IRRITATED PIERCING AFTERCARE
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Any aftercare suggestions are based on training, research, and professional experience. These suggestions should not be a substitute for medical advice from a physician. Symptoms of infection include swelling, pain, hot, very red or dark, blood or green goo, feeling unwell or you’re developing a fever. If you suspect an infection make an appointment with your doctor asap!
PIERCING HEALING FACTORS
The healing factors below contribute to what makes for an easier or harder healing process. Most piercings take one full year to heal. When healing your body is forming new skin cells around your jewelry creating a tunnel.
1. How hard of a heal is that type of piercing?
2. How do you heal as an individual?
3. What is the quality of the body jewelry?
4. How consistently and accurately is aftercare being followed?
5. What in your lifestyle is getting in the way of your healing? (sleeping on it, bumping it, changing it for sports, etc.)?
IRRITATED PIERCING AFTERCARE
TO DO'S
1. PROVON SOAP
Lather Provon Anti-microbial Lotion Soap and gently cleanse your jewelry and the surrounding skin. No need to work it through your piercing.
Benefits - Washing with this medical grade soap washes off microorganisms and restricts their regrowth. This helps to control microorganism overgrowth and minimize the chance of developing into an infection when your piercing is irritated.
1. SALINE SOAKS
Submerge your piercing in a warm-hot saline solution 3 times per day for 5 minutes each time. Measure exactly 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt to 8 ounces of warmer/hot distilled water.
Benefits - The warm water will soothe your piercing, increase blood circulation to the area to speed healing, and the minerals in the sea salt will aid in skin cell regeneration.
2. REMOVE CRUSTIES
Gently remove all crust from skin and jewelry every morning and evening with a wet q-tip.
Benefits - Removing crusts creates a smoother surface making it easier for your body to form new skin cells. This keeps excess crust from irritating the new cells that are forming around the edges of your piercing.
3. APPLY EMU OIL
With clean hands gently massage a pea size amount of 100% emu oil on either side of your piercing once daily.
Benefits - Emu oil soothes your piercing and will keep the edges of your piercing moisturized, it encourages skin cell growth, and restricts the regrowth of microorganisms. It makes for a more comfortable healing process.
4. CHECK JEWELRY ENDS
Jewelry ends come apart and need to be checked every day! Some styles screw on and some snap together so it's important to know which style you have so you know how to secure it. Rings don't need to be checked.
Benefits - Because the ends of your jewelry may loosen over time checking them daily will minimize the chance of you losing your jewelry and your piercing.
5. DOWNSIZE JEWELRY
Piercings swell initially so most starter jewelry is longer to accommodate for that swelling. It is important to downsize your jewelry after 4 weeks.
Benefits - Starting with longer jewelry accommodates for any initial swelling after getting pierced. You will need to downsize the length of your jewelry in order to stabilize it and minimize any snagging and prevent shifting. Too long of length may cause your jewelry to shift to an angle so your piercing is no longer straight.
5. UPSIZE JEWELRY
If your piercing swells and your jewelry is too tight you will need to put longer jewelry back in until your swelling subsides. If your jewelry stays tight it will cause your piercing to swell more.
Benefits - Longer jewelry will relieve pressure when your jewelry is too tight from the swelling. The release of pressure will help your piercing feel better and aide in getting healing back on track.
DON'T DO'S
1. DON'T TOUCH
Wash your hands first if you have to touch your piercing for any reason.
Benefits - This will decrease the chance of introducing microorganisms that may multiply and lead to infection.
2. NO HARSH PRODUCTS
Don't use harsh products like alcohol, peroxide, bactine, hibiclens, witch hazel or ointments on your piercing.
Benefits - It's important to keep any harsh chemicals out of your piercing because they impede healing. They also dry out the skin and irritate your piercing which leads to increased soreness, redness, dryness, migration, and rejection.
3. AVOID PERSONAL PRODUCTS
Don't get any make-up, lotion, hair products etc. in your piercing.
Benefits - It's important to keep any harsh chemicals out of your piercing because they impede healing. They also dry out the skin and irritate your piercing which leads to increased soreness, redness, dryness, migration, and rejection.
4. DON'T BE TOO ROUGH
Don't put pressure on your piercing. Pulling, bumping, snagging, sleeping on it, and changing your jewelry frequently is traumatic to the delicate skin cells forming inside your piercing.
Benefit - If you are too rough with your piercing it will slow your healing. You will experience increased soreness, redness, overall irritation, swelling, bleeding, bumps near your piercing, and other complications such as drifting, migration, and rejection.
5. AVOID OPEN BODIES OF WATER
Don't submerge your piercing in pools, hot tubs, lakes, or the ocean for 8 weeks or if irritated.
Benefit - Open bodies of water are full of microorganisms which can infiltrate your piercing, multiply, and lead to an infection. If you must swim I suggest covering it with a waterproof bandaid to seal out any contaminants.
6. DON'T CHANGE JEWELRY OFTEN
Don't change your jewelry too frequently the first year. You are forming new skin cells. When you drag metal through them it's not unlike dragging metal over a healing wound.
Benefit - You avoid scraping the new skin cells and damaging taking jewelry in and out
7. DON'T TAKE YOUR JEWELRY OUT
If you take you jewelry out your piercing may start to close in within minutes.
Benefits - Once your jewelry is removed your piercing tunnel begins to shrink in thickness making it difficult to put your jewelry back in. If you force your jewelry back in its traumatizing to the delicate skin inside because it scrapes through the piercing damaging the cells on its way through.
8. DON'T LET YOUR PIERCING STAY IRRITATED!
Piercings should not stay irritated and red for weeks or months at a time. It is important to clear up and issues asap so it doesn't develop into a worse problem
Benefits - By following all the to do's and don't do's of the irritated piercing aftercare the problems should clear up in a week or so. If not you should continue to get help. It's not a one aftercare fits all. You need to figure out what works for you as an individual. If you suspect infection your should always see a doctor to rule out infection asap!
