Piercing Aftercare
The earrings you were pierced with must remain in your ears for at least two months for piercings on the lobe and six months for piercings on the cartilage before you can change them. They are not starter earrings, so there is no maximum length of time as to how long you can keep them in for. It takes a year and a half to two years before piercings are permanent so any time you take earrings out prior to that time and dont put an earring back in right away they will start to close.
Cleaning
Clean the piercings twice a day minimum for two months for lobe piercings and six months for cartilage piercings.
- Wash your hands thoroughly
- Spray the front and back of the earring with the piercing aftercare spray
- Push the earring forward so you see the post sticking out of the front
- Spray the post and push the earring back in till it is flush against the ear
If you have chosen to get the aftercare gel for soreness apply a tiny drop of the gel on the post of the piercing on step four before you push the earrings back in when necessary
What To Clean With
For cleaning, we recommend using the NeilMed Piercing Aftercare spray which is a wound wash saline spray. We do not recommend the use of any alcohols or creams on the piercing.
If you choose not to purchase a spray a seal salt solution can be a viable alternative. To make the solution you need to dissolve ⅛ to ¼ teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt into 1 cup (8oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. Please note that you need to make a new batch each time you use it since stagnant water can grow bacteria and a stronger mixture is not better and will irritate to the piercing.
Other Important Information
Backings
It's very important never to push the backs in too tight. This may lead to infection, tearing of the piercing, or the front or back of the earring may become embedded into the skin.
If you need to remove them
If you need to take the earrings out anytime within the one and a half to two years that it takes for a piercing to before permanent for an extended period of time such as X-rays, MRIs, sports, etc you would need to put in a pair of plastic retainer earrings though we still recommend waiting two months after piercing before attempting to swap to retainers
What to Avoid
- Cleaning with any alcohols, creams, soaps, or ointments
- Over cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate the piercing
- Using personal care products on or around the piercings such as cosmetics, lotions, sprays, etc
- Submerging the piercing in unhygienic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, and hot tubs Especially during the first week after being pierced
- Sleeping on the piercings
- Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, glasses, accessories, and hair brushes, excessive motion in the area, playing with the earrings, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissues, migration of piercings, prolonged healing, and other complications
