Cleaning Your Piercing:

• Always wash your hands thoroughly before cleaning your piercing.

• Flush the area of the piercing two to three times a day with a fine mist additive-free sterile saline spray, letting the saline air dry.

• Rinse the piercing in the shower before getting out, after any shampoo, conditioner and body/face wash.

• Avoid soaps, alcohol, and peroxide. These products are too harsh for a healing piercing and can cause irritation.

• Avoid picking at "crusties" - whitish-yellow crusty material that may build up on the piercing or jewelry.

• Avoid using towels, cotton swabs, woven gauze and q-tips to clean/dry off your piercing.

• For oral piercings: rinse the inside of your mouth with cold purified water. Only use mouthwash once a day, so long as it is alcohol-free.

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Things to Avoid:

• Avoid playing with, twisting/turning, and touching your jewelry. Excessive motion can damage healthy cell growth and delay healing.

• Avoid sleeping on your piercing. Long term pressure on healing piercings can cause piercings to migrate, or heal at different angles than the initial piercing.

• Avoid removing your jewelry. Even healed piercings can shrink or close in a matter or minutes.

• Avoid submerging your piercing in any body of water (lakes, pools, baths, oceans, rivers, etc) for the first 6-8 weeks of healing. These can harbor bacteria or chemicals harmful to healing piercings and can lead to complications in healing.

• Avoid letting your piercing come into contact with make up, hair spray, lotions, and other beauty products.

• Be careful with towels, q-tips, clothing, glasses, or other items that may bump or rub against your healing piercing.

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What is Normal?:

• Initially: some bleeding, swelling, tenderness, soreness, and/or bruising.

• During healing: some discoloration, itchiness, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. Avoid picking at this crusty material.

• You may have "good days" and "bad days" with a healing piercing. Try to listen to your body to better care for your piercing.

• A few months after receiving your piercing, your jewelry may have excess room/length. We pierce with slightly longer/larger jewelry initially to compensate for any swelling. Downsizing jewelry can make it more comfortable to wear, as well as discourage it from easily catching on things. Your jewelry can be downsized for the price of a new post/ring/barbell, and you can keep the original jewelry as a spare or for future projects!

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Tattoo Aftercare

 

Full average heal time for a new tattoo is 21 days.

All tattoo touch-ups are $20.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your artist.

 

THINGS YOU WILL NEED:
 

• Liquid pump soap (fragrance free, like Dial or Soft Soap)

• Tegaderm or Aquaphor/A&D Ointment

• Unscented lotion (Lubriderm, Aveeno) or Hustle Butter
   

HEALING WITH TEGADERM:

Tegaderm is a clear adhesive bandage made by Nexcare. You can purchase this at most pharmacies, such as Walgreens or CVS. Always wash your hands before caring for your tattoo.
 

1. Leave the bandage that you leave the studio with on for 2-3 hours, then remove it and wash your tattoo with warm, soapy water using fragrance free liquid pump soap. Pat it completely dry with a paper towel. When the area is fully dry, apply the Tegaderm. If your artist applied Tegaderm at your appointment, skip to step 2.

2. You may leave the Tegaderm on for up to 5 days - you do not need to change the bandage unless it fills with a large amount of plasma or begins to peel off. If you do need to change it, repeat step 1. Your body will keep your tattoo hydrated inside the Tegaderm and will basically take care of itself. DO NOT use ointment or lotion before applying Tegaderm.

3. After 3-5 days, remove the Tegaderm and wash with warm, soapy water. Your tattoo will begin to peel or flake, which is normal. Apply unscented lotion 4-5 times a day until your tattoo is done peeling, then as often as needed afterwards.

 

If you begin to break out in any type of rash or experience any other kind of allergic reaction,
remove the Tegaderm immediately and care for your tattoo using ointment instead.
 

 

HEALING WITH OINTMENT:
 

1. Always wash your hands before caring for your tattoo. Remove bandage after 2-3 hours and wash thoroughly with liquid pump soap and warm water.

2. Apply a thin, light coat of ointment to your tattoo. Blot with a clean paper towel if too much is applied.

3. Repeat the first 2 steps 4 times per day for the first 3 days.

4. On the 4th day, you may switch to a lotion. Your tattoo will begin to peel (not all skin is the same, so the length of time may differ).

5. Continue to wash your tattoo 4 times per day in addition to using the lotion until your tattoo has completely peeled. Gently massage the tattoo with your thumb while washing to help aid in the removal of the shedding skin.

6. After your tattoo has completely peeled, continue to use lotion as often as possible for another week.
    

 

FAQs:
 

• It can take up to a month for your skin to become completely normal after a tattoo, especially with larger pieces.

• The area can itch after the peeling process while the top layers are growing back. It can also swell after a day or two and still be tender for the first few days. This is completely normal.

• If too much ointment is applied during the healing process, the ointment does its job and tries to remove the pigment from your skin causing your tattoo to heal patchy.. If you have any questions on how much should be applied, please do not hesitate to ask.

• Please avoid prolonged exposure to water while showering if healing with ointment. If your tattoo becomes oversaturated (pruney), it can cause complications while healing.

• Keep your tattoo covered from the sun and other outdoor elements if you will be outside for long periods of time during the healing process.

• If healing with ointment, do not go swimming or submerge your tattoo in any standing body of water for at least 2 weeks. If healing with Tegaderm, the bandage is waterproof so you may technically go swimming, but make sure to check it afterwards to ensure that no water got inside. Do not go in a hot tub with Tegaderm on.

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