Cleaning Your Piercing

External Piercings

• Wash hands thoroughly before touching your piercing.
• Gently remove crust with a cotton swab.
• Clean with a sterile saline solution (e.g., NeilMed™ Wound Wash, not contact solution) by spraying, pouring, or using a cotton swab.
• Ensure jewelry ends are secure after cleaning.

Oral Piercings

• Wash hands thoroughly before cleaning.
• Follow external piercing instructions if applicable.
• Rinse with alcohol-free mouthwash (e.g., Crest Pro-Health or Biotene) or sterile saline 2–3 times daily for 2–3 weeks (morning, night, and after smoking/meals). Overuse may cause microbial imbalance.
• Reduce swelling in the first 24–48 hours with ice, cold water, or ibuprofen (if not allergic).

Normal Healing Signs

These are expected during healing:

• Tenderness, swelling, or redness
• Small amounts of bleeding
• Itching
• Clear or whitish-yellow fluid (not pus)
• Crusty secretions or necrotic tissue
• Tightness around jewelry or slight tilting (don’t force it back)

Avoid These

Chemicals:

• Isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, surgical scrubs, colloidal silver, petroleum-based products (e.g., Neosporin), Bactine, ear care solutions, or soaps with triclosan.

Activities:

• Touching without clean hands
• Twisting or playing with jewelry
• Applying makeup, lotions, or soaps
• Oral contact (kissing, etc.)
• Alcohol, smoking, or spicy foods (oral piercings)
• Swimming in pools, hot tubs, or natural water
• Over-cleaning
• Trauma (e.g., snagging jewelry, changing it too soon)
• Inappropriate jewelry (e.g., silver, gold-plated, wrong size/style)

Additional Tips

• Support healing: Maintain a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition, exercise, hygiene, and low stress. Take vitamins as recommended.
• Warm compresses: Soak a washcloth in warm (not scalding) water and apply to the piercing for 3–5 minutes to soothe irritation.
• Swelling: Use ice or ibuprofen (if not allergic) for excessive swelling.
• Wash external piercings in the shower with mild soap. Make sure to rinse your piercings well. Follow normal cleaning procedures after.

Changing or Removing Jewelry

• Wait until the initial healing period is complete (see below) before changing jewelry.
• Swelling must fully subside before downsizing or changing jewelry.
• Early removal may cause the piercing to close quickly, even in minutes for fresh piercings.
• Use only high-quality jewelry: 316LVM stainless steel, niobium, titanium, platinum, solid 14k+ gold, high-grade glass, or biocompatible polymers.
• Consult your Tribal Rites piercer for jewelry choices or if considering removing your piercing permanently.

Healing Times

• Earlobe, Labret, Lip, Tongue: 6–8 weeks
• Eyebrow, Nostril, Septum: 2–4 months
• Earl (bridge): 3–4 months
• Ear Cartilage, Navel, Nipples, Cheeks: 6–12 months
• Surface Piercing: 9–12 months
• Microdermal Anchor: 6–9 months

Suspected Infection?

• Do not remove jewelry, as it may trap infection.
• Contact Tribal Rites to discuss your aftercare or visit us to show the piercing.
• Use warm compresses to reduce discomfort.
• See a piercing-friendly doctor if needed. Ask for a culture to identify the issue before treatment.
• Infections can worsen quickly—act promptly but carefully.