Aftercare

• WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.

• SALINE rinse as needed during healing. For certain placements it may be easier to apply using clean gauze saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.

• BATHING If suggested use Dove Sensitive Skin soap. Avoid using harsh soaps, or soaps with dyes, fragrances, or triclosan.

• RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.

• DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products because cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.

Navel

• Wear loose-fitting clothing or go shirtless if you can get away with it. This helps minimize any irritation.

• Avoid all public pools, hot tubs and Jacuzzi, lakes, ponds, submerging in your bath, and oceans. For the first two months. These can introduce new bacteria and cause an infection.

• Avoid belting over the piercing, wearing high waisted jeans, and sleeping/laying on your stomach.

EAR AND FACIAL:

• Use the t-shirt trick: Dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt and turn it nightly; one clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.

• Invest in a travel pillow if you are a side sleeper to avoid adding pressure or irritation to your piercing

• Maintain cleanliness of telephones, headphones, eyeglasses, 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.

• Be mindful when washing face with wash cloth or invest in a silicone face scrubber to avoid snagging.

Nipples

• Use the support of sports bra to provide protection and feel comfortable, especially for sleeping. You can use gauze and medical tape for extra protection under the sports bra for the first two weeks. Make sure it is only for small periods of time.

• Avoid oral/playing with them for the first 3-6 months to avoid any bacteria infecting the piercings.

• Do not wash directly on your nipples instead let the suds from your Dove Sensitive Skin soap to run down and fully rinse the piercing afterwards.

• Do not change your jewelry until atleast 3 months.

Tongue/Oral Piercings

• Rinse your mouth with alcohol-free mouthwash after every meal and before bed. If you have a lip piercing make sure you are also cleaning the outside with saline solution with a q-tip 2-3 times a day!

• Don't french kiss anyone while you heal. (Avoid contact with someone else's saliva.)

• For the first few days up to the full 2 weeks, eating soft foods helps the piercing heal by not causing additional irritation or damage. Acidic, hot, spicy, and salty foods should be avoided because they can prolong the swelling or cause enough irritation for the piercing to bleed. Also, consider the level of stickiness of the food: extra “soft” items like oatmeal, peanut butter, and mashed potatoes are going to stick all over the mouth and aren’t actually a good option.

• Another important part about what you can eat after getting a tongue piercing is chewing carefully during the healing period. The tongue will be swollen for the first few days, and the longer barbell stays in for about 2-3 weeks, until all the swelling is gone. Being more aware and deliberate about chewing and eating during this time helps reduce the chance of biting down on the barbell.

• To get started, break food into smaller pieces so there is less to chew overall. Place the food carefully in the back of the mouth on one side or the other (over your molars), and bite down gently. Be careful to only bite/chew straight up and down at first as well, which also reduce the chance of the barbell getting caught in between teeth.

• A fully liquid diet might be helpful and more comfortable for the first few days, but it is not required at all.

• Cold and iced beverages have the added benefit of helping soothe the swelling and giving some pain relief. Keep away from alcohol, acidic/citrusy juices, and heavily caffeinated beverages after getting a tongue piercing though because they can also irritate the tissue just like spicy foods can.

• It’s important to stick to a soft food diet for at least the first two weeks of healing or up to three or four weeks if the swelling is persistent (or if you encounter other problems).

• Once the swelling is gone and the tongue piercing jewelry is downsized, you can resume your regular diet. Eating food items gently is still recommended as you get accustomed to chewing foods with the new barbell in your mouth.

• Avoid cleaning with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial soaps, iodine, or any harsh products, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.

• Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions, and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and are not intended for long-term wound care.

• Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing. • 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 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 unhygienic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof wound sealant bandage. These are available at most drugstores and work best for nipple, navel, and surface piercing placements.

• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc.

• Don’t hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed. • Sleeping directly on a healing cartilage piercing can cause irritation, even causing shifts in the piercing’s angle. Placing a travel pillow, on top of your pillow, and then placing your ear in the opening can be helpful to avoid this