestyle into consideration when deciding on these. Think about the clothing you typically wear, if your every day jewelry is going to be in the way, lifestyle in general, is it in an area that gets squished when sleeping, or in a place where sweat collects? All things that can get in the way of your piercing healing or cause them to reject.

Just like a normal piercing you'll want to use a Sterile Saline spray. The cleaning isn't that much different. However the first two weeks or so can be a little bit different because they are going to need to be babied a little more. They are more likely to have rejection issues if you aren't careful.

Especially avoid snagging it on anything! The way the jewelry is inserted can cause them to pull out easier until the skin grows back around or through the jewelry. If you use a scrunchy Loofa sponge when bathing just throw it in the trash, it's going to snag on your piercing constantly.

Avoid touching or playing with them just like you would any other piercing. If they are on your face like always avoid makeup.

Brush your teeth and floss like you normally would twice a day. Be careful to avoid brushing directly on top of or around your new piercing. Also be careful not to bump your new piercing while flossing.

Avoid playing with your piercing, I know this can be especially hard with oral piercings, but the softer tissue of your mouth and tongue are especially prone to tearing. You also risk wearing down the enamel on your teeth if you get into the habit of clicking your jewelry on them.

Try to avoid spicy food, not only will it hurt, but it can cause the swelling to be worse. 

Be careful eating when your have your longer starter jewelry in so that you don't bite down on your jewelry!

Avoid smoking and vaping, I know this is a hard one for a lot of people, but it will slow down the healing process. Also limiting your alcohol consumption during the healing process is recommended. Alcohol is harsh on new piercings and can also prevent healing. 

A good rule of thumb when dealing with oral piercings is that if anything you're doing is uncomfortable you should stop or modify the way you are doing that task.

You'll want to avoid eating for at least an hour afterwards. Also avoid drinking anything other than water for the first hour or so. Smoking/vaping can cause your tooth gem to come off sooner so try to avoid that as much as possible. Alcohol use within the first 24 hours can also cause the adhesive to deteriorate. 

For the first 24 hours you will want to avoid brushing that tooth directly. While the adhesive is cured with the light during the procedure, it does take a full 24 hours to cure completely. Also avoid using mouthwash during this time as it can cause problems with the adhesive.

I do guarantee tooth gems for the first month, so if your tooth gem pops off in the 30 days after receiving it, just stop by and replace it. In the case of gold shapes or designs if it comes off in the first 30 days you can message me and I will order a replacement, you just have to let me know within the allotted time period.