Before touching your piercing, clean your hands thoroughly with an anti-bacterial soap.

All Piercings:

Do not play with your piercing. Rotating your jewellery is not necessary, you will not "stick" to the metal. Avoid rough housing or any activity where you piercing can be caught or pulled. This canirritate your piercing. All piercing require time to toughen up and can easily be torn.

It is a good idea to carry a clean spare ball or piece of jewellery with you in case you lose yours. Even a healed piercing can close in a short amount of time.

Tighten balls on all threaded jewellery daily.

Swelling, bruising, redness, tenderness and/or light secretion of a whitish yellow fluid are normal for a healing piercing. However, if you have concerns about how your piercing is healing, contact your piercer.

If your friends want to tell you how to heal a piercing, they can open their own shop.

ORAL PIERCING AFTERCARE:

Rinse 4 - 5 times daily for 30 - 60 seconds with one or both of the following: a) An anti-bacterial, alcohol free mouthwash b) A sterile saline solution (not contact solution) with no additives or non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt into one cup (8 oz) of warm distilled or bottled water (stronger is not better).

Maintain good oral hygiene:
- Rinse after eating/smoking and before bed
- Brush your teeth 3 times daily
- Gently remove plaque from your jewellery using your toothbrush

Over cleaning can cause discoloration and/or irritation of tongue.

Slurpees, Popsicles, and small pieces of ice can help to reduce swelling, as well as an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen.

Avoid irritants such as smoking/chewing, alcohol, large amounts of caffeine as well as spicy, salty, acidic (citric) and hot (temperature) foods. Avoid contact with other people's bodily fluids (including saliva).

Tighten the balls on your tongue jewellery before eating.

Body Piercing:

Clean your piercing twice daily with one or both of the following: a) A sterile saline solution (not contact solution) with no additives b) A mild, fragrance free, anti-bacterial soap.

Avoid over cleaning as it can irritate the piercing.

The best time to clean your piercing is during or after a shower, as the hot water softens the crusties (which are a normal part of healing) and makes it easier to remove them.

Showers are better for healing piercings than baths since baths usually harbour bacteria.

Do not clean your piercing with peroxide, rubbing alcohol or ointments.

Avoid using lotions, make-up and hair products on or around your piercing. Avoid oral contact and contact with other people's body fluids.

Avoid pools, lakes, hot tubs, etc. If you do swim/soak in these, cover you piercing with a waterproof band-aid.

Ice packs can help to reduce swelling as well as an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen.

TIGHTEN THE BALLS ON ALL THREADED JEWELRY DAILY.

Changing jewelry too soon can cause infection and delay healing. Be sure you are putting nickel-free surgical steel or titanium in your body. Clean all jewelry before you put it in your piercing.

NOT RECOMMENDED
1) Isopropyl Alcohol: It is inappropriate for piercings because it is very drying.

2) Betadine: It can cause an insensitivity to the product as well as an allergy.

3) Hydrogen Peroxide: NEVER use on fresh piercings, as the peroxide breaks down the newly formed tissue.

4) Medicated Ointments: Some people are allergic to bacitracin zinc or Neosporin. Dust and other airborne particles may stick to these types of ointments, causing possible entry to the piercing leading to infection.

Use of these products limits air circulation through the piercing, also these products are not disinfectants and do not clean the piercing.

WARNING
1) Avoid over cleaning as this could bring about more irritation and can cause the openings of the piercings to become dry and cracked.

2) Do not allow your piercing to come in contact with cosmetics, lotions or perfumes.

3) Do not use laundry detergents containing stain removing enzymes.

4) Do not allow your "body" piercings to come in contact with saliva and other bodily fluids.

5) Never swim in public pools, spas and hot tubs, as risk of exposure to bacteria is great. Also chlorine and other chemical agents used for sanitation causes excessive drying.