What is a piercing?

A piercing is a hole made in the human body with a piece of jewellery in it. The jewellery prevents your body from properly healing the damaged tissue. Therefore, an infection can occur more quickly with a piercing than a wound. The purpose of aftercare is to support the body in healing the damaged tissue. Proper aftercare can significantly reduce the risk of infection.

What are the usual symptoms of a healing piercing?

After piercing, your body starts to repair the damaged tissue. There are several symptoms that a healing piercing can have. To reassure you, I have listed all the usual symptoms below.

Redness – After piercing, the spot may look red. The redness is due to an increased blood flow from the body temperature to the pierced area. The redness can persist for several days to weeks.

Warmth – After piercing, the spot may feel warm to the touch. The heat is due to an increased blood flow from the body temperature to the pierced area. The warmth can persist for several days to weeks.

Pain – After piercing, the spot can feel painful. Pain is caused by the production of certain substances that stimulates our nerves. The stimulated nerves send a signal to the part of our brain that can register pain. The pain can persist for a few days, weeks or even months. It is important that the pain is only noticeable when you touch your piercing. In this case, the pain should be a maximum of 6 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Swelling – After piercing, the spot may swell up. Swelling is caused by the accumulation of fluid. Therefore, we use a longer piece of jewellery for piercing. This way, the area that got pierced has enough room for swelling. The swelling normally reaches its peak after 1 – 4 weeks. The swelling can persist for several weeks to months. The jewellery must retain sufficient space during the healing.

Fluid – After piercing, a transparent/white fluid can come out of your piercing. This usually happens when you touch your piercing. This liquid is called an exudate. Exudate is composed of water, dissolved substances, cells, and debris. The exudate can persist for several days, weeks and even months.

Blood – After piercing, a little blood can come out of your piercing. Bleeding usually happens when you touch or bump into your piercing. A crust will form after bleeding. Bleeding can occur several days, weeks and even months.

What are the unwanted symptoms of a healing piercing?

After piercing, your body starts to repair the damaged tissue. There are several unwanted symptoms that a healing piercing can go through. Make an appointment by selecting “check-up” if any of the following symptoms occur.

Swelling – After piercing, the spot may swell up. Swelling is caused by the accumulation of fluid. Therefore, we use a longer piece of jewellery for piercing. This way, the area that got pierced has enough room for swelling. The swelling normally reaches its peak after 1 – 4 weeks. The swelling can persist for several weeks to months. In some cases, the swelling may be worse than expected. The length of the jewellery will not be sufficient to accommodate the swelling. Your piercing will feel very tight. In this case, you will need a longer piece of jewellery in your piercing to make room for the swelling.

Bruising – After piercing, A bruise may develop around the pierced area. When a blood vessel is damaged, the blood leaves the vascular bed and accumulates around the pierced area. That results in your skin looking red, blue, or purple. After a few days, it changes to a green or yellow colour. It normally takes 2 – 3 weeks for the bruising to subside.

Pain – After piercing, the spot can feel painful. Pain is caused by the production of certain substances that stimulates our nerves. The stimulated nerves send a signal to the part of our brain that can register pain. The pain can persist for a few days, weeks or even months. Something is wrong if the piercing constantly hurts without touching it, and the pain is a 7 or higher on a scale from 1 to 10.

Which aftercare products should I use?

I recommend the use of saline solution for piercings in the epidermis or nasal cavity. The purpose of saline solution is to stimulate the circulation of blood. That makes it easier for your body to dispose of waste products. It is free of antiseptics, meaning the bacteria on your skin do not become unbalanced. The product is isotonic, meaning the salt value of the sterile saline matches that of your body. That results in a non-harmful product being conducive for the healing of your piercing.

I recommend the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash for oral piercings. The substance chlorhexidine is antiseptic, meaning it kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Therefore, no alcohol is added to the chlorhexidine mouthwash. The use of the mouthwash reduces the chance of an infection in your oral piercing.

Where can I buy saline solutions or chlorhexidine mouthwashes?

Regardless of the brand, you can obtain sterile saline or chlorhexidine mouthwash in several ways. The easiest way is to buy it at the studio. We always have sterile saline and chlorhexidine mouthwash in stock at BlackBear Ink in Eindhoven. You can purchase it during your appointment, or you can visit us during opening hours and purchase it separately. Another way to obtain sterile saline is to buy it from pharmacies, drugstores, or web shops.

How should I use sterile saline?

Sterile saline solution obtained from BlackBear Ink in Eindhoven always comes in a bottle with an atomizer. This makes it possible to spray the sterile saline directly onto your piercing.

Spray the sterile saline on both sides of your piercing and let it soak for a period of 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes have passed, it is important to rinse off the sterile saline thoroughly. This can be done at the sink or in the shower.

It is then important to dab your piercing as dry as possible. Do not use your towel to dry off your piercing. Your towel is full of bacteria. These bacteria will then be transferred on to your piercing. It is best to use something that can only be used once. Think of a (sterile) gauze, paper towel or a cotton bud.

Drying your piercing is the most important part of aftercare. This is because bacteria need moisture for cell division. The drier you get your piercing, the smaller the chance of bacterial cell division. I advise you to take your time for the aftercare of your piercing. This reduces the chance of a complication with your piercing.

I advise using the sterile saline solution twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.

How should I use chlorhexidine mouthwash?

Chlorhexidine mouthwash obtained from BlackBear Ink in Eindhoven always comes in a bottle with a measuring cup. This makes it possible to measure the amount of mouthwash you use,

Grab the measuring cup that comes with the mouthwash. Fill the measuring cup up to 5ml with the mouthwash. Rinse your mouth for 1 minute with the mouthwash. After rinsing for 1 minute, it is important to spit out the mouthwash.

I advise using the chlorhexidine mouthwash twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.