The detailed aftercare hub covers each topic at length. This page is the consolidated dos and donts list, organised by topic. Use it as a checklist during healing and a reference when something specific comes up.

The Five Big Dos

Do Use Sterile Saline

Pre-mixed 0.9 percent sterile saline solution from a chemist. Spray once or twice a day. Pat dry with disposable paper. This is the entire cleaning routine.

Do Wash Your Hands Before Touching

Plain unscented soap for 20 seconds. Dry with disposable paper. Before any contact with the piercing, every time.

Do Wear Quality Jewellery

Implant grade titanium or solid 14k+ gold for fresh piercings. The jewellery you leave the studio with is the jewellery that stays in for the entire healing window.

Do Protect Sleep Position

Sleep on the opposite side of any piercing on the head or face. Back sleep for body piercings. Travel pillow with a hole for cartilage piercings.

Do Be Patient

The realistic healing timeline is the truth. Lobes 6 to 8 weeks. Cartilage 6 to 12 months. Navel and nipple 9 to 12 months. Treat these as facts rather than as something to overcome.

The Six Big Donts

Don’t Twist the Jewellery

Damages the healing tissue, introduces bacteria, drags crusts through the channel. The old advice to rotate has been retired. Hands off entirely.

Don’t Touch Unnecessarily

Each touch introduces skin bacteria. Resist the urge to check, adjust or feel the piercing during the healing window.

Don’t Swim

No pools, hot tubs, lakes or sea until fully healed. Bacteria, chemicals and mechanical disturbance. Showers are fine.

Don’t Use Harsh Products

No antibacterial creams, ointments, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, tea tree oil, witch hazel or home-mixed sea salt. Sterile saline only.

Don’t Change Jewellery Early

The piercing feels fine before it is actually healed. Wait the realistic window. Changing jewellery in a not-yet-healed piercing causes setbacks.

Don’t Panic at Normal Healing Signs

Mild redness, some swelling, clear or yellowish fluid, occasional itching are all normal in the first weeks. The trajectory matters more than any single snapshot.

Daily Routine Dos and Donts

Do Spray Sterile Saline

Aim at the piercing for two or three seconds, let it sit 30 seconds, pat dry with disposable paper towel.

Don’t Use Cotton Buds

The fibres catch on jewellery, leave residue in the channel and disturb healing tissue. Spray rather than dab.

Do Use Disposable Paper

Kitchen roll, disposable cleaning paper, blue roll. Single use, then discarded.

Don’t Use Cotton Wool Balls

Same problem as cotton buds. Fibres catch and leave residue.

Do Wash Your Hands Even Before Cleaning

The hands that hold the saline bottle should be clean. Wash before each cleaning session.

Don’t Skip Drying

Wet skin around a piercing breeds bacteria. Pat dry after every cleaning and after showering.

Cleaning Frequency

Do Clean Once or Twice a Day

Morning and evening covers it. Once a day is enough for some piercings.

Don’t Clean More Than Twice a Day

Over-cleaning causes irritation. The piercing needs time alone between cleanings.

Do Clean After Sweat Exposure

If you have done heavy exercise or had a sweaty day, an additional gentle rinse with saline is sensible. Otherwise stick to the once or twice a day routine.

Don’t Clean After Every Time You Touch It

The right answer is to stop touching it, not to clean more. Hands off is the entire principle.

Sleep Dos and Donts

Do Sleep on the Opposite Side

For piercings on the head or face. The pressure of sleeping on a fresh piercing for hours overnight is the biggest cause of bumps.

Don’t Sleep on the Pierced Side

Even occasionally. Repeated sleep pressure is the silent enemy of cartilage healing.

Do Use a Travel Pillow

If you cannot reliably sleep on the opposite side. The hole over the piercing removes the pressure.

Don’t Sleep on Your Stomach With Face Piercings

The face is pressed directly into the pillow. Switch to side or back sleeping.

Do Change Your Pillowcase Regularly

Every two to three days during the healing window. Wash hot (60 degrees centigrade).

Don’t Use Fabric Softener

Can leave residue that irritates piercings. Skip during the healing window.

Swimming and Water Dos and Donts

Do Shower Normally

Normal showers are fine. The warm water helps soften crusts. Tip your head so shampoo flows away from ear piercings.

Don’t Swim in Pools

No public or private pools until fully healed. The chemicals and bacteria are not friendly to healing tissue.

Don’t Use Hot Tubs

The worst combination of warm water, bacteria and chemicals. Skip the entire healing window and a bit longer.

Don’t Submerge in Baths

Baths that submerge the piercing should wait. Baths that keep the piercing above water are fine.

Don’t Swim in the Sea

Salt does not sterilise water. Marine bacteria are real. Wait until fully healed.

Do Avoid Lakes, Rivers and Ponds

Variable bacterial load. Wait until fully healed.

Jewellery Dos and Donts

Do Insist on Implant Grade Titanium

For fresh piercings. The single biggest factor in healing quality.

Do Use Solid 14k+ Gold as an Alternative

Solid 14k gold or higher is the premium option. Avoid below 14k because of nickel content.

Don’t Wear Plated Jewellery

The plating wears off and exposes the base metal. Causes irritation and bumps reliably.

Don’t Wear Cheap Mixed-Metal Jewellery

Fast fashion pieces. Contains nickel, varying alloys, often poorly finished. The source of most piercing problems we see.

Don’t Wear Sterling Silver in Fresh Piercings

Tarnishes against body fluids, contains alloys, can cause sensitivity. Wait until fully healed before trying sterling silver, and even then some people cannot tolerate it.

Do Choose Internal Threading or Threadless

External threading scratches the channel during insertion and removal. The technical difference matters more than it sounds.

Don’t Change Jewellery Until Fully Healed

Tempting because the surface looks healed. Wait the realistic window before changing.

Activity Dos and Donts

Do Resume Light Activity After 24 Hours

For ear and face piercings. Walks, light stretching, gentle yoga.

Don’t Hit the Gym on Day One

Sweat into a fresh wound equals irritation. Wait at least a day.

Don’t Do Heavy Exercise for a Week With Body Piercings

Navel and nipple piercings need more recovery before heavy activity.

Don’t Play Contact Sports Until Healed

Boxing, rugby, martial arts, anything where the piercing could take an impact.

Do Wipe Down After Sweat

A sterile saline rinse after a sweaty session.

Don’t Lie on Sweaty Mats Without Wiping Them

Public gym mats and yoga mats carry bacteria. Wipe down or use your own mat.

Daily Life Dos and Donts

Don’t Wear Strong Perfume Near the Piercing

Apply to wrists or inner elbows instead. The alcohol and fragrance irritate fresh piercings.

Don’t Apply Makeup Directly on or Near the Piercing

For the first 3 to 4 weeks. After that, careful application around the piercing is fine.

Don’t Use Strong Skincare Actives Near the Piercing

Retinoids, acids, vitamin C serums. Skip on or near the piercing for at least 6 weeks.

Do Use Hyaluronic Acid Around the Piercing

One of the gentler skincare actives. Generally tolerated after the first 2 to 3 weeks.

Don’t Use Antibacterial Soap on the Piercing

Strips beneficial bacteria and irritates surrounding skin.

Don’t Smoke Heavily

Smoking slows healing significantly, particularly for oral piercings.

Don’t Drink Heavily

Alcohol thins the blood and slows healing. Moderate drinking after the first 24 hours is fine.

Don’t Dye Your Hair Near a Fresh Ear Piercing

The chemicals can damage healing tissue. Wait until the piercing is fully healed or take particular care.

Watching for Problems Dos and Donts

Do Watch for Normal Healing Signs

Mild redness, some swelling, clear or yellowish fluid, occasional itching. All normal during the first weeks.

Don’t Panic at Mild Redness

Mild redness around a fresh piercing is part of healing. The trajectory matters more than any single moment.

Do Watch for Warning Signs

Significantly increasing pain, hot hard swelling, thick green or yellow pus, red streaks moving away from the piercing, fever. These need a GP visit.

Don’t Remove Jewellery if Infected

The jewellery keeps the channel open and lets pus drain. Removing it can trap infection inside.

Do Come to the Studio for Free Checks

If you are unsure whether something is normal or not, a two minute check from a piercer resolves it.

Don’t Try to Diagnose Online

Photos of other people’s piercings are not representative of yours. Get a real-world check instead.

The dos and donts list looks long written down but most of it boils down to the same principle. Leave the piercing alone. Quality jewellery and gentle saline cleaning. Nothing else needed.
Shallows piercing team

Specific Piercing Dos and Donts

For Lobes

Do tip head sideways when washing hair. Don’t sleep on the pierced side for the first 6 weeks. Don’t change jewellery before 8 weeks.

For Cartilage

Do use a travel pillow with a hole. Don’t sleep on the pierced side. Don’t swim. Don’t change jewellery before 6 months.

For Nostril and Septum

Do skip makeup near the area. Don’t blow your nose hard. Don’t pick at crusts inside the nostril.

For Eyebrow

Do tie hair back during healing. Don’t use brow makeup in the area. Don’t wear glasses that rest near the piercing.

For Lip and Labret

Do skip lipstick and balm in the area. Don’t eat spicy food in the first few days. Don’t chew on the jewellery.

For Tongue

Do use ice and cold drinks for swelling. Don’t drink through a straw. Don’t eat anything hot or spicy for a few days. Don’t chew on the bar.

For Navel

Do wear loose-waisted clothing. Don’t sleep on your stomach. Don’t wear tight jeans that press on the piercing.

For Nipple

Do wear a soft sports bra without underwire. Don’t sleep on the pierced side. Don’t direct shower jets at the area.

For Stretched Lobes

Do oil massage once or twice a week. Don’t skip the six week rule between stretches. Don’t wear acrylic in fresh stretches.

The Underlying Pattern

If you read through the dos and donts above and notice the same advice recurring, you are seeing the underlying principle of modern piercing aftercare. The same themes repeat. Leave the piercing alone. Use quality jewellery. Clean gently. Be patient. Avoid specific risks (water, harsh products, sleep pressure).

The list looks long but the principles are short. Five big dos, six big donts. Everything else is detail. Build the habits in the first week and the rest of the healing window becomes much easier.

The dos and donts list is the reference card for piercing healing. Print it, keep it visible, follow it. The basics are dramatically simpler than older aftercare made out, and the simplicity is the right approach. The clients who follow this list consistently produce the cleanest, fastest healing outcomes across hundreds of piercings.