Aftercare

While your piercings heal, you're going to have little eye-booger looking "crusties" on them. You want to make sure you're cleaning those off! Spray a sterile saline spray on a cotton swab and gently wipe away! I recommend these sterile cotton swabs for cleaning! Clean it 1-2 times daily for the first 3 months and then lower the frequency to as needed while it heals. If you're still crusty throughout the day, up to 3 times daily for the first month or so. No extra creams or lotions or ointments! Just sterile saline and an unscented antibacterial soap in the shower sometimes is all you need! If you're not sure how it's healing, stop by so one of us can take a look at it!
Downsize any piercing that was pierced with a straight piece of jewelry at
4 to 6 weeks. We recommend this for all piercings, but it is absolutely necessary for helix piercings and flat piercings. We see the most damage done with these if you leave them long and once it shifts, we cannot fix it! We charge $15 per post and $15 for a jewelry change if you'd like one of us to switch it out for you!
Do NOT touch or play with it! There is no need to twist or rotate the jewelry. If the jewelry moves while you clean it, that's okay. We just want to prevent excessive touching.
Try not to sleep directly on your piercings, ideally until it's fully healed but at least while your skin is still swollen and puffy! Consider getting a piercing pillow like this one or this one for long-term comfort!
No swimming or submerging under water and no extra lotions, creams, oils or ointments.
Certain piercings will do better with over the ear headphones instead of AirPods! You should not be putting any pressure on your piercings while they heal, even if it's for a short amount of time.

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THIS LIST BELOW IS NOT COMPLETELY FINISHED, EXCUSE THE FEW PIERCINGS

THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT FOR SPECIFIC TIPS!

Nostril

Nostrils are notorious for getting caught on towels! Be very careful to not get it snagged when you're drying your face or if you use any scrubbers or applicators to your face. You also want to be careful blowing your nose or if you have any allergies. Once you get a shorter post, it does not get caught as often and can help it heal faster! Healing time varies a ton, but 6 months is usually a safe amount of time for most people. If you want to change it out to a ring, it is best for some people to wait 8-12 months. If you're unsure if it's ready, stop by for one of us to take a look at it!

Ear Lobes

Lobes are generally considered the "easy" ones but they still require just as much time and attention! We normally see the most issues with the backs of these where this is a lot of moisture. There's not as much air flow back there, so try to keep that area extra dry and avoid leaving wet hair to dry on the area while it heals. These normally take around

3-4 months to heal, but for some people it can take around 6 months.

Helix

Helix piercings REQUIRE a downsize for optimal healing. If you leave it long and start to sleep on it or if it starts to get caught and form piercing bumps, it almost always shifts the angle of the piercing and we cannot fix it once it has shifted. Plan to come back after 4 weeks to get the shorter post to prevent shifting and avoid sleeping on it all together for several months! See piercing pillows in the initial aftercare statement, but professionally I recommend avoiding sleeping on that side all together if possible. 6-12 months is a common time frame for these!

Conch

Conch piercings can heal as soon as around 6 months, but 8-12 months is very common for many people! We recommend waiting until it is FULLY healed before switching to a ring. A ring is most uncomfortable if you sleep on the side you have it pierced on, and chains are a great way to give it that "wrap around" look without the discomfort!

Flat

Flat piercings REQUIRE a downsize for optimal healing. If you leave it long and start to sleep on it or if it starts to get caught and form piercing bumps, it almost always shifts the angle of the piercing and we cannot fix it once it has shifted. Plan to come back after 4 weeks to get the shorter post to prevent shifting and avoid sleeping on it all together for several months! See piercing pillows in the initial aftercare statement, but professionally I recommend avoiding sleeping on that side all together if possible. With perfect healing, I have seen these heal as early as 6 months but 8-12 months is a very common time frame for these!

Outer Conch

This piercing can get easily tangled with hair and bumped with glasses. A shorter post will help prevent any excessive trauma to the skin and prevent scarring. If you wear a mask, consider using mask straps to keep it off of your ear. 8-12 months is a very common time frame for these!

Forward Helix

Forward helix piercings most often get caught when tucking hair behind your ear or putting glasses on your head. Drag your pinky upwards in front of the area to help avoid it getting wrapped around the gemstone! These piercings can also stick out a little bit initially while the post is long. There is not a lot of room back there for many people, but once you get the shorter post it should be comfortable long term! 6-8 months are common but if it is getting caught frequently, up to 12 or more is definitely possible!

Tragus

Tragus piercings most often get caught on pillows and are not suitable for daily use of AirPods or stethoscopes. A shorter post will help prevent any excessive trauma to the skin and prevent scarring. Many people choose to use one ear while their post is long and have minimal irritation once the jewelry is downsized and healed. 6 months is common for healing but some people may take 8-12 to fully heal.

Daith

Daith piercings can be challenging to heal but it is definitely worth the wait! We generally see 6-12 months to heal this one but for many people it can take the full year to heal. This one can get a little extra crusty for some, so make sure you're wiping this one morning and night for the first couple of months, without completely rotating or pulling on the jewelry!

Rook

Rook piercings can be challenging to heal but it is definitely worth the wait! We recommend waiting 8-12 months to fully heal this one before doing a ring there, but for many people it can take the full year to heal. Be careful when cleaning the under part of the rook, and make sure it doesn't get too crusty under the bottom part of the piercing!

Hidden Helix

Hidden helix piercings REQUIRE downsizing for optimal healing. Unfortunately the post for most people goes DIRECTLY into your hair, so be very careful at all times when touching your hair! This includes washing, brushing, putting your hair up, wrapping it in a towel, etc. Due to this are getting caught often, 8-12 months is common for this one!