Piercing Aftercare

Always wash your hands before touching your body piercing.
Wash the piercing two to three times daily, using an anti-bacterial soap.  DO NOT USE A WASHCLOTH!
After washing, use an anti-bacterial spray to medicate the piercing.
Never use alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide.. they may damage healthy cells and cause scar tissue.
Be sure to follow all special instructions for the piercing that you have received.
No Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs, Lake Water or Soaking of the piercing for 2 weeks.
If  you experience any problem  with your piercing, please contact Big Daddy’s Tattoo Studio first,  Next, consult your Doctor if needed .  Lastly, if the Health Department  needs to be consulted, their contact number is 1-888-839-6676

WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason. SALINE soak for five to ten minutes once or more per day. Invert a cup of warm water saline solution over the area to form a vacuum. For certain piercings, it may be easier to apply using clean gauze or paper towels saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue. SOAP no more than once or twice a day. While showering, lather up a pearl size drop of the soap to clean the jewelry and piercing. Leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than thirty seconds. RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing. DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.  

What is Normal Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising. During healing: some discoloration, itching, 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. Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; DO NOT force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as a part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate. 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. 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!  

Cleaning Solutions Use one or both of the following solutions for healing piercings: Packaged sterile saline solution with NO additives (read the label), or a non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt into one cup (8oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better; a saline solution that is too strong can irritate your piercing. A mild, fragrance-free liquid soap-preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.  

Do not play with your jewelry. Long term effects include permanent damage to teeth, gums, and other oral structures. Avoid undue trauma; excessive playing with the jewelry during healing can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, and other complications. Avoid using mouthwash containing alcohol. It can irritate the piercing and delay healing. Avoid oral sexual contact including French (wet) kissing or oral sex during healing (even with a long-term partner). Avoid chewing on tobacco, gum, fingernails, pencils, sunglasses, and other foreign objects that could harbor bacteria. Avoid smoking! It increases risks and lengthens healing time. Avoid aspirin, alcohol, and large amounts of caffeine as long as you are experiencing bleeding or swelling. Avoid submerging healing piercings in bodies of water such as pools, lakes, etc.  

Cleaning Solutions Use one or both of the following solutions for inside the mouth Antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouth rinse. Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label) or non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt into one cup (8oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better. Saline solution that is too strong can irritate your piercing. (If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, please check with your doctor before using a saline product as your primary cleaning solution.  Cleaning instructions for inside the Mouth Rinse mouth with cleaning solution for 30 seconds after meals and at bedtime (4-5 times daily) during the entire healing period. Cleaning too often or with too strong of rinse can cause discoloration and irritation of your mouth and piercing.