Piercing Aftercare
Aftercare
When you get pierced, a deep wound is created and needs time to heal. You need to be careful about the aftercare of your piercing to provide the best possible treatment.
Poor care and unhygienic handling can cause wound infections and scar tissues. Some people may develop scar tissues after piercing. Moreover, how quickly this wound heals depends on the location of the piercing, the type of metal, the skill of the piercer and the quality of aftercare. If you take good care of the piercing, it will take 4 to 12 weeks for the wound to heal. A piercing in the cartilage of the ear can take 9 to 12 months to fully heal.
While the piercing is healing, wash it twice a day with a mild unscented soap. Then pat it dry with a clean towel or tissue. For the rest of the day, keep the piercing as dry as possible.
During the healing process, pay attention to the following:
- Touch the piercing(s) as few as possible.
- Do not spread ointment on the wound or drip disinfectants such as Sterilon® or Betadine® on it (unless a doctor says otherwise).
- Do not get hair spray, gel or other products near the ear pierced.
- Do not wear plasters over the piercing (only temporarily during sports).
- Do not wear tight or dirty clothes over the piercing.
- Avoid (bubble) baths, swimming pools, saunas and steam baths.
- Never remove the piercing yourself.
If you have any type of questions or concerns, you can always contact us.
Caution ! The skin around the piercing may become red and swollen immediately after piercing. This is normal. Contact your GP if:
-you are worried about the healing
-Within a few days after the piercing you become ill or develop a fever
-Physical complaints such as itching and redness have not subsided within 48 hours after piercing
-You suddenly develop new symptoms or the symptoms get worse 24 hours after the piercing.
-You want to remove the piercing during the healing process (e.g. because of complaints or outgrowth or rejection symptoms).
Tips to let your piercing heal as well as possible
– Touch your piercing as little as possible, so do not twist it either, there are a lot of bacteria on your hands. If you start twisting your piercing, the healing process will take longer because you will break it every time.
– Clean your piercing morning and evening with a mild unscented soap. Do not use sterilon, betadine or homemade salt solutions. The proportions for a homemade saline solution, are never optimal and the water and salt are not sterile. We also advise against using tea tree oil !
– Do not cover the piercing (plaster, scarf, headscarf, hat, helmet)
– Try to sleep on the side of your piercing as little as possible. If this doesn’t work, a neck pillow (plane) can help reduce the pressure on your piercing. In the shop, we also sell a special piercing pillow on which you can sleep comfortably with a pierced ear.
– Avoid the first 4 weeks hot tubs, swimming pools, saunas and steam rooms.
If you go swimming, do not go underwater and clean the piercing after swimming and make sure it is dry, keep wet hair away from your piercing.
Change your pillowcase a little more often than usual, preferably every other day. Turn your pillow over between changes.
-Be careful with hairspray and perfume, make sure it does not get on your piercing.
-When you wash your hair, rinse the soap residue well away from your piercing.
– Dry out your piercing thoroughly after cleaning it with a clean tissue
– If you replace your piercing with a normal earring, it will no longer fit piercing threads after a short time. This is because the rod of piercing wires is thicker.
– Never remove your piercing yourself, especially if it appears to be inflamed. Contact us!
– Check regularly while cleaning to make sure your piercing is still tight. Hold the rod and turn the jewellery to the right. Do this with clean hands and preferably with gloves on. Do it over a towel so that you don’t lose your piercing if the jewellery falls off.
– Should you lose your piercing, or just the jewellery attached to the rod, try to keep the rod in and come by as soon as possible. You can keep the rod in place with a stick of adhesive tape. If you have lost the entire piece of jewellery, put in a clean, preferably gold ear stud and come in as soon as possible. Ordinary ear studs are thinner and will not fit a piercing after a short time.
Assume that when you remove your piercing, it will close within half an hour, this varies from person to person. Even if your piercing is already a few years old, it can grow closed within a short time.
-Make sure your jewellery is made of titanium, 14k or 18k gold (white or yellow gold). Other materials contain nickel and this can cause inflammation or make the healing process take much longer.
-Always pierce with a longer rod so that your piercing has the opportunity to set up. Have the rod replaced with a shorter one after about 3 to 4 weeks
Downsizing is the process of transferring jewellery to a shorter rod after the initial swelling has gone down after you get pierced. It is important to downsize your jewellery to avoid possible complications such as irritation, bumps or odd angles as your piercing heals.
Piercing lumps
Piercing lumps can have several causes. Below, I list some of them and tell you how to prevent them.
The piercing has not been placed properly or has been pierced crookedly
Go to a good piercing studio that you feel good about or on the recommendation of others. If you are in a piercing studio that you don’t feel okay with, don’t get pierced. Things to look out for are hygiene, range of jewellery and expertise of the piercer. If your piercing is crooked and you have a lump, then almost the only solution is to remove the piercing and pierce it again after 3 months. If you remove the piercing, take care of the wound the same as a new piercing for at least a week.
Cheap material or unsuitable material
Piercings should be set with titanium, 14kt or 18kt gold. Surgical steel is not suitable for a new piercing, nor are bioflex or acrylic rods. Often these are of low quality, plus they are a porous material. This link clearly explains why it is better not to use it.
In cartilage you should always pierce with a labret, which is a rod of at least 1mm thick, preferably 1.2mm thick, with a flat back. Only in the rook and anti Tragus you pierce with a banana (curved rod) and the daith is the only place where you put a new piercing with a ring. The healing of, for example, your helix or conch takes much longer with a ring and the risk of bumps is many times higher. When the piercing is fully healed, you can replace the rod for a ring. Allow for 9-12 months.
Choose the right jewellery, a rod on which the balls are screwed on is not suitable for a new piercing. The thread on the rod, can irritate your piercing unnecessarily and can cause piercing bumps, you can see the picture below. This is also called externally treaded.
Externally threaded
Suitable rods for piercing are the internally threaded rods or the threadless rods. Our preference is for threadless, as these cannot be unscrewed, making them less likely to be lost, plus they are easy to place or change. We do have internally threaded jewellery, unfortunately there is still a bit less choice in threadless.
Internally threaded
Sleeping on your pierced ear
Apart from the fact that it can be painful to sleep on your newly pierced ear, it can also cause piercing bumps. If you have just been pierced, you will need a longer rod for the possible swelling. If you lie on the piercing, the rod will become crooked and there will be pressure on your ear, reducing blood flow.
You can avoid this by putting a travel/neck pillow in your pillowcase and resting your ear in the dimple.
We also have special piercing pillows, which are very comfortable and machine washable. These are nice and comfortable. Assume you can’t sleep on your pierced ear for about a year.
What else can you do ?
– Keep your piercing clean and especially dry ! If the area is difficult to reach, you can use a hairdryer on a low setting to dry, but usually a clean tissue will be enough. Do not use cotton buds, they leave behind fluff.
– Be careful with scarves, hats and headphones.
– Be careful with your hair, it will quickly stick to your piercing, especially if you still have the longer rod.
– Rinse your ear well after washing your hair, and keep the wet hair away from your piercing.
It is very important to have your rod replaced with a shorter one after 3-4 weeks, this will reduce the risk of piercing bumps, as it will become more stable and you are/will be less likely to bump it etc.
What you should really NEVER do
Never get a piercing inserted into your cartilage with a gun, this can damage the cartilage and then you can get a cauliflower ear !
Also important to know !
Not every ear is suitable for every piercing, be well informed. The anatomy of everyone’s ears is different and even differs between left and right. For example, the daith, rook, forward helix and industrial piercing are very anatomy-sensitive piercings. Fortunately, plenty of other options remain.
Piercing in the ear, make your appointment here !
Shooting holes / poking Amsterdam
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If you have any questions or concerns contact us via app 0615632775, we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Safe and responsible piercing
Information on the risks of piercing
Piercing involves risks. Therefore, make sure you are well rested and have eaten. Inform the piercer of any medication use or skin problems, allergies, epilepsy and hypersensitivity reactions. And check at www.veiligtatoeerenenpiercen.nl that the studio where you want to get a piercing is licensed. This licence indicates that the studio works according to the hygiene guidelines of the National Center for Hygiene and Safety.
Do not have a piercing inserted
– In places where you have undergone plastic surgery or radiotherapy in the past year;
– on a spot that was pierced less than three months ago;
– on irritated skin such as bumps, dark birthmarks or swelling;
– if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
– if you are pregnant.
In addition, it is not recommended to get pierced if you suffer from any of the following conditions:
– diabetes;
– haemophilia;
– chronic skin disease;
– allergy to piercing (materials);
– immune disorder;
– cardiovascular disorders.
Do you have any of these conditions or do you take anticoagulants or antibiotics? And do you still want a piercing? If so, discuss the options with a doctor first.
For background information on the above risks, go to this website
– Piercing
Because a wound is created during piercing, there is a risk of infection of blood-born diseases such as hepatitis B and C. Therefore, check whether the piercer works hygienically. Hygienic working methods are also important to prevent your new piercing from getting infected. In any case, make sure that:
– the skin is cleaned and disinfected before piercing;
– Both the needle and the piercing are packaged sterile and are not touched with bare hands.
– the piercer wears gloves during piercing;
– the piercer disinfects the gloves immediately before piercing.
Piercing may hurt for a while. Consult your doctor if you want an anaesthetic.
Mijoux piercings is a GGD-approved piercing studio, the licence was granted on 13-07-2022.
You can find the licence if you type in the search term Mijoux on the central government website.
Piercing in the ear, make your appointment here !