After Care Instructions
 |
The care of your new piercing is of the utmost importance. Continue to clean the piercing for a month after it has healed. If you follow everything on this page, you should not have any problems. |
|
Infections can develop easily on a new piercing since it is an open skin wound. Be sure to keep dirty fingers and tight or dirty clothing away from a new piercing. Avoid excessive tugging and pulling. Hair also tends to be a problem since it holds dirt and oil. Refrain from oral and sexual contact until the area is well healed, due to the fact that viruses, bacteria and germs can be passed through an open wound. Remember it is your body and an infection does hurt. |
|
Clean your piercing twice a day with Normasol (sterile topical saline irrigation solution.) After a few days the piercing will start to excrete fluid, this is called lymph. This will dry hard on the jewellery and is what you are cleaning off. When cleaning, hold the jewellery to stop it moving. Clean the jewellery and then move it gently through the skin with either cotton wool or cotton buds dipped in the cleaning solution. Clean off all the lymph, making sure you don't reuse the same cotton bud. |
|
CAUTION: Ointments do not clean or disinfect the piercing - they are only a safe lubricant and not a substitute for cleaning with. DO NOT use soap. To ensure your piercing heals as quickly as possible, do not use antiseptic ointment e.g.: Savlon, Germoline, TCP, Dettol or surgical spirit. All of these products will slow the healing process, make sure you clean with Normasol. After the initial adjustment period the piercing heals faster when clean and dry. We find the use of daily zinc supplement speeds the healing process (you will find this in the ACP). Remember bath water and regular soap is not clean. |
|
For a facial piercing: the only form of cleaning is Normasol twice a day, every day and once or twice a week with the skin paint (see ACP) |
|
For an oral piercing: Glycerine of Thymol, is to be used every time you eat, drink, smoke, sleep or after any form of oral contact. Brush teeth gently two to three times a day with toothpaste. Ice will reduce the swelling. Kissing or any other oral contact should be avoided for at least 6 weeks. |
|
For a nipple or navel piercing: please wear a cotton T-shirt to bed or cover them with a swab or with a mepore self adhesive dressing (also provided in the ACP). When you leave the studio, you will have a dressing protecting the piercing - leave this for 24 hours to give the piercing time to settle. Apply the dressing only during the night and leave it off during the day so it can breathe. You should first shower, not bath, (when you bath, you are sitting in your own dirty water). Then clean the piercing with Normasol and re-cover with a Melolin self-adhesive dressing. You should repeat this for four days until you run out of dressings. By this time the piercing will be well settled. If during the day you can clean the piercing once or twice, this would help. For more detailed care refer to ACP instructions. |
|
For any piercing except oral: Swimming in chlorinated pools or the sea should be avoided until the piercing is well healed. |
|
If excessive redness, swelling, bleeding, changes of colour in tissue or soreness persist, DO NOT remove jewellery, contact Shiva Body Piercing Studio. If you are unable to contact us, visit your local GP. Do not take aspirin as pain relief. An aspirin substitute such as Ibuprofen is advised and is available from chemists in 200mg and 400mg strengths. |
|
Women may experience an increased secretion of lymph and soreness of piercing towards the onset of menstruation. Extra care should be taken of the piercing during this time. |
|
Do not attempt to increase the size of the percing until it has completely healed. It is best to come back to us to for further advice on this procedure. |
|
AFTER CARE PACK (ACP) Your pack contains: |
| Normasol - (sterile topical irrigation solution). This should be used twice a day, morning and night. Pour onto a cotton bud and use to clean off lymph from the piercing as detailed above. | |
| Zinc Capsules - Zinc promotes faster healing, so take one capsule a day with meals. | |
| Mepore Sterile Dressing - These are to be used to cover the piercing at night. There are four dressings - use one per night. Open the pack and place the self-adhesive dressing over the piercing. Only cover the piercing at night and remove the dressing in the morning.Never cover the piercing day and night as this is very unhealthy for it. | |
| Skin paint - This is used once a week or if the piercing should appear to be slightly red or if it has been knocked or pulled. Paint the fluid around the piercing and let it dry. Leave it on for 8 to 24 hours (when you sleep). Always wash the brush (under hot running water) before placing back in the bottle. | |
