- Keep bandage on tattoo for at least 2 hours, or until you get home.
- Gently remove bandage, do not rebandage.
- Wash with warm water and mild soap until skin feels clean.
- Pat dry with a clean towel then apply a very light coat of either A&D ointment or Bacitracin.
- Repeat steps 3-4 twice a day for 3-5 days until the tattoo starts to flake.
- Stop using ointment and apply a fragrance free lotion when the skin feels dry for the remainder of the flaking. We recommend using either Lubriderm, Aveeno, or Curel.
- During the healing process do not soak in water, go swimming, stay out of public pools and salt water. And last but not least keep your dirty hands off of it!
- DO NOT listen to your friends and their homemade remedies on how to heal a tattoo, the best way is what we have written here, less is more use your head not someone else's.
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The goal of piercing aftercare is to provide a clean environment in which your body can heal itself. It's very important to remember that there is no "special sauce" that will make a piercing heal faster, but following these suggestions will enable a piercing to heal with little to no trouble. - Avoid sleeping on your new piercing. Not only will it irritate it which can lead to scar tissue formation, but dirty bedding can cause problems as well.
- Don't touch your piercing or play with it (rotating the jewelry, picking at the "crusties" that form, etc.) This does nothing more than introduce bacteria into the piercing, which can lead to an infection.
- Avoid getting cosmetic products on or around the piercing. This includes lotions, oils, makeup, and hair products. Be aware of with comes in contact with it during your shower as well. Especially with facial piercings, you must be careful with medicated facial cleansers, which can do a lot of damage to the piercing.
- NEVER use alcohol, peroxide, medicated ointments (like neo-sporin) or bactine on your piercing. These items may be great for cuts and scrapes, but are not designed to be used on deeper wounds like body piercings.
- Once daily cleaning is generally enough for most piercings. For this, we suggest either a very mild anti-bacterial soap when in the shower such as Provon, OR a sterile, pre-mixed saline. It's best to pick one form of aftercare and stick with it.
- If you choose to use the antibacterial soap, simply lather up a pea sized amount of the soap with a bit of water while in the shower, and apply that lather to the piercing. Do not rotate the jewelry. After washing the area gently, rinse it well with water, and you are done. Do this as the last step in your showering routine.
- For the saline, simply spray the product directly on the piercing once or twice a day, then blot dry with a paper towel. This should be done out of the shower.
- For oral piercings, you should rinse with a mild alcohol-free mouthwash no more than four times a day to help flush away bits of food and bacteria. Rinsing more than this, or with an alcohol based mouthrinse, can lead to the beneficial bacteria in your mouth being stripped away, leading to complications like candidas infections (commonly known as oral thrush). For the first few days, you may experience some swelling, and this is best managed with ice, cold foods, elevating your head at night, and if you have no known allergies to them, over the counter anti-inflammitories such as ibuprofen, taken as directed.
- If you have any questions in regards to how your piercing is healing, or aftercare, please do not hesitate to call your piercer immediately. No question is stupid when it comes to your body or your health.
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