The Importance of Piercing Aftercare
Have you ever been lax with a bill or maybe a task you were meant to do? Maybe you didn’t get your bill paid or your task finished and were strapped with some sort of fee or reprimand. It’s easy to put things off until you finally start seeing the effects of your decisions. By then there is usually unfixable damage.
That’s how it is with piercings. We get excited about them initially and then forget that they require care. But if we don’t care for them we begin to see the toll it takes on our bodies. This can include pressure bumps, migration, discomfort and ultimately rejection. When you get a new piercing you gain a responsibility. Luckily, there are simple approaches to learn how to care for your new piercing. All you need to do is simply commit a minimal amount of time a couple times a day. Learn how to care for your piercing with these helpful tips from our on-staff piercers and the Association of Professional Piercers.
Saline spray! Most piercers these days have started to recommend the use of sterile saline spray above most other piercing aftercare products. There are no magic piercing aftercare products that heals a piercing, but saline comes close to winning that title! We love it because it’s easy to use, remains sterile throughout use, and is portable. So if you have a particularly dirty job or go to the gym daily, you would be able to toss this in your bag and clean the piercing as needed throughout the day.
All you have to do use the saline spray for is to remove build up or discharge from the piercing itself and any that you may see collecting on the jewelry. There is no need to use harsh products like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or Bactine.
Another way to remove the build up is to use the running water from your shower head. We suggest just using these methods. Don’t use q-tips, cotton balls or your fingers to scrape that stuff off. If you spray a bit and don’t see it come off, then think of that build-up as a scab- it will come off when it’s ready.
The other most important thing to remember when learning how to care for a piercing is to just let it be! Your body knows how to heal so you just have to keep the piercing reasonably clean. People always think they have to use a bunch of piercing aftercare products, but that simply isn’t the case. Just be a healthy human and listen to your piercer’s suggestion of when to downsize and you should be solid!
We recommend using NeilMed for the best results. You can find these aftercare products in our store. If you are having persistent problems, excess bleeding / swelling, discoloration or any other questionable problems, please contact your piercer or doctor. Do not try and contain the problem yourself. Initial bleeding, swelling, and drainage is completely normal. It takes a good 6 months for most piercings to heal. Some even longer. Take care and take responsibility for your new piercing!