3 STEPS: CLEAN IT, DRY IT, TIGHTEN IT

Ensure hands are clean before touching your piercing.

• CLEAN your piercing by spraying with the sterile saline. Use single-use sterile gauze or kitchen roll (avoid cotton buds / pads - the fibres may get caught on the jewellery and irritate the piercing) to remove any crusty build up or dried blood.

• DRY your piercing thoroughly with clean gauze / kitchen roll, or a hair dryer on a cool setting.

• TIGHTEN the jewellery. Jewellery can become loose from general movement, friction against clothing, and during cleaning. For threaded jewellery, twist the attachment(s). For threadless jewellery, push the attachment.

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Do this twice a day to begin with, and less often as you notice it crusting less over time.

If you run out of saline and do not wish to buy anymore, please do not be tempted to make homemade salt soaks. Instead, simply rinse your piercings in the shower and then dry as normal.

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Remember to DOWNSIZE your jewellery by coming back to see me once the swelling has gone. (Not necessary for all piercings, but most)

THINGS TO AVOID

• No swimming/submerging the piercings for the first 6-8 weeks at least. Avoid swimming pools, hot tubs, baths, the sea, rivers, lakes, etc.

• No cosmetics on or directly around the piercings, e.g. face wash, make-up, shower gels, body lotions, body sprays, hair sprays, etc.

• No sleeping on your cartilage piercings. Watch my video here for tips on how to avoid this. Hair clips and travel pillows are wonderfully useful!

• No headphones / hats / helmets on cartilage piercings.

• No pets near new piercings. That's a sure way to get an infection, unfortunately! Kitty is going to have to sleep off the bed for a while.

EXTRA ADVICE FOR ORAL PIERCINGS

• Oral piercings should be cleaned on the inside of the mouth by rinsing with clean tap or bottled water after meals, after smoking/vaping, and after drinking anything that isn't water.

• Keep a good oral hygiene routine, preferably using a new toothbrush.

• It is recommended that you drink more water than usual and that you use a straw when consuming alcohol or fizzy drinks.

• Try to cut down smoking, if possible.

• Avoid spicy foods during initial healing.