How To Clean A Surface Tragus Piercing

Aftercare Pic

Piercing Aftercare!

Imagine this: You just received a new piercing! But with all of the excitement and adrenaline running through you, you totally forgot what your piercer told you to do for aftercare! Have no fear, we are here to explain it all to you!

First aftercare steps to take: After receiving a new piercing, your tissue will start to swell a little bit. We suggest drinking plenty of water and maybe even taking some ibuprofen to help alleviate some of the initial swelling once you get home.

Do NOT touch your new piercing with dirty hands! You use your hands and fingers 24/7 so naturally, they're full of bacteria. Always thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water before cleaning your piercing or touching it for any reason. Touching or adjusting the jewelry with dirty hands can spread bacteria into your new, open wound which can cause some irritation, discomfort and inflammation. Not good!

Make a point to check up on it. Make sure the skin around it looks normal, and clean off any dried crust/blood with a cotton swab. If any problems occur, don't hesitate to contact your piercer!

Here are a few things th at may occur that are totally normal:

It's typical for a brand-new piercing to bleed a little bit for the first few days/week. Not too much though! You are allowed to be the judge of your own body, if you think your piercing is bleeding an excessive amount, or if you continuously find large amounts of dried blood around your piercing, contact your piercer right away and they will be able to help.

During the healing period, you can expect a bit of a white/yellow crust to form around/behind your jewelry. This crust is really just skin cells that have helped in healing your piercing and have now formed a bit of a scab around it. This doesn't mean it's infected, it's just in the process of healing!

Do NOT twist or turn your jewelry!! Your body is going to naturally start to heal around your new piercing and, as mentioned, may start to form a crust around it. Your piercing will start to heal on the outside first, and gradually heal completely on the inside. If you were to twist your jewelry, it could disrupt and potentially prolong your healing process. To put it simply, leave it alone !!

How to clean your piercing:
There are two important steps to take when caring for a new piercing, the first one being salt water. It's essential for piercings because it flushes away any potential fluids/crusts that may be in there and it gets the blood flowing around your piercing, which is really helpful for healing. H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray is a convenient and completely sterile sea salt water spray. It also contains lysozyme which is an enzyme that's found naturally in your body and helps to destroy bacteria that may get into your piercing. You can simply spray the product onto your piercing and let it dry. There's also a method where you can make your own salt water and soak your piercing in a cup for a few minutes. The "do it yourself" method is definitely a good option, but we always primarily suggest using H2Ocean because it's sterile, pre-mixed, and much easier to use! You can use these salt water solutions as often as you'd like, but we suggest at least 2-3 times a day for the first month, and then once a day for the remainder of the healing period.

The second step to take when caring for your piercing is using Naked Brand Soap . We strongly suggest this soap because we feel it is the best piercing cleaning product on the market! It's great because it's all natural, smells awesome, and is specifically meant for piercings. The soap contains a blend of oils including tea tree and lavender, and its foamy texture makes it a great cleanser for body piercings. It's also really nice to keep in the shower, that way you can just remember to clean your piercings every time you shower! Simply lather your piercing with the soap, try to very gently rotate your jewelry to make sure it really gets in there and cleans out any bacteria, and rinse with running water. If your jewelry rotates at all during the cleaning process, don't worry! A little bit of natural rotation won't be detrimental to your piercing!

Oral Piercings:

With brand new oral piercings you should avoid smoking and consuming alcohol for at least 48 hours to prevent any excess inflammation. Taking ibuprofen and drinking cold water can definitely help with swelling and initial soreness as well as allowing small pieces of ice to melt in your mouth. When it comes to cleaning oral piercings, we suggest using H2Ocean Healing Rinse . The rinse is alcohol and fluoride free, and like their aftercare spray, it contains sea salt as well as enzymes that are found in your saliva that help with healing and destroying bacteria. With the rinse, you can simply swish it in your mouth for 30 seconds and then spit it out. Not only does it help take care of your piercing, it's also great for your overall oral hygiene!

If you experience any problems or if you have any additional questions that weren't addressed here, don't hesitate to contact your piercer! We also always suggest coming into the shop if you need someone to take a look at your piercing. That way, we can actually see what's going on in person, rather than have to assume over the phone. In more severe cases, we would advise you to contact your physician!

Stay tuned for our next blog post where we'll be discussing the dreaded piercing bumps!

Stay safe and happy healing!

-TR