Rinse after eating
After every meal and after anything other than water, rinse your mouth with clean water or an alcohol free mouthwash.
Aftercare guide
Piercing aftercare made simple
So your new piercing heals well: cleaning, healing times, changing jewellery and everyday life, step by step from our studio in Schlanders.
In short
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Clean twice a day with sterile saline solution from the pharmacy, no more.
- Only touch it with freshly washed hands, ideally not at all.
- Do not twist the jewellery and do not play with it.
- No pools, lakes or the sea and no sauna in the first weeks.
- Be patient with changing jewellery: only once everything has healed, ideally with us.
Every piercing heals differently. The aftercare instructions you get in our studio come first.
Healing
How your piercing heals
These times are guidelines and depend a lot on the placement.
-
The first days
Swelling is normal
- Redness, slight swelling, warmth and throbbing are normal, and a little blood on the first day.
- From today, clean twice a day, morning and evening.
- Oral piercings: cold drinks and soft food help, spicy, very hot food and alcohol have to wait.
-
Weeks 1 to 4
Keep it clean, soften crusts gently
- A clear, yellowish fluid may come out and form small crusts on the jewellery. That is lymph and part of healing.
- Soften crusts with saline and dab them off gently, never scratch.
- For lips and tongue the bar is shortened once the swelling has gone down, usually after 2 to 4 weeks.
-
From week 4
Calm outside, not finished inside
- From the outside the piercing often already looks fine. The channel inside is still healing, though.
- Keep cleaning until the healing time for your placement has passed, see Healing times.
- Avoid pressure, friction and snagging, they are now the most common cause of irritation.
-
After healing
Change the jewellery and enjoy
- Only now change the jewellery, the first change ideally with us in the studio.
- Choose quality materials, for example titanium. Cheap fashion jewellery can irritate the skin.
- Do not leave the piercing without jewellery for long, young channels can close quickly.
Step by step
How to clean your piercing
Morning and evening, it takes less than two minutes.
Wash your hands
Thoroughly, with soap. Do not touch anything else afterwards.
Apply saline
Spray sterile saline solution (0.9 percent) from the pharmacy directly on it, or soak a sterile gauze pad and hold it on for one or two minutes.
Soften crusts
This softens dried crusts. Dab them off gently with the gauze, do not scratch and do not use your nails.
Do not twist
Do not twist the jewellery or slide it back and forth. That tears the healing channel open again and again.
Pat dry
Pat dry with clean kitchen paper or sterile gauze. Cotton pads leave fibres that catch on the jewellery.
Do not overdo it
Twice a day is enough. Cleaning more often or using harsh products irritates more than it helps.
Better not: alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, ointments and greasy creams. No homemade salt water either, the concentration is rarely right. We will tell you in the studio whether you should also use a wound spray.
Lip and tongue
Extra tips for oral piercings
Cold against swelling
Cold drinks and small ice cubes ease swelling in the first days. Eat slowly and in small bites.
What has to wait
Spicy and very hot food, alcohol and smoking irritate the wound. Chewing gum, kissing with tongue contact and chewing on pens have to wait too.
Shorter bar
At first a longer bar is used to leave room for swelling. Once the swelling has gone down, it is swapped for a shorter one. That protects your teeth and gums. Get in touch with us for this.
Healing times
How long does each piercing take to heal?
Guidelines for undisturbed healing. Every body heals differently, and irritation makes it take longer.
| Piercing | Healing time (guideline) | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Earlobe | 6 to 8 weeks | Usually heals fastest. |
| Helix (ear cartilage) | 6 to 12 months | Cartilage heals slowly. Do not sleep on it, be careful with headphones and hats. |
| Nostril | 3 to 6 months | Do not change the jewellery too early, or the channel gets irritated. |
| Septum | 2 to 3 months | Often heals comfortably. The channel is usually only fully stable after a few months. |
| Navel | 6 to 12 months | Waistbands and belts rub. Soft, loose clothing helps. |
| Lip | 6 to 8 weeks | Have a shorter bar fitted once the swelling has gone down. |
| Tongue | 4 to 6 weeks | Swells noticeably in the first days. Cold drinks help. |
| Eyebrow | 6 to 8 weeks | Be careful when removing make-up, dressing and combing your hair. |
All figures are guidelines. A piercing often looks healed on the outside before it is healed inside. If in doubt, keep up the aftercare for longer and only change the jewellery after a quick check with us.
Changing jewellery
When and how to change your jewellery
Only after healing
Even if it looks fine on the outside: the first change comes once the healing time has passed. Changed too early, new jewellery irritates the channel.
First change in the studio
The first change is best done with us. That way length and thickness fit, and we can see straight away whether everything has healed well.
Good material
Choose quality jewellery, for example titanium. Fashion jewellery containing nickel often causes irritation and allergies.
Ring or stud?
In many places a stud or bar heals more calmly than a ring. If you would like a ring, ask us when it makes sense.
Normal or a warning sign?
When to see a doctor
A fresh piercing is a small wound. Much of what worries you is completely normal.
This is normal
- Redness, swelling, warmth and slight throbbing in the first days
- A little blood on the first day
- Clear, yellowish fluid that forms small crusts on the jewellery
- With oral piercings, noticeable swelling in the first 3 to 5 days
- Occasional itching or tightness
Warning signs
- Redness and swelling that increase or spread after the first days
- Thick yellow or green pus or an unpleasant smell
- Strong, throbbing or increasing pain
- Fever, chills or red streaks
- The jewellery sinks into the skin or the skin around it is very tight
- With oral piercings, swelling that makes swallowing or breathing difficult
In that case please see a doctor. If you suspect an infection, do not remove the jewellery yourself: the channel can close and trap the infection. If you have trouble breathing or strong swelling in your mouth, call 112 straight away. Feel free to let us know too.
Everyday life
Sport, swimming and sleeping
Most irritation is not caused by germs but by pressure and snagging in everyday life.
Sport
Light exercise after a few days is usually fine, as long as nothing presses or rubs. Clean after training. Contact sports only once everything has healed.
Helmet, hat, headphones
Ski, bike and climbing helmets, tight hats and headphones press on fresh ear piercings. Adjust the padding and hold your phone to the other ear.
Swimming
Avoid pools, lakes, the sea and hot tubs in the first weeks, ideally until healed. If you did go in the water, clean with saline afterwards.
Sleeping
Do not lie on the fresh piercing. For ear piercings a travel pillow helps: your ear rests in the opening and stays free.
Pillow and bed linen
A fresh pillowcase or a clean T-shirt over your pillow keeps germs away. Better no pets on your pillow.
Avoid snagging
Take care when dressing and undressing, combing your hair and drying off. Tie long hair back loosely for the first weeks.
Share and save
The 10 golden rules of piercing aftercare
Everything important on one card. Send it to anyone who has just been pierced.
The 10 golden rulesof piercing aftercare · Herzstickl
- 1Only touch it with freshly washed hands.
- 2Clean twice a day with sterile saline.
- 3Soften crusts, do not scratch them off.
- 4Do not twist the jewellery, do not play with it.
- 5No alcohol, no tea tree oil, no ointments.
- 6Do not sleep on the piercing.
- 7No pools, lakes or the sea in the first weeks.
- 8Avoid snagging: hair, clothes, towel.
- 9Only change jewellery after the healing time.
- 10See a doctor if you notice warning signs.
herzstickl.com/ratgeber/piercing-pflege/
Frequently asked questions
Questions about piercing aftercare
How often should I clean my piercing?
Twice a day, morning and evening, with sterile saline. Cleaning more often tends to irritate the skin. After sport or if it got dirty, one extra clean is fine.
Should I twist the jewellery?
No. People used to say you should twist it so it does not grow in. Today we know that twisting tears the healing channel open again and brings germs inside.
Can I mix my own salt water?
Better not. The concentration is rarely right and tap water is not sterile. Sterile saline from the pharmacy is cheap and safe.
When can I change the jewellery?
Only once the healing time for your placement has passed, see Healing times. For lips and tongue the bar is shortened once the swelling has gone down. That is not a normal change but part of healing.
What is the small bump next to my piercing?
It is often an irritation bump, especially with cartilage piercings. It usually comes from pressure, snagging or sleeping on the piercing. Avoid the cause, keep cleaning gently and talk to us, no harsh home remedies. If it grows, hurts or pus comes out, see a doctor.
Can I go swimming with a fresh piercing?
Better not in the first weeks, ideally only after healing. Water contains germs, chlorine and salt that can irritate and infect the piercing.
My piercing had calmed down and is red again. Why?
There is often irritation behind it: snagging, sleeping on it, new jewellery or cleaning too much. Avoid the trigger and continue normal aftercare. If warning signs appear, see a doctor.
Piercing in Val Venosta
Your piercing from Schlanders
We pierce in our studio in Schlanders (Silandro) with sterile single use materials and take time to advise you on placement, jewellery and aftercare. You take your aftercare instructions home with you, and we are here for you on WhatsApp if you have questions.
Which piercings we offer, how the appointment works and what to know beforehand is on our page Piercing in Schlanders.
This guide gives general aftercare advice and does not replace medical advice. Your artist’s instructions always come first.