Body Art Salon Body Piercing (619) 302-8217

A mild liquid antimicrobial or germacidal medicated soap such as Satin or Provon are suggested. Alternative products although not suggested should be chosen by avoiding those that contain fragrances, dyes and other additives that can be overly drying or irritating to the newly forming skin. Generally, those products made for hand-washing are too harsh and may lead to a prolonged healing time. A variety of natural products exists and the same care should be taken when selecting these products with regard to additives and coloring agents. Additionally, some of these liquid soap contain essential oils which may burn the healing skin of the piercing.

Sea Salt Soaks

Performing a simple sea salt soak once per day has been shown to have beneficial effects on a healing piercing.

• Dissolve 1/8 of a teaspoon (a pinch) of sea salt to one cup (8 oz.) of warm to hot water in a clean container. Distilled or bottled water is suggested. A stronger solution is not better as it can burn the tender healing area and potentially dry it out.
• Immerse the piercing site into the container and allow it to soak until the solution is cool, about 10 minutes.
• It may be easier to make a compress by using gauze soaked in the solution and then apply the gauze to the piercing site.
• Rinse the area with clean water and pat dry. These soaks and compresses help to stimulate circulation in the area and facilitate the removal of waste products. This is the only additional product that we suggest you use on your healing piercing.

Cleaning your new piercing need only be done once per day and most consider it easiest to accomplish the task in the shower. Done more than this can lead to irritation and potentially delay the healing time of the piercing.

 

• Wash your hand thoroughly prior to touching your piercing. The most common cause of infection is touching a piercing with dirty hands!
• Prepare the area for cleaning by removing any of the crusted matter that may be on the jewelry or the surrounding area. This is easy to do by alloqing the water fro the shower to run over the area, or by using a disposable cotton swap saturated in warm water. Do Not pick this off with your fingernail.
• Place a small amount of the cleaning solution on your fingertips.
• Lather the area with the cleaning solution and work the lather into the jewelry
• Allow the solution to remain on the area for about a minute.
• Rinse the area thoroughly under running water and remove all of the cleaning solution.
• gently pat the area dry.

A normally healing piercing might:

 

• Be tender, swollen, itchy and/or slighty red for a few weeks.
• Bleed a little for the first few days
• Secrete a whitish to yellow discharge that can form into a crust at the piercing site and on the jewelry. This is not pus and indicates a normally healing piercing.

Healing time for each piercing is different. If the piercing is done correctly using sterile tools, top quality jewelry and following proper aftercare instructions, the healing should be fast and trouble free.

Although these signs may indicate other types of problems, specific symptoms include:

 

• Severe redness.
• Swelling or harness at the piercing site.
• Pain, especially throbbing pain.
• Heat sensation at or around the piercing.
• Thick discharge that is yellow to green.

If you suspect that you have an infection, we encourage you to seek out treatment from your health care provider. However, a visit to your piercer may provide other information about your piercing. An untreated infection can lead to more serious complications. Do not remove your jewelry if you believe you have an infection. To do so may trap matter inside the piercing and create an even more difficult situation. We enlist the advice and support of piercing aware medical professionals, and encourage you to do the same!

Naval - Avoid tight waistbands, belt and clothing that restrict the area during healing. A hard vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies) can be worn under tight clothing to protect the area from excess friction and/or impact during physical activites or contact sports.

Ear and Facial - Protect piercings from hair spray and avoid getting lotions, make-up or other foreign substances into the piercings. Be sure that pillow cases are clean and changed frequently. Clean your telephone reciever with a disinfecting solution and avoid contact with public telephones.

Nipple - It is suggested that you sleep in a cotton tank top or a snug tee shirt for at least the first week. Many women find sleeping in a soft sports bra to be comfortable with a healing nipple piercing. If you have pets, take care to avoid hair and dander that may be present on your bed or sheets.

Genital - Sexual activity is not prohibited, but it is suggested that the piercing be fully covered while engaged in intimate contact until healed. Using a water-based lubricant may be less irritating to sensitive mucous membranes than those with Nonoxynol 9. Finally, listen to your body; If something feels sore or "just not right", you may need to stop that activity for the time being.

Tongue - Try not to play with your piercing while it is healing. It may take a little time for you to adapt to the jewelry and for your mouth to begin to adjust to the feel and weight. Eat slowly and take smaller bites of food. The tongue moves the food around, so placing the food directly on the molars may reduce stress on the muscles of the tongue. It is common to develop a small white ring of tissue around the piercing while it heals. This is normal and in time will disappear.

Special Consideration for Oral Piercings - It is common for oral piercings to swell within the first 10-12 hours. This swelling can be minimized through the use of ice. Allow the ice to melt in your mouth. Avoid sucking on the ice or sucking through straws. Oral contact with another persons body fluids must be avoided during the healing period. This includes oral sex and wet kissing. Eat softer foods for the first few days and avoid crunchy, spicy or hard foods. Limit the consumption of alcohol, caffeine and tobacco for the first week to reduce the possibility of irritation.

Lip/Labret/Cheek - Protect piercings from cosmetics, lotions or otehr personal care products. Be sure that both internal as well as external care is provided to these piercings. Take care when opening your mouth too wide prior to downsizing the initial post. With the longer post it is possible to catch the jewelry on your teeth.

It is important to remember that these piercings are done with threaded barbells and posts. This means that balls on tongue barbells and ends on labret studs can and will come undone. It is necessary to check these ends on a regular and frequent basis. It is possible to change these end portions of the jewelry during the healing period, but the original post should remain until the initial swelling has subsided.

We encourage you to downsize your initial post as soon as the swelling is down. This will help to reduce the risk of damage to your teeth such as chipping, breaking and gum or tissue lost. However, downsizing too soon may lead to an increase in irritation and swelling.

 

An alcohol free antiseptic mouthwash such as Tech 2000 is suggested. Alternative products such as Biotene or Rembrandt are available. A word of caution: Read the labels as some of the commercially available products do contain high amounts of peroxide and sodium. The use of Listerine is NOT suggested due to the high alcohol content. A variety of natural products exist and the same care should be taken when selecting these products with regard to additives mentioned above. A new soft bristled toothbrush should be purchased to help reduce the amount of bacteria that may be introduced into the newly pierced area.