Piercing Aftercare
The aftercare matters as much as the piercing itself. What follows is the Black Ink Art studio’s own protocol, the same thing we tell people in the chair.
Piercing aftercare
- Keep the area away from water for the first 2 days. For the 10 days after, put a thick layer of vaseline on the entry and exit points before every contact with water, then wipe it away gently with a clean cotton bud.
- From the day it is done, for 10 days, at least 5 times a day, spray saline or piercing solution on the entry and exit points (3 or 4 sprays).
- Home-made saline: add a level teaspoon of salt to a cup of boiled water, boil it, let it cool and pour it into a clean spray bottle.
- Do not touch the piercing without disinfecting your hands. A new piercing should not be moved or taken out for the first 2 months.
- For oral piercings, an antiseptic mouthwash 3 times a day for a week; with a tongue piercing, cold and liquid food for the first week.
- Wear titanium or 316L surgical steel of the right standard for a fresh piercing, and do not leave the channel empty for at least 1.5 years.
What to avoid
- Knocks, rubbing and sleeping on it. For ear piercings this is what makes the most difference.
- Ointments keep the wound damp and slow healing down; unless there are signs of allergy or infection we do not recommend an antibiotic ointment.
- Turning or fiddling with the jewelry. It tears the new tissue and drags crusts into the channel.
- Plated jewelry, gold-plated or silver. On a fresh piercing the plating breaks down and the metal under it reacts.
- Taking the jewelry out before it has healed. The channel can close within hours.
Healing times
Times vary with the placement, how fast you heal and how carefully you follow the care. The figures below are averages. Cartilage and mucous tissue heal more slowly and are more sensitive.
What is a bump, and why does it form?
A piercing bump is swelling and redness, most often caused by infection, inflammation, unsuitable jewellery material, moving the piercing too much, or sleeping on it. Left unattended it can turn into a permanent keloid.
What is a keloid?
A keloid is an abnormal, excessive growth of tissue in response to trauma such as an injury, surgery, a tattoo or a piercing. It looks shiny, firm and raised, and can appear 3 months or more after the trauma itself.
Bumps and keloids that are not dealt with early can grow and become harder to treat; severe cases may need a cortisone injection or surgery at a hospital. Do not neglect your aftercare, and speak to your piercer at the first sign of a problem.
Bump and keloid care
Always speak to your piercer before following this protocol. If there are signs of infection — spreading redness, heat, discharge or fever — see a doctor rather than treating it at home. Fucicort is a prescription medicine.
- Crush an aspirin tablet in a mortar until it is a fine powder.
- Put the powder in a clean container and mix it with pine oil or plain water to a consistency you can apply with a cotton bud. Instead of the aspirin, you can also use a Rif ampoule from the pharmacy.
- Apply the mixture or the Rif to the entry point, the exit point and the skin around them 4 times a day; with aspirin, make a fresh mixture each day.
- Once the aspirin or Rif has dried, put Fucicort ointment over it.
- Repeat this routine 4 times a day for 7 days.
If there is no improvement, the problem may be a reaction to the jewellery material. We then recommend moving to bioplast, keeping the care up for another week, and staying with bioplast for a further month.
When to be concerned
If you see spreading redness, increasing heat, throbbing pain, a yellow-green or foul discharge, or you develop a fever, do not remove the jewelry. See a doctor. Taking it out closes the channel and traps the infection inside. If this happens, first send us a photo and tell us what is going on. For more serious cases, please see a doctor as we direct you.
If something does not look right, send us a photo and we will take a look. WhatsApp
When can I change the jewelry?
Not before it has healed. We recommend having the first change done in the studio. At Black Ink Art Tattoo Piercing we do it free of charge.