Body Piercing Aftercare
Body piercing aftercare is essential for proper healing and long term results. This guide explains how to clean your piercing, what to avoid, healing times, and when to contact our professional piercers in Paphos for advice.
General Piercing Aftercare Instructions
Cleaning
- Clean your piercing twice a day using a professional piercing aftercare spray or sterile saline solution.
- Do not use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or strong soaps. They can slow healing.
- Spray or gently soak the area, then let it air dry or pat it dry with a clean paper towel or cotton swab. Remove any crust or buildup gently.
Do Not Touch
- Only touch your piercing with clean, freshly washed hands.
- Do not twist, turn, or move the jewellery around. It can cause irritation and delay healing.
What to Avoid
- No swimming in pools, hot tubs, the sea, lakes, or baths while your piercing is healing.
- Try not to sleep on your new piercing.
- Keep creams, oils, and makeup away from the area.
- Avoid tight clothing or anything that rubs, catches, or puts pressure on the piercing.
- Be careful when dressing or undressing. Do not bump or snag it.
- Do not change the jewellery until it is fully healed.
Jewellery
- Never remove or change your jewellery during healing unless your professional piercer tells you to.
- Always use high quality, implant grade jewellery for safety and comfort.
What to Expect
- Mild swelling, redness, and clear fluid are normal at first.
- Some itching is also normal. It is part of healing. Do not scratch.
- Healing time depends on the piercing:
- Earlobes: 8 to 12 weeks
- Cartilage and body piercings: 3 to 6 months (or more)
Symptoms
Do not panic if you experience bleeding, swelling, bruising, discoloration, itching, or crusting. The Association of Professional Piercers notes that these symptoms are normal. After the first part of the healing process (a couple of weeks), you may not experience these symptoms. Continue with daily hygiene and aftercare, as the interior can take much longer to fully heal.
Contact Us If
- You see signs of infection like pus (yellow or green), spreading redness, unusual heat, or increased pain.
Once Healed
- Even when healed, jewellery might not slide in easily. Never force it.
- Make piercing care part of your regular hygiene to avoid buildup or odours.
Important Tip
Even healed piercings can sometimes shrink or close in minutes, even after years. If you want to keep your piercing open, keep jewellery in it. Do not leave it empty.
Piercing Specific Aftercare by Area
Healing times and care instructions vary depending on the location of your piercing. Below you will find specific aftercare advice for ear, oral, facial, body, and intimate piercings.
Ear Piercing Aftercare (Lobes, Tash Rook, Forward Helix, Daith, Conch, Tragus, Antitragus, Industrial, Orbital)
- Healing period: 6 to 8 weeks.
- Avoid anything that applies pressure to the piercing, for example headphones, winter hats, accessories.
- Travel pillows can help you avoid sleeping on your ear.
- Dry your hair before going to sleep.
- Your cellphone must be frequently cleaned with antiseptic gel or spray. A study by the University of Arizona has shown that mobile phones are 10 times more contaminated with bacteria than toilet seats. Using a contaminated phone can cause infections.
Dermal and Surface
- Healing period: 8 to 12 weeks.
- Keep it fully covered and air tight with a bandage for 1 week. The first bandage will be applied by the piercer. If it gets dirty or removed, replace it.
- Strictly no moisturisers, body creams, or perfumes anywhere near the dermal.
- Avoid contact with other bodily fluids.
- Do not wear accessories that might get in contact with your dermal jewellery.
Lip and Oral
- Healing period: 3 to 4 weeks.
- Avoid makeup and crayons.
- Avoid oral contact and contact with other people’s body fluids, including kissing.
- Do not drink thick beverages (such as milkshakes) and do not share straws.
- Avoid hot, crunchy, spicy food, dairy products, and excessive consumption of alcohol, aspirin, caffeine, and smoking. Smokers must rinse their mouth with mouthwash (such as Listerine) or at least bottled water after smoking.
- Avoid chewing gum, fingernails, and anything else that is not food.
- Avoid playing with the jewellery. This can cause irreversible damage to teeth and gum.
Smiley
- Healing period: 4 to 12 weeks.
- The jewellery goes through the frenulum (the small piece of skin connecting the upper lip to the upper gum). As there is not a lot of skin in that area, the body may reject the jewellery, even after some months.
- Pulling, twisting, and playing with the hoop increases the chances of rejection.
- Rinse your mouth regularly with saltwater and or alcohol free mouthwash (for example Listerine).
- Be extra careful when brushing your teeth.
- Avoid spicy and acidic food. Avoid food that is not extremely easy to chew.
- Read and follow oral aftercare instructions.
Nostril (Nose)
- Healing period: 3 to 4 weeks.
- Avoid any harsh face wash.
- Avoid makeup, creams, and serums directly on the pierced area.
- If you have a cold or allergies, be gentle when blowing your nose.
Septum
- Healing period: 6 to 8 weeks.
- Avoid any nasal sprays that are not saline.
- Be careful when getting dressed.
- Be gentle while blowing your nose, or doing anything that could result in catching or pulling the jewellery.
- Avoid smoking, and if you do, never blow smoke out of your nose.
Navel (Belly Button)
- Healing period: 9 to 12 months.
- Avoid tight clothing and waistbands.
- No high waisted pants, jeans, or belts. Always wear clean clothes.
Nipple
- Healing period: 12 to 14 weeks.
- Wear loose, soft, and clean clothing. Avoid woven fabrics and lace bras.
- Be careful when getting dressed. Fabric fibres can get caught on the jewellery and cause skin damage.
- During the first few weeks, do not take aspirin, drink alcohol, or consume excessive caffeine (or do it responsibly). These are blood thinners and your body will struggle to form clots that prevent bleeding.
Genital
- Healing period: 2 to 12 weeks.
- Do not use creams in the genital area. Very importantly, no lubricants.
- No sexual contact for the first days. No heavy play for the first weeks.
Key Takeaways
- Clean your piercing twice a day with sterile saline or a proper aftercare spray.
- Do not twist or move the jewellery during healing.
- Avoid swimming and avoid pressure or friction on the area until fully healed.
- Healing time depends on placement. Cartilage and body piercings often take months.
- If you see spreading redness, heat, unusual pain, or coloured pus, contact your piercer.
Body Piercing Aftercare FAQ
How often should I clean my new piercing?
Clean it twice a day using sterile saline or a professional piercing aftercare spray.
Can I swim after getting a piercing?
No. Avoid pools, hot tubs, the sea, lakes, and baths while the piercing is healing.
When can I change my jewellery?
Do not change jewellery until it is fully healed, unless your piercer tells you to.
What symptoms are normal during healing?
Mild swelling, redness, itching, clear fluid, and crusting can be normal early on.
What are signs I should contact you?
Contact us if you notice spreading redness, unusual heat, increased pain, or yellow or green pus.
Can healed piercings close up?
Yes. Some can shrink or close quickly even after years. If you want to keep it open, keep jewellery in.
