PIERCING AFTERCARE

HEALING & CARE FOR YOUR NEW PIERCING

Proper piercing aftercare helps support normal healing and reduces irritation and complications. Healing time varies depending on the piercing location, your anatomy, jewelry, lifestyle, and individual healing process.

Always follow the specific instructions given by your piercer.

HOW TO CARE FOR A NEW PIERCING

  1. Wash your hands before touching your piercing.
    Avoid unnecessary touching, playing with, or moving the jewelry.

  2. Clean with sterile saline wound wash.
    Use packaged sterile saline containing 0.9% sodium chloride. Avoid homemade salt mixtures, contact lens solution, eye drops, or products containing unnecessary additives.

  3. Do not twist or rotate the jewelry.
    Moving the jewelry is not necessary for cleaning and may irritate the healing piercing.

  4. Dry gently.
    Use clean disposable gauze or another clean disposable product. Avoid cloth towels that may catch on the jewelry or carry bacteria.

  5. Avoid harsh cleaning products.
    Do not use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, antibacterial soaps, ointments, or other harsh products unless specifically advised by a healthcare professional.

  6. Avoid unnecessary pressure and friction.
    Try not to sleep directly on a healing piercing or allow clothing, headphones, helmets, or other items to repeatedly rub against it.

  7. Avoid submerging the piercing while it heals.
    Pools, hot tubs, lakes, oceans, and other bodies of water can expose a healing piercing to microorganisms.

  8. Leave the initial jewelry in place.
    Do not change or remove your jewelry simply because the piercing looks healed. Piercings heal from the outside inward and may still be fragile inside. If a jewelry change or downsize is needed during healing, have it done by a professional piercer.

WHAT IS NORMAL DURING PIERCING HEALING?

During healing, you may notice:

• Mild tenderness or localized swelling
• Some itching or discoloration
• A small amount of whitish or pale-yellow fluid that dries into crust
• The tissue becoming slightly tighter around the jewelry

A piercing can appear healed on the outside before the inside has completely healed.

HOW LONG DOES A PIERCING TAKE TO HEAL?

There is no single healing time for every piercing.

Earlobes, cartilage, nostril, septum, navel, lip, eyebrow, and other piercings all heal differently. Your anatomy, health, jewelry, placement, irritation, and aftercare can also affect healing.

Use healing-time estimates only as a general guide, not as a deadline for changing jewelry or stopping aftercare.

SIGNS A PIERCING MAY BE INFECTED

Seek medical advice if the area becomes increasingly swollen, painful, hot, very red or darker than usual, produces pus, or if you develop fever, chills, or feel generally unwell.

If you suspect an infection, do not remove the jewelry unless a healthcare professional tells you to do so. Removing it can allow the opening to close while infection is still present.

PIERCING JEWELRY AT THAI TATTOO CAFÉ

For first piercings at Thai Tattoo Café, we use surgical-grade stainless steel jewelry.

Your piercer will help select appropriate jewelry and placement based on the piercing and your anatomy. If downsizing or changing jewelry is needed during healing, ask your piercer before doing it yourself.

PIERCING AFTERCARE FAQ

Can I sleep on a new piercing?
Avoid direct pressure on a healing piercing whenever possible. Repeated pressure and friction can cause irritation and prolong healing.

Can I shower with a new piercing?
Yes. Showering is generally preferable to soaking in a bath. Rinse the area gently and avoid harsh soaps directly on the piercing.

Should I rotate my piercing jewelry?
No. There is no need to twist or rotate jewelry while cleaning a healing piercing.

When can I change my jewelry?
Do not base a jewelry change only on the number of weeks or months since the piercing. If you need to change or downsize jewelry before healing is complete, have a professional piercer assess it first.

What should I do if my piercing does not look normal?
Contact your piercer for help with irritation or jewelry concerns. If you suspect infection or develop worsening pain, swelling, pus, fever, chills, or feel unwell, seek medical care.

Ready for a piercing with care that goes beyond the needle? Book your session at Thai Tattoo Café and enjoy professional aftercare for a smooth, stress-free healing process.