Aftercare

If you had your piercing with us, please make us your first port of call if you have any issues or are unhappy with your piercing.  We are here to help.  We cannot help you if you take the jewellery out or if you go elsewhere for help.

After your piercing, we have you check that you are happy with it before you leave the store and even though you may be delighted with it at the time but hours later look at it and think it's not quite where you said you wanted it then it's still okay to come back and we will happily fix it for you. 

We want you to be 100% happy with your piercing.

Don't forget to come back for a free piercing check after a couple of days. Please come during a quiet time, either early morning or later in the day.  It's important for us to make sure the piercing is coping well with any swelling and is being looked after well. 

If we have fitted longer jewellery to allow for swelling we will give you a voucher for a free fitting when you come back to us to purchase your downsize jewellery.

For the best aftercare we recommend:

Always wash your hands prior to touching a new piercing.  Touching a piercing with unwashed hands is the quickest way to get an infection.

It is important not to over-clean a piercing as this may cause unnecessary irritation and slow down the healing process.  Clean the piercing twice a day, no less, and only clean it more often if it comes into contact with sweat, dirt or body fluids.  

It is common for piercings to emit discharge during the early stages, leaving a dry crust.  This should be removed in the shower with warm water.  Do not pick the crust off with fingernails, as this will increase chance of infection.  Also do not break the crust by moving the jewellery when the area is dry. 

Clean the piercing with diluted tea tree oil (available at trendez).  This is a natural anti-septic solution and not at all harsh for initial piercings.   We have been piercing since 1995 and throughout this experience we have found that Tea Tree Oil is by far the most effective aftercare solution as well as being a natural product. Our Tea Tree Oil comes in a spray bottle so there is no need to use cotton wool or tips.  Simply spray the solution directly onto the piercing twice a day letting it air dry.

During the period of healing, do not let the piercing come into contact with other people’s bodily fluid, avoid perfumed soaps, shower gels, bubble baths and body lotion.  Avoid tight clothing rubbing on the area, in particular the naval as any piercing that is knocked or irritated will take longer to heal.

The initial healing phase generally takes six weeks.  In this time the piercing should be treated as an open wound.   The secondary phase takes between six to 12 months for the new skin cells to form around the inside of the piercing.  This has happened when the skin around the jewellery turns inwards like a doughnut.

If the jewellery is rejected due to a metal sensitivity or inappropriate jewellery selection the entrances to the piercing will gape around the jewellery.  If the jewellery is migrating or rejecting it is in a continual state of not healing. Sometimes the jewellery will migrate a fraction and find its niche and settle in its new position.  The jewellery needs 8mm in between the entry and exit holes.  If it is migrating more than this, it is wise to take the jewellery out before it splits the skin, leaving an unsightly scar.  

Do not remove the jewellery during the healing phase unless instructed to by your piercer or if you wish to terminate the piercing.  The piercing channel will close over almost immediately without jewellery.  If you need to change the jewellery due to a metal sensitivity or inappropriately sized jewellery that could be hindering the healing process then we recommend having a piercer do it for you.

If you must go swimming with a fresh piercing, we recommend you cover it with a waterproof plaster and spray clean it with diluted tea tree oil afterwards.

If your piercing is showing any signs of infection – do not remove the jewellery!  If the jewellery is removed the piercing may heal over and leave nowhere for the infection to drain, causing an abscess.