Taking Care of Your Piercing - The Basics

• Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason!

• Rinse the piercing with clean water in the shower, or sterile saline wound wash to remove crusty build up. Moving, rotating, or removing the jewelry is not necessary during cleaning, and may irritate the piercing.

• Dry with a clean, disposable product after rinsing. Gauze and paper towels are great for this! Use caution when using cotton swabs- the fibers can stick to your jewelry and get left behind, causing irritation.

• Avoid submerging fresh piercings in bodies of water including, but not limited to, lakes, pools, oceans, and hot tubs

What To Expect While your piercing is healing?

Initial Healing (First Few Days)

Some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising is normal after getting a fresh piercing.

During the Healing Process

You may experience some discoloration, itching, or secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals—this is normal!

Once Your Piercing Appears Healed

The jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.

Important: Healing Takes Time

A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period recommended by your piercer.

Keep Jewelry In Your Healed Piercing

Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person. If you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave it empty. Visit our Jeannette piercing studio if you need help with jewelry changes.

What to Expect During Oral Piercing Healing?

Initial Healing (First 3-5 Days)

Significant swelling, slight bleeding, tenderness, and bruising are normal after getting a lip piercing, tongue piercing, or other oral piercing.

During the Healing Process

Some swelling and light secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) is normal. On the outside of the mouth, the secretions can become dry and crusty.

The Importance of Downsizing Oral Piercings

With oral piercings, it is extremely important to ensure the jewelry you wear is the proper fit. Once swelling subsides, be sure to downsize at our Jeannette piercing studio. Wearing jewelry that is too long for a prolonged period can lead to gum recession, tooth decay, and other intra-oral damage. Check with your piercer on the suggested time to downsize your piercing to ensure you're wearing the proper fit!

Taking Care of Your Oral Piercing?

Daily Cleaning Routine:

• Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason!

• Rinse the inside of your mouth using an alcohol-free mouthwash or clean water for 30-60 seconds at a time after meals, in the morning, and again at night.

• Rinse the external areas of the piercing with clean water or sterile saline to remove any crusty build-up.

• Dry with a clean, disposable product after rinsing. Gauze and paper towels are great for this! Use caution when using cotton swabs—the fibers can stick to your jewelry and get left behind, causing irritation.

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene:

Use a new toothbrush to brush your teeth twice daily. During healing, floss daily and gently brush your teeth, tongue, and jewelry. Once healed, brush the jewelry more thoroughly to avoid plaque build-up.

What To Avoid During Oral Piercing Healing?

Do not play with your jewelry. Long-term effects include permanent damage to gums, teeth, and other intra-oral structures.

• Avoid mouthwash containing alcohol. It can cause irritation and delay the healing process.

• Avoid oral contact with other people. Mouths harbor lots of bacteria. Introducing foreign bacteria can lead to irritation, infection, and delayed healing.

• No smoking, alcohol, or chewing tobacco while healing an oral piercing.

• Avoid submerging fresh piercings in bodies of water including lakes, pools, oceans, and hot tubs.

About your piercing jewelry

Premium Quality, Lifetime Warranty

We're proud to stock only the highest quality body piercing jewelry available. All jewelry for initial piercings is made of implant grade materials, mirror polished, and carries a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects. Mill certificates verifying the composition of the materials used in your jewelry are available upon request.

Professional Jewelry Changes

Even well-healed piercings, but especially healing piercings, can shrink or close in minutes if jewelry is removed. Reinsertion can be difficult or impossible. If you'd like to keep your piercing, we suggest having a professional piercer help with jewelry changes until the piercing is fully healed. Visit our Jeannette piercing studio for expert jewelry installation.

Downsizing for Proper Healing

Many piercings (ears, nostrils, nipples, etc.) require a downsize before the piercing is fully healed. It's crucial to downsize to ensure your jewelry fits properly and heals smoothly. Check with your piercer on the suggested time to downsize your piercing!

Jewelry Retainers Available

If you need to remove your metal jewelry for work, school, or a medical procedure, we stock glass retainers that are non-conductive and can hide a piercing effectively.

Jewelry Care Tip

With clean hands, be sure to regularly check threaded and threadless ends on your jewelry for tightness.

Still have questions?