Chaotic Good
Body Piercing
& Tattoo
Aftercare instructions are what our piercers recommend doing to care for your healing piercing.
Day of piercing: Don’t clean your piercing! Change your pillowcase or bedsheet to a clean set, and sleep in clean clothing.
First few days: Leave it alone. It may be tender, sore, stingy, etc. Over the counter pain relievers are fine to take. A bit of dried blood in the mornings is normal. Simply pat piercings dry after a shower with a clean paper towel. If you have dried blood stuck around the piercing, do not remove it. You may clean the outskirts, but not the hole itself. The scab will fall off on its own after a few days. Bruising might appear after a few days and is totally normal.
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Day 4 and on: Clean your piercing once a day with sterile saline (or make your own sea salt solution with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and 8oz water). After a shower or with freshly washed hands, spray saline on a folded paper towel or Q-tip (precision Q-tips are best). Wipe gently around both sides of your piercing to remove crusty build up. No need to spin the jewelry. Afterwards gently dry off the piercing, and leave it alone. (If your piercing needs an extra cleaning some days that is normal and fine, use the method above. Any more than 3 cleanings a day is overkill, though.)
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After 7ish days: Swelling should have appeared and will take up the “extra” length on the jewelry. The inflammation is normal, and will go away after 4-12ish weeks. Once the bar is feeling long again, schedule a “jewelry change” appointment, and come in for a shorter bar (downsize). Downsizing is important for the ease of healing of your piercing, and will prevent accidental snags and the angle of the piercing shifting. Schedule a “check up” if you need help!
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In general: THE LESS YOU TOUCH YOUR PIERCINGS THE BETTER. Bodies can heal totally fine, and piercings should NEVER be cleaned with rubbing alcohol, peroxide, etc. For ear cartilage in particular, DO NOT SLEEP ON YOUR PIERCINGS. Donut or travel pillows are a great tool for healing your ear piercing. Be mindful of towels, clothing, hugs, pets and kids, hats, mask straps, ear buds and headphones, etc. Remember no swimming/hot tubs/etc for 4 weeks. DON’T SLEEP WITH WET HAIR OR LEAVE PIERCINGS WET.
General Aftercare
Oral Piercing Aftercare
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Always thoroughly wash your hands before handling or cleaning any new piercing. You may shower with your new piercing but avoid pools, lakes, hot tubs, etc. Do not use rubbing alcohol, peroxide, etc, as these products inhibit new cells from forming and cause dryness and irritation. Change bedding to ensure a clean sleeping surface.
LIP PIERCINGS: Rinse with Sea Salt Solution (¼ teaspoon sea salt per 1 cup water) each time you eat/drink/smoke/etc. Clean the outside of the piercing with saline on a tightly folded paper towel around twice a day. Ibuprofen and eating crushed ice will relieve swelling and discomfort. Jewelry should be downsized as soon as the initial swelling is gone (around 2-3 weeks), and may require an additional downsize. Downsizing jewelry is very important, since overly long jewelry can damage your teeth and gums. Be extra careful eating anything you open your mouth super wide for (burgers, apples, etc), because the inside disk can get caught on your teeth. Initially healed 4 weeks, full heal 8-12 weeks.
TONGUE PIERCINGS: Rinse with Sea Salt Solution (¼ teaspoon sea salt per 1 cup water) after each time you eat/drink/smoke/etc. Avoid spicy/acidic/dairy/temperature hot foods for the first two weeks. Ibuprofen and eating crushed ice will relieve swelling and discomfort. Don’t talk excessively, and avoid using straws (suction), since that uses the tongue muscle and can cause more swelling. Jewelry should be downsized as soon as the initial swelling is gone (around 5 days to 2 weeks), and may require an additional downsize. Downsizing jewelry is very important, since overly long jewelry can damage your teeth. Do not play with the jewelry, click it against your teeth, etc. Avoid eating soft foods like oatmeal and mashed potatoes because they stick to your mouth and jewelry. Food you can place back in your molars and chew is recommended. Initially healed 2 weeks, full heal 6 weeks.
Happy healing! :) Call us with any questions, please!!
All of our basic jewelry is internally threaded titanium, or threadless titanium!
We also carry gold, glass, and stone jewelry
