How to Clean and Care for New Piercings

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Cleaning Solutions

LLTC recommends Steri-Wash® Sterile Saline Sprays.

Steri-Wash© Sterile Saline Sprays are simple sterilized sodium chloride solutions used to clean wounds and piercings with the same safe percentage of saline already in the human body. Their products do not cause stinging or burning. There are no added drugs or preservatives, and they are vegan friendly. These products are used in hospitals, nursing care, and emergency care facilities to care for wounds and burns.

If Steri-Wash is not your jam, we recommend a good quality liquid anti-microbial or germicidal soap such as Provon or liquid Dial.

Is This Normal?

• Initially you can notice some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, and/or bruising. These things do not always occur, and it is not a cause for alarm either way.
• During healing you may experience some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.
• Once you have healed the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing. DO NOT force it. You could cause microscopic tears to the skin in and around the piercing.
• If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as a part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.
• Your piercing may seem healed before healing is complete. This is because piercings heal from the outside in, and although it feels healed the tissue remains fragile on the inside. BE PATIENT, and keep cleaning it gently throughout the entire healing period.
• Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person. If you like your piercing, best leave the jewelry in place.

What To Do

• Always wash your hands prior to touching the piercing. Leave it alone except when cleaning. It is not necessary to rotate (twist or turn) the jewelry while healing except possibly during cleaning.
• Stay healthy. Get enough sleep and eat a nutritious diet. Stay hydrated. The healthier your lifestyle, the easier it will be for your piercing to heal. Exercise during healing is fine, just “listen” to your body.
• Make sure your bedding is kept clean and changed regularly. That includes your pillowcases. This is doubly important if your pet sleeps in your bed (no shame, our pets are spoiled too!). Pet dander is one of the most common causes of infection in piercings and tattoos. Wear clean, comfortable breathable clothing that protects your piercing while sleeping.
• Showering is safer than taking a bath, because bathtubs tend to harbor bacteria. If you would like to take a bath, clean the tub well before each use.

What To Avoid

• Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.
• Avoid the use of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Betadine, Hibiclens or ointment (ex: Neosporin). Also avoid ‘ear care solution’ from those scary piercing gun places (and avoid those places in general).
• Avoid over cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.
• Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others’ bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.
• Avoid stress and recreational drug use including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
• Avoid submerging the piercing in bodies of water such as lakes, pools, jacuzzis, the ocean, etc. Or protect your piercing using a special waterproof bandage such as Tegaderm, which is available at drugstores.
• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc. Unfortunately this also includes sunblock.
• Don’t hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.

Hints and Tips

Jewelry

• Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in place for the entire healing period. A qualified piercer should perform any necessary jewelry change that occurs during healing.
• Contact your piercer if your jewelry must be temporarily removed (such as for a medical procedure). There are non-metallic jewelry alternatives.
• Leave jewelry in at all times. Even old, well-healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! If removed re-insertion can be difficult or impossible.
• With clean hands or paper product, be sure to regularly check threaded ends on your jewelry for tightness. (“Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey”). Threadless jewelry could help with this as it uses pressure to keep it in rather than threading.
• Should you decide you no longer want the piercing, seek professional help in the removal of the jewelry and continue cleaning the piercing until the hole closes. In most cases only a small indentation will remain.
• In the event that an infection is suspected, quality jewelry or an inert alternative should be left in place to allow for drainage of the infection. Should the jewelry be removed, the surface cells can closeup sealing the infection inside the piercing channel, resulting in an abscess. Until such time an infection is cleared up, leave quality jewelry in!

For Particular Areas

Navel

• A hard, vented eye patch (available at CVS/Walgreens) can be applied under tight clothing (such as leggings). This can protect the area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation, and impact during physical activities such as contact sports.

Ear/Ear Cartilage and Facial

• Use the t-shirt trick. Dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt. Turn it nightly. One clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.
• Use the towel trick: Using a hand towel or larger, roll the towel up like a snake. Then curl it into a circle similar to a cinnamon bun. Make sure the circle has a hole in the center large enough for your ear to rest inside. That’s it. This lets you sleep “on” your ear without actually sleeping on your ear.
• Maintain cleanliness of phones, headphones, earbuds, glasses, helmets, hats and anything that contacts the pierced area.
• Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

Nipple

• The support of a tight cotton shirt or sports bra may provide protection and feel comfortable, especially for sleeping.

Genital

• In most cases you can engage in sexual activity as soon as you feel ready. Comfort and hygiene are vital.
• During healing all sexual activities must be gentle. To increase comfort and decrease trauma, soak in warm saline solution or plain water to remove any crusty matter, prior to sexual activity.
• Use barriers such as condoms, dental dams, etc. to avoid contact with a partner’s bodily fluids, even in long-term relationships.
• Use clean, disposable barriers on sex toys.
• Wash hands before touching on or near the piercing.
• Use a new container of water based lubricant. Do not use your own saliva as a lubricant.
• After sex, an additional saline soak or clean water rinse is suggested.
• Prince Albert and Apadravya piercings can bleed freely for the first few days.
• If using soap, urinate after cleaning any piercing that is near the urethra.
• Each body is unique and healing times vary considerably. If you have any questions, please contact your piercer.

Disclaimer

These guidelines are based on a combination of personal and professional experience, common sense, research and extensive clinical practice. This is not to be considered a substitute for medical advice from a doctor. LLTC and its employees are not medical professionals. If you suspect an infection, seek medical attention. Keep in mind that the removal of jewelry can lead to further complications. Be aware that many doctors have not received specific training regarding piercing.