General Aftercare & Downsizing
Rinse piercing with clean warm water
Do this for thirty seconds to one minute 1-2x daily to soften buildup. Gently clean away anything remaining gently with fingertips, single use gauze or the corner of
a folded paper towel
A dry piercing is a happy piercing
Let your piercings to air dry, or for harder to reach places use a hair dryer with a clean filter on the cool setting
(this works fantastic for navels, daiths and rook piercings).
Keep wet hair pinned up away from your piercing,
and never sleep with damp hair
Keep the items that come in contact with your piercing clean
Washing your hands is the place to start, but other great examples are frequent pillowcase changes and wiping your AirPods down with rubbing alcohol between use
Stay away from chemicals
In addition to makeup and hair products this can include alcohol, peroxide (which will damage titanium jewelry) ointments, oils and home-made salt mixes.
*Some people find that sterile isotonic saline sprays work for them, but we suggest against it for people with sensitive skin or those who are experiencing dryer climates and weather
Keep pressure off of your piercing
Which causes irritation bumps and permanent shifting and tilting of your piercing site.
Sleeping on your piercing is the largest culprit with ear piercings that won't heal, but other forms of pressure can be helmets, heavy hair such as braids and wigs, sleep bonnets, hair wraps and hats
Downsize
Downsizing your jewelry after swelling subsides will help alleviate movement, permanent shifting of the piercing site, and irritation bumps. Most piercings around the 4 week mark, but each piercing is different
No Swimming or Submerging
Pools, lakes, baths, hot tubs, and oceans each have their own downsize, but it all comes down to bacteria and chemical irritation
Keep your jewelry in place
Your jewelry should not be changed for the entirety of your healing time with the exceptions of downsizing and changing of decorative tops
Seriously, keep your jewelry in place
Even healed piercings can shrink or close in the matter of hours without jewelry keeping the channel in place. Please call your piercer if you need to have jewelry out for extended periods of time for advice
Why Is Downsizing So Important?
Downsizing is the act of removing your initial jewelry piece and replacing it with a tighter, more well fitting piece of jewelry once your initial swelling subsides. More importantly, it is arguably the most important aftercare asset we have in our arsenal for making a well healed piercing.
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After your initial piercing you will probably notice that your jewelry has some extra length. This is on purpose to leave you room for swelling! But swelling doesn't last forever, and neither should that extra few millimeters of length.
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Why is extra length bad? Once your swelling comes down it leaves you much more prone to bumping, snagging and movement. ALL of these things can cause irritation and lengthen your healing time, but the most problematic thing we see caused by the extra length is permanent migration and tipping.
Common Issues Linked to Not Downsizing:
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Permanent Migration
Piercings that have migrated from their original spot or have tipped in a funky direction.
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Irritation Bumps
Pimple like irritations that get bigger and smaller, but don't tend to fully go away without intervention.
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On and Off Swelling
Funny right? The length you didn't remove once your swelling went down is now creating swelling. Your jewelry is likely moving around and facing trauma that it wouldn't be akin to if your jewelry was properly fitted.
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Piercings That Just Won't Heal
Bleeding, pain, discomfort, usually mixed with one or more of the above.
Anytime, Anywhere
Whats
Normal?
It is normal for healing piercings to create some discharge, which may be clear to off white. This is what creates dry "crusties" around the piercing hole and on the jewelry. This can occur for a few months in varying amounts as you heal.
Minor swelling and discomfort is greatly expected in the first few weeks that gradually subsides. We do not expect either to be painful or excessive, or to last long if your piercing is cared for appropriately.
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Small amounts of bleeding and bruising can occur any time the skin is broken. It is more likely to happen in areas of more vascular tissue, such as around the eyes, but is common in other areas as well.