Caring For Your New Piercing

Proper aftercare is essential for safe healing. Failure to follow these instructions may result in infection or other complications. Healing times vary by piercing location and individual health factors. Contact the studio with any questions or concerns during your healing process, and if any signs of infection occur, contact Chief Piercing and seek medical care immediately.

 Your new piercing wants to be left alone for the most part. Mindfulness is a great practice to get into when honoring your new body adornment. Mindfulness is simply raising your awareness  of your piercing during the first two months. How you treat your piercing during this stage  depicts the length of time it will take to fully heal, and we want to see you heal as soon as humanly possible.

Mindfulness tips: Avoid sleeping on your new piercing. Be extra cautious when changing your clothes, brushing your hair, drying off after a shower or washing your face, these are the times when we tend to catch the piercing. 

General Care and Cleaning Instructions

Avoid touching as much as possible - do not twist, rotate, or remove jewelry during the healing period. If necessary, always wash hands thoroughly prior to touching your piercing. Wear clean, loose, breathable clothing around the piercing area. Avoid contact with another person’s bodily fluids. Never use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or harsh soaps on the piercing. Avoid products containing benzalkonium chloride, fragrances, or antibacterial additives. Most of all, BE MINDFUL of your piercing and honor your new body adornment.

Warm salt soaks are a great way to clean the inside of your new piercing without touching it, as your new piercing wants to be left alone! There are delicate skin cells working hard to solidify on the inside environment, so never rotate, touch, or play with your jewelry. Clean the piercing no more than twice daily using a mild, fragrance-free soap or sterile saline wound wash. Rinse thoroughly and dry with clean, disposable paper towels.

Saline solution: 1/4 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt mixed with 8 oz of clean water.

Coconut oil or almond oil are also highly recommended during the first two months of your piercing healing. Both oils contain natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. We recommend the application of these oils once or twice a day.  Apply with your clean finger, no q-tips, place a small amount near your piercing, and avoid moving the jewelry. 

What to Avoid During Healing

Swimming in pools, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, or oceans until healed   |   Gardening, contact with animals, or excessive dirt exposure   |   Tanning beds, prolonged direct sunlight, oils, lotions, or cosmetics near the piercing

What Is Normal

Mild redness, swelling, tenderness, or clear/whitish discharge during early healing. Your initial jewelry may be large for swelling purposes. We encourage following up at one month to downsize your jewelry and tell us how you’re doing!

Signs of Infection – Seek Medical Care If You Experience:

Severe or worsening redness, swelling, or pain   |   Red streaks extending from the piercing site   |   Elevated body temperature or fever   |   Thick green or yellow purulent drainage with foul odor