Heal beautifully. By the book.
Your complete aftercare guide for every piercing we do — ear, body, oral, face and nose. The instructions on this page mirror the official guidelines published by the Association of Professional Piercers (APP), the worldwide standard for safe piercing aftercare.
APP Aligned Aftercare per safepiercing.org — the global piercing standardNeilMed Piercing Aftercare. Available at our front desk.
The APP-recommended sterile saline wound wash — vegan, drug-free, and preservative-free. Spray in any position (including upside-down) for hands-free cleaning of any healing piercing. Available in two sizes at both Platinum locations.
Fine Mist — 75 mL
Pocket-sized canister fits in a carry-on. Sterile 0.9% saline wound wash — spray in any position.
In Stock at Both LocationsFine Mist — 177 mL
Lasts the full healing window for most piercings. Same APP-recommended sterile saline formula.
In Stock at Both LocationsSterile saline. That’s it.
Per APP guidance: use a packaged sterile saline labeled for use as a wound wash. The label should list 0.9% sodium chloride as the only ingredient (purified water may also be listed). Avoid additives, moisturizers, and antibacterial mixes — and avoid look-alike products like contact lens solution, nasal spray, or eye drops.
Mixing your own sea salt solution is no longer recommended. Home-mixed solutions commonly come out far too strong, which over-dries the piercing and interferes with healing. Stick with packaged sterile wound-wash saline.
Wash
Wash your hands thoroughly before cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.
Spray
Spray with sterile saline wound wash. Moving or rotating the jewelry is not necessary — and may actually irritate the piercing.
Dry
Pat dry with clean, disposable products like gauze or cotton swabs, gently removing crust. Avoid cloth towels — they harbor bacteria and snag jewelry.
What to do.
A short list of habits that protect every healing piercing — straight from APP guidelines.
- ✓Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing — and otherwise leave it alone except when cleaning.
- ✓During healing, do not twist, spin, or rotate your jewelry. The old advice was wrong.
- ✓Exercise and sweating during healing is fine — but avoid activities that could jostle the piercing, and protect it from gym-equipment bacteria.
- ✓Wash your bedding and pillowcases regularly. Sleep in clean, breathable clothing that protects the piercing.
- ✓Choose showers over baths — bathtubs harbor bacteria. If you bathe, scrub the tub before each use and rinse the piercing afterward.
- ✓Eat a nutritious diet, get enough sleep, and keep stress low. Emotional stress can extend healing times by up to 40%.
- ✓Leave the original jewelry in place for the entire healing process — unless the size, style, or material is wrong. See your piercer for any required downsizes.
- ✓Check threaded and threadless ends for tightness regularly with clean hands or paper products.
- ✓Be patient. Piercings heal from the outside in — the inside is fragile long after the outside looks fine.
What to avoid.
These are the most common things that delay healing, cause scarring, or trigger infections — per APP.
- ×Avoid alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial soaps, iodine, or any harsh products — they damage cells. Avoid ointments — they prevent necessary air circulation.
- ×Avoid Bactine®, pierced-ear care solutions, and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). Not intended for long-term wound care.
- ×Avoid over-cleaning. More than the recommended 1–2 saline rinses per day actually delays healing.
- ×Avoid undue trauma — friction from clothing, excess motion, playing with the jewelry, vigorous cleaning. These cause scar tissue, migration, and prolonged healing.
- ×Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others’ bodily fluids on or near the piercing during healing.
- ×Avoid excessive stress, drug use, excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol — all extend healing times.
- ×Avoid submerging the piercing in lakes, pools, oceans, or hot tubs. If you must, protect it with a waterproof transparent film dressing (sold at pharmacies).
- ×Avoid all beauty and personal-care products on or around the piercing — cosmetics, lotions, sprays, perfumes.
- ×Don’t hang charms or any object from the jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.
Three steps. Twice a day.
Morning and night for the entire healing period. That’s the whole routine.
Wash hands
Soap and water for 20 seconds. Skin oils, sweat, and contaminants on your fingers are the #1 cause of irritation.
Spray saline
Saturate the piercing front and back with sterile saline wound wash. Let it sit for 30 seconds. Don’t move the jewelry.
Pat dry
Gauze or a fresh cotton swab. Lift away crust gently — never pick or scrub. Toss the gauze; never reuse it.
NeilMed Wound Wash, Sterile Saline Wound Wash, and H2Ocean (the unflavored body version) are widely available APP-acceptable products. They’re sold at most pharmacies, big-box stores, and at our front desk.
How long does your piercing take to heal?
Healing times are highly individual. The ranges below reflect realistic, fully-healed timelines — not when the outside feels fine. Cartilage and structural piercings always take longer than soft-tissue piercings.
| Piercing | Initial Tenderness | Full Healing | First Downsize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlobe | 1–2 weeks | 6–8 weeks | Usually not required |
| Helix / Cartilage | 2–4 weeks | 6–12 months | 8–12 weeks |
| Conch | 2–4 weeks | 6–9 months | 8–12 weeks |
| Daith / Rook / Tragus | 2–4 weeks | 6–9 months | 8–12 weeks |
| Industrial | 2–4 weeks | 9–12 months | 12 weeks |
| Nostril | 1–2 weeks | 4–6 months | 8–10 weeks |
| Septum | 1–2 weeks | 6–8 weeks | Usually not required |
| Eyebrow / Surface | 1–2 weeks | 6–8 weeks | 4–6 weeks |
| Lip / Labret | 1–2 weeks | 6–8 weeks | 2–4 weeks (vital) |
| Tongue | 3–5 days | 4–6 weeks | 2–4 weeks (vital) |
| Navel | 2–3 weeks | 6–9 months | 8–12 weeks |
| Nipple | 2–3 weeks | 9–12 months | 8–12 weeks |
| Dermal Anchor | 2–4 weeks | 3–6 months | Not applicable |
Each body is unique — healing times vary considerably. If you have any questions about where you are in the process, contact a professional piercer.
Ear & cartilage aftercare.
Earlobes heal as soft tissue (fast). Helix, conch, daith, rook, tragus, and industrials heal as cartilage — same routine, much longer timeline. APP’s big tip for cartilage: protect it while you sleep.
The pillow trick
Sleeping directly on a healing cartilage piercing can cause irritation and even shift the angle of the piercing. Place a travel pillow on top of your regular pillow and rest your ear in the opening. Game-changer.
The t-shirt trick
Slip your pillow into a large clean t-shirt. By rotating the pillow and turning the shirt inside out, you get up to four clean sleeping surfaces — APP-recommended.
Phones, headphones, glasses
Disinfect them regularly. Wash hats, scarves, and headbands often. Be especially careful with over-ear headphones during the first 8–12 weeks — constant pressure causes bumps.
Hair styling & salons
Tell your stylist about a new or healing piercing. Avoid product runoff, hot styling tools near the piercing, and sharp combs around the area.
Cartilage downsizing
Most cartilage piercings need a shorter post once initial swelling subsides — usually around 8–12 weeks. A too-long post invites bumps. Come back to your piercer for the swap.
Industrial barbells
One barbell crossing two cartilage holes means more leverage for trauma. Be extra-cautious with sleeping, hair, and over-ear headphones for the full 9–12 month heal.
Body piercing aftercare.
Navel, nipple, dermal, and surface piercings live where clothing rubs and where bodies of water spell trouble. APP-aligned protections below.
Navel
Protect from clothing friction, sports trauma, and seatbelts with a hard, vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies). Secure it with tights, stockings, or an elastic / ace-type bandage rather than adhesive medical tape, which can irritate skin.
Nipple
A tight cotton t-shirt or sports bra provides protection and comfort — especially for sleeping. Continue wearing supportive coverage even on hot days during the first several weeks.
Surface anchors / dermals
These need maintenance for their entire lifetime — matter can build up under the threaded top and irritate the skin. Saline rinses or a brief shower stream can help. Avoid makeup on dermals even after healing.
Surface piercings
Eyebrow, sternum, nape, hip, and other surface piercings respond well to a vented eye patch during sleep and physical activity. Even with proper care, surface and dermal piercings may be less permanent than other body piercings.
Pools, hot tubs, oceans
Avoid submerging healing body piercings in any body of water for the full healing period. If swimming is unavoidable, protect with a waterproof transparent film dressing (Tegaderm or similar) and rinse with saline immediately after.
Sexual activity
Per APP: most people can resume sexual activity as soon as they feel ready, but hygiene and avoiding trauma are vital. Use barriers (condoms, dental dams, waterproof bandages) even in monogamous relationships, use water-based lubricant from a new container, and shower after.
Oral piercing aftercare.
Tongue and inner-lip aftercare follows a different protocol than body piercings — you’re cleaning inside the mouth. APP’s official oral guidelines below.
Approved cleaning solutions
- ✓Alcohol-free, hydrogen-peroxide-free mouth rinse — or a dry-mouth oral rinse for hydration.
- ✓Plain bottled or filtered water — the simplest, gentlest rinse.
- ✓Packaged sterile saline solution — for the outside of a lip / labret piercing only, never internal.
- ✓Saline label must read sterile + isotonic, ingredients only water and 0.9% sodium chloride. Never use contact solution, eye drops, or nasal rinse on a piercing.
Cleaning — internal
- ✓Wash hands before any contact with the piercing.
- ✓Floss, brush, and use mouth rinse at least twice a day — don’t overuse.
- ✓Gently brush the jewelry with a clean toothbrush to prevent plaque buildup.
- ✓Rinse with bottled or filtered water after every meal, drink, or smoke.
Cleaning — external (lip / labret)
- ✓Wash hands.
- ✓Rinse the outside thoroughly with warm water in the shower once a day.
- ✓Rinse with sterile saline twice a day.
- ✓Pat dry with gauze, gently removing any crust.
Reduce swelling (first 5 days)
Ice chips
Allow small pieces of ice to dissolve in the mouth. The cold reduces swelling and feels great.
NSAIDs
Over-the-counter ibuprofen or naproxen sodium per package directions. Avoid aspirin while bleeding or swelling persists.
Quiet talk
Don’t speak or move the jewelry more than necessary. Less motion = faster healing.
Elevate
Sleep with your head elevated above your heart for the first few nights to minimize overnight swelling.
Eating during healing
- ✓Take your time eating until you’re used to the jewelry and have downsized.
- ✓Avoid spicy, salty, acidic, or hot-temperature foods and drinks for the first two weeks.
- ✓Cold foods and beverages soothe the area and reduce swelling.
- ✓For lip / labret piercings: don’t open your mouth too wide — the jewelry can catch on teeth.
Oral — what to avoid
- ×Don’t play with the jewelry. Long-term: permanent damage to teeth and gums.
- ×Avoid mouthwash containing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide — both irritate and delay healing.
- ×Avoid all oral sexual contact, including wet kissing, during healing.
- ×Don’t chew on tobacco, gum, fingernails, pencils, sunglass arms — bacteria carriers.
- ×Don’t share plates, cups, or eating utensils.
- ×Avoid straws — they increase swelling and bleeding risk.
- ×Minimize smoking and vaping (tobacco or cannabis). Both prolong healing.
- ×Avoid alcohol and large amounts of caffeine while bleeding or swelling persists.
- ×Avoid submerging healing piercings in lakes, pools, oceans, even bathtubs.
The downsize is non-negotiable
Tongue and lip piercings are pierced with a longer post to accommodate initial swelling. Once swelling subsides — usually 2–4 weeks in — you must swap to a shorter barbell or labret post. Failure to downsize is the #1 cause of cracked teeth, receding gums, and chipped enamel from oral piercings. Come see us for the downsize; it’s included with your original piercing.
Face & nose aftercare.
Nostril, septum, and facial surface piercings live in the splash zone for makeup, skincare, and hair products. Treat them gently and they heal beautifully.
Nostril
External cleaning only — never insert anything inside the nostril. Saline 1–2× daily. Avoid blowing your nose hard during the first 2 weeks. Skip facial cleansers, toners, and serums directly on the area until fully healed (4–6 months). Most nostrils need a downsize around 8–10 weeks.
Septum
Septum piercings live in cartilage but heal relatively fast (6–8 weeks). The big enemy is allergies and colds — sneezing and excessive nose-blowing irritate the channel. If you must blow your nose, do it gently, one nostril at a time.
Eyebrow / surface
Eyebrows are surface piercings — prone to migration and rejection. Protect them from pillows, glasses frames, and sweaty workouts. A vented eye patch can help during sleep. Avoid eyebrow gels, brow pomades, and heavy serums on the area.
Cheek / dimple
Cheek piercings combine oral + facial aftercare — rinse internally with bottled water after every meal, and rinse externally with sterile saline 1–2× daily. Avoid lipstick, foundation, and blush directly on the area until healed.
Makeup & skincare rules
Per APP: avoid all beauty and personal-care products on or around any healing piercing. Cosmetics, lotions, sprays, and perfumes contain ingredients that delay healing and trigger bumps. Apply makeup carefully around (not over) the piercing.
Glasses & sunglasses
If your frames touch a healing nostril, eyebrow, or bridge piercing, switch to lighter frames or contacts during the first 6–8 weeks. Even a tiny amount of sustained pressure causes bumps and migration.
Living with a healing piercing.
Sleep, sweat, sex, showers, and selfies — here’s how to navigate the everyday without setting yourself back.
Sleep
Use the pillow trick (cartilage) or t-shirt trick (any side-sleeper). Wash sheets weekly. Sleep on the opposite side when possible.
Exercise
Cardio is fine. Avoid contact sports until your piercer clears you. Wipe gym equipment, shower right after, and saline-rinse the piercing.
Showers
Showers > baths. Let warm water rinse the piercing at the end of the shower. Do not apply soap, shampoo, or conditioner directly to it.
Pools & oceans
Submersion is off-limits during healing. Use waterproof transparent film if unavoidable. Saline-rinse immediately after.
Hair styling
Tell your stylist. Watch for hot tools, dye runoff, and hairspray near healing ear or facial piercings.
Sex & intimacy
Resume when ready — with hygiene and gentleness. Use barriers, water-based lube from a new container, and shower after. Skip oral contact during oral piercing healing.
Travel
Pack saline single-use ampoules (TSA-friendly). Keep clean tissues and gauze in your bag. Hotel pillows are filthy — bring or use the t-shirt trick.
Tanning & sun
Avoid tanning beds, prolonged sun, and self-tanner on any healing piercing. UV irritates fresh tissue and stains some jewelry.
Bumps, redness & what they mean.
Most piercing scares are normal healing — not infections. APP’s rule: don’t panic, don’t remove the jewelry, and check with your piercer first.
Normal
- Some bleeding, swelling, tenderness, or bruising in the first week
- Whitish-yellow secretion that crusts on the jewelry (not pus)
- Tightness around the jewelry as the channel forms
- Some itching as the area heals
- Mild discoloration around the area
Watch & wait
- Persistent localized redness past 2–3 weeks
- Small fluid-filled or hard bumps near the piercing
- Mild tenderness when sleeping on it after week 4
- Snagging on clothing or hair
- Crust that returns the same day after cleaning
Action: text us a clear photo or stop in — bumps are usually irritation, not infection.
See a pro
- Spreading redness, warmth, or red streaking from the piercing
- Thick green or yellow pus (not the normal whitish secretion)
- Severe swelling beyond the first week
- Fever, chills, or feeling unwell
- Sharp pain that worsens over days rather than improves
Per APP: if infection is suspected, leave quality jewelry in and see a piercing-friendly medical professional. Removing the jewelry can trap infection inside.
Why jewelry quality matters.
APP’s position: a piercing is only as safe as the jewelry inside it. We pierce exclusively with implant-grade ASTM F-136 titanium, F-138 surgical steel, or solid 14k+ gold — the same materials used in surgery.
Leave it in
Leave the original jewelry in for the entire healing process unless there’s a problem with size, style, or material. Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes — and reinsertion can be impossible without a piercer.
Downsize on time
Many piercings need a shorter post once initial swelling subsides. A too-long post causes irritation, bumps, and angle shifts. We schedule downsizes for free as part of every piercing.
Check tightness
With clean hands or paper products, regularly check that threaded and threadless ends are seated tightly. For threadless, no gap should exist between the post and the top — press both sides together gently to confirm.
Medical procedures
Need an MRI, dental X-ray, or surgery? Contact your piercer for a non-metallic glass or PTFE retainer. Don’t let medical staff cut the jewelry out — the channel may close in hours.
If you’re done with it
Per APP: if you decide you no longer want the piercing, simply remove the jewelry (or have a professional remove it) and continue cleaning the area until the hole closes. Most scars are minimal but expect a faint mark.
The materials we trust
Implant-grade ASTM F-136 titanium · F-138 surgical steel · solid 14k / 18k gold · niobium · medical-grade glass. Avoid anything labeled “mystery metal,” nickel-plated, or sold from a street kiosk.
FAQ.
The questions we hear at our front desk every day — with APP-aligned answers.
Should I rotate or twist the jewelry while it heals?
No. APP’s current guidance is explicit: do not twist, spin, or rotate jewelry during healing. The old rotate-twice-a-day advice was wrong — rotation drags crust into the channel and prolongs healing.
How often should I clean the piercing?
Once or twice per day, max. Saline rinse at most 2× daily. Over-cleaning is one of the top three causes of irritation bumps — the area needs time alone to actually heal.
Can I use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide?
Never. Both kill the new tissue you’re trying to grow. APP explicitly bans alcohol, peroxide, antibacterial soaps, iodine, Bactine®, and any product containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK).
What about Neosporin or antibiotic ointment?
No. Ointments seal the surface and prevent the air circulation that healing requires. They also trap bacteria. Sterile saline only.
Can I swim during healing?
Avoid submerging the piercing in pools, hot tubs, lakes, oceans, and even baths for the entire healing period. If unavoidable, cover with a waterproof transparent film dressing (Tegaderm) and saline-rinse immediately after.
I have a bump — is it a keloid?
True keloids are rare. Most piercing bumps are irritation bumps (caused by trauma, jewelry too long, or wrong jewelry material) or hypertrophic scarring. They almost always resolve once the irritant is removed. Send us a photo or stop in — don’t self-diagnose.
How will I know it’s healed?
You won’t feel any tenderness, you won’t see any secretion or crust for several weeks straight, and a piercer can confirm the channel feels stable. Remember: piercings heal from the outside in, so the inside is fragile long after the outside looks fine.
Can I change my jewelry myself?
Not during healing. The first jewelry change should always be done by a qualified piercer — usually as a downsize 8–12 weeks in. Self-changes during healing are the #1 cause of trauma and reset the heal clock.
What if I think I have an infection?
Per APP: discuss with your physician whether to leave the quality jewelry (or an appropriate non-metallic substitute) in place. Removing jewelry too early can trap the infection. Send us a photo first — most suspected infections are actually irritation, and we can save you a doctor visit.
Where can I read the official APP guidelines?
Directly at safepiercing.org/aftercare (body piercing) and safepiercing.org/oral-aftercare (oral piercing). The full PDFs are free to download in English and Spanish.
Send us a photo.
If anything looks off — redness, bumps, swelling that won’t quit — text us a clear photo before you panic. Most concerns are easily fixed in person, and we never charge for aftercare check-ins.
Aftercare guidelines on this page mirror the official recommendations of the Association of Professional Piercers — safepiercing.org/aftercare and safepiercing.org/oral-aftercare. APP brochures are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. APP guidelines are not a substitute for medical advice. If infection is suspected, seek medical care.
