Body Piercing Aftercare As a rule, you should only touch your healing piercing when you are cleaning it. Otherwise, leave it alone! Body piercings are best cleaned in the shower twice a day using an antimicrobial soap.  Be sure your piercing is the last thing you wash so that other soaps & shampoos are not left on the piercing after it has been cleaned.  Be sure your hands are thoroughly clean before cleaning your piercing. 1. Work a small amount of soap into a lather & then apply the lather to the piercing.   2. Use warm water & your finger tip to gently remove crusties, which are the white dry matter around the openings that have been secreted from the piercing as a natural part of the healing process. 3. Gently turn or move the jewelry back & forth through the piercing, making sure that the soap is getting into the piercing.  If the jewelry does not turn easily, get it a little warmer first.  Don’t force the jewelry!  Soap should remain in contact with the piercing for 1 full minute. 4. Rinse the piercing thoroughly by allowing warm water to run over the piercing as you Gently turn or move the jewelry back & forth through the piercing, removing all traces of soap. Warm Sea Salt Soaks Nothing seems to speed the healing of fresh piercings as much as  regular hot saline soaks.  Mix 1 teaspoon of Natural Sea Salts (available in most grocery and health food stores) with 1 quart of hot water that has been microwaved for 1 minute to kill bacteria.  Allow water to cool sufficiently & then either immerce your piercing or apply the solution to your piercing using cotton balls or a clean washcloth for 10-15 minutes before your regular cleaning.  Doing this as frequently as possible will help reduce redness, crusties, soreness & is gentle to your piercing. Healing Times BE PATIENT!  Most body piercings, with the exception of certain genital piercings, require at least 6 months to heal completely.  Jewelry or a retainer must be worn at all times during the healing process to keep the piercing open.  Removing your jewelry, even for a short time, may cause the piercing to close.  If you must remove your jewelry for a short time, monofilament nylon fishing line can be used as a retainer(Black & Decker weedeater line is exactly 14 gauge).  This will not be as noticeable, will not interfere with X-rays or MRI’s, & will keep the piercing open untill jewelry can be reinserted.  jewelry can be changed or removed once the piercing is healed, but if this is done before the delicate interior of the piercing has had time to toughen- up, you can tear the piercing & reopen it to infection.  Infections in piercings are almost always caused by improper after- care.   A general sign of infection is a yellow or green discharge from the openings of the piercing.  If you think your piercing is infected, you should contact your piercer or your family doctor as soon as possible.  Taking the jewelry out of your piercing will not make an infection “just go away” but will often trap infectious secretions inside your body.  A  physician can prescribe an oral antibiotic for the infection (antibiotic ointments don’t kill infections) & proceed from there. If you have any questions or concerns about your piercing or it’s aftercare, please stop by the studio or call to consult with your piercer.  We are committed to helping you heal your piercing. The Big List of Dont's DO NOT touch your piercing without first washing your hands. DO NOT engage in oral contact with the piercing while it’s healing, DO NOT use Hydrogen Peroxide or Rubbing Alcohol as they are very drying,  slowing the healing process by destroying new, healthy skin cells, DO NOT use antibiotic ointments as they can clog & trap dirt against the piercing.  Ointments are not for deep puncture wounds. DO NOT wear tight clothing over a healing piercing since this can cause “migration” of the piercing by forcing it to one side.  Wear loose clothing that allows your piercing to “breathe”as much as possible. DO NOT swim in chlorinated poolwater for the first month as the chemicals  burn the delicate skin of new piercings. Clean your piercing after soaking in any water (hot-tub, bath, etc.)to avoid bacterial infection. DO NOT squeeze your piercing- it’s not a zit.  Use the warm saline soaks to help draw out excess fluids from your piercing. DO NOT pull, tug or otherwise abuse your piercing while it’s trying to heal.  Play nice, Be gentle!