Chaotic Good
Body Piercing
& Tattoo
Aftercare instructions
General Piercing Aftercare Instructions Day of piercing: Don’t clean your piercing! Change your pillowcase or bedsheet to a clean set, and sleep in clean clothing. First few days: Leave it alone. It may be tender, sore, stingy, etc. Over the counter pain relievers are fine to take. A bit of dried blood in the mornings is normal. Simply pat piercings dry after a shower with a clean paper towel. If you have dried blood stuck around the piercing, do not remove it. You may clean the outskirts, but not the hole itself. The scab will fall off on its own after a few days. Bruising might appear after a few days and is totally normal. Day 4 and on: Clean your piercing once a day with sterile saline (or make your own sea salt solution with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and 8oz water). After a shower or with freshly washed hands, spray saline on a folded paper towel or Q-tip (precision Q-tips are best). Wipe gently around both sides of your piercing to remove crusty build up. No need to spin the jewelry. Afterwards gently dry off the piercing, and leave it alone. (If your piercing needs an extra cleaning some days that is normal and fine, use the method above. Any more than 3 cleanings a day is overkill, though.) After 7ish days: Swelling should have appeared and will take up the “extra” length on the jewelry. The inflammation is normal, and will go away after 4-12ish weeks. Once the bar is feeling long again, schedule a “jewelry change” appointment, and come in for a shorter bar (downsize). Downsizing is important for the ease of healing of your piercing, and will prevent accidental snags and the angle of the piercing shifting. Schedule a “check up” if you need help! In general: THE LESS YOU TOUCH YOUR PIERCINGS THE BETTER. Bodies can heal totally fine, and piercings should NEVER be cleaned with rubbing alcohol, peroxide, etc. For ear cartilage in particular, DO NOT SLEEP ON YOUR PIERCINGS. Donut or travel pillows are a great tool for healing your ear piercing. Be mindful of towels, clothing, hugs, pets and kids, hats, mask straps, ear buds and headphones, etc. Remember no swimming/hot tubs/etc for 4 weeks. KEEP YOUR PIERCINGS DRY. DON’T SLEEP WITH WET HAIR.
Tongue Piercing Aftercare Instructions: Tongue piercings are different from others! To care for it daily, rinse your mouth with Sea Salt Solution (SSS) each time you finish a meal, smoke, or drink a non-water beverage. Mix ¼ teaspoon of sea salt into 1 cup (8oz) of bottled water. Swish for a few seconds then spit out. Listerine is ~okay~ once to twice a day IF you already use it daily. If you don't, please don’t start now. Ideally you don’t want to mess with your oral flora. The goal is to REST YOUR TONGUE. Avoid suction motions (straws, vapes/cigarettes, certain candy, certain activities). Tongues are uncomfortable to heal because they swell a lot. Managing swelling is the secret. Ibuprofen or Naproxen (taken as directed on the bottle and with the approval of your doctor) can help, as can letting ice cubes melt in your mouth. Avoid giving speeches, playing with the jewelry, etc. Avoid mushy foods! Perhaps unexpected, but mushy foods require your tongue to do all the work to swallow it. Eat foods you can place back into your molars to chew and swallow; it’s much easier and less uncomfortable. Avoid spicy, acidic, and dairy foods. Use a new toothbrush if possible, and be very gentle brushing your tongue the first week. Minty toothpaste might be spicy so use a bit less if it's uncomfortable. Downsize your bar as soon as it’s feeling long! It’s usually 5 days to 2 weeks after piercing. Once you downsize, life is ten times better, we promise. The first downsize service fee is waived, but the shorter bar will cost you $20. To avoid tooth and gum damage (a risk with ANY oral piercing) you want to keep your jewelry as snug as possible, which can potentially mean an even shorter bar after a few months. That’s okay! Please avoid clicking the jewelry against your teeth, fidgeting with it, and especially chomping it on accident. Teeth and gums don’t grow back! A full heal takes about 4-8 weeks. Contact us with any issues! Happy healing!!
Lip Piercing Aftercare Instructions First Day: Change your pillowcase to a clean one. Be very mindful of the extra length on the bar. The swelling won’t have fully kicked in yet, so the extra length is easy to snag on accident. Tenderness, mild bleeding, and general sensitivity are normal for now. Start rinsing your mouth with salt water after every meal, smoke, and drink that isn’t water. Be SO CAREFUL eating. Big chompy foods are risky until you downsize, and please avoid spicy and acidic foods. The inner disk can slip over your teeth if you’re not cautious and that’s a bummer. Inside: To care for it daily, rinse your mouth with Sea Salt Solution (SSS) each time you finish a meal, smoke, or drink a non-water beverage. Mix ¼ teaspoon of sea salt into 1 cup (8oz) of bottled water. Swish for a few seconds then spit out. Listerine is ~okay~ once or twice a day IF you already use it daily. If you don't, please don’t start now. Ideally you don’t want to mess with your oral flora. Outside: Clean off the crusties with saline spray and q-tips, usually after showering or washing your face (but tend to your piercing whenever it works for you.) Because lips move a lot, you will be very aware of your crusties. Try not to over-clean the piercing (2-4 times a day is what we suggest). After cleaning, make sure to thoroughly dry off the area with a q-tip or paper towel. Downsizing: After 1-2 weeks the swelling should be gone. Come in for a DOWNSIZE. Downsizing is not optional when it comes to lip piercings. To avoid tooth and gum damage (a risk with ANY oral piercing) you want to keep your jewelry as snug as possible, which can potentially mean an even shorter bar after a few months. That’s okay! Please avoid clicking the jewelry against your teeth, fidgeting with it, and especially chomping it on accident. Teeth and gums don’t grow back! The first downsize service fee is waived, but the shorter bar(s) will cost you $12 each. Other stuff: Be mindful not to get makeup, moisturizer, etc in the piercing while it’s healing. Rinse well after washing your face. You may smooch with tender care whenever you feel okay (vertical placements will take longer for smooching to be comfortable. Wait a few days if possible). Use a new toothbrush if possible, and pull the lip away from teeth if brushing is uncomfortable. Contact us with any concerns! Happy healing :)
Surface Piercing Aftercare Instructions A sub-dermal, or surface piercing, is considered long-term-temporary because they are not as stable as traditional piercings. Your jewelry is sitting shallow under the skin and may migrate or reject even if you do everything right! Careful healing from the beginning is the best way to ensure many happy years together. The goal is for the top to remain undisturbed and flush to the skin. So as always, please don’t mess with it. The top may be changed after 3-6 months. First few days: Do NOTHING for 3 days and try to leave the bandage in place. It may bleed, bruise, or swell during this time. You may use an ice pack for 15 minutes every hour. When you shower, remove the bandaid beforehand. Let the water run over the dermal for a minute or so before getting out of the shower. Dry off the piercings extremely well, then recover the dermal with a bandaid. After 3 days: Begin cleaning as described below, and sleep with a clean bandage on. Be sure not to stick the adhesive over the protruding top of the jewelry. Be extra careful to avoid snagging on clothing, towels, hugs and pets, etc during this first week. In general: Once daily, rinse under warm running water (usually in the shower) for a minute or so. Afterwards, take the folded edge of a paper towel and gently wipe around the edge of the dermal top, wicking away any moisture and removing any crusties. If needed, irrigate with a sterile saline spray and wipe away moisture afterwards. If the dermal is extra grumpy, you may soak the piercing for 3 minutes in a warm saline bath or with a compress. To make saline, mix ¼ teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt into 8oz of warm water. Use a clean cup or clean paper towel to apply your soak. This helps draw out any goo that may be accumulated under the top. After a few minutes of soaking, rinse with plain water then gently wipe away extra moisture, goo, and crusties from the outside of your piercing. If you notice any discoloration of surrounding skin (red, grey, dark or pale), shiny or flakey skin, seeing the jewelry tilted or raised, seeing the jewelry under the skin, excessive pain, etc, these are signs of rejection! Come in for a check up please! DO NOT: pull on, pick at, or twist/lift your jewelry. Don’t snag your dermal top on blankets, towels, clothing, seat belts, etc. Do not go swimming or submerge your piercing for the first 4 weeks. DO: wash your hands before cleaning your piercing. Do sleep with clean bedding. Do be gentle and patient!