General Aftercare Tips
- Always wash your hands before handling your piercing.
- If you are having trouble with your piercing, switch to, or ensure you have, a non nickel metal such as titanium and proceed to use aftercare products.
- Do not pick the dried lymph discharge (aka crusties) - they will crack open and easily breed bacterial infection once this happens. The crust can be softened during your saline spray/soaking process or by the use of drop it oil blend, and then can be safely wiped away.
- Follow your piercer's instructions and contact them if you have any excessive swelling or irritation .
- Do not change your jewelry before 8 weeks. Jewelry may be downsized at that time if the extra piercing post length is snagging or bothering you. You are not completely healed so do not change to heavy or cheap jewelry and do not leave the jewelry out.
- Trauma to a fresh piercing by having it hit, pulled, snagged etc is very hard on a piercing and may result in irritation bumps. These bumps can often be improved with saline soaks and sprays and completely reduced with our wonder product drop it.
- Avoid swimming in public bodies of water such as swimming pools and even lakes due to bacteria in the water for 6-8 weeks.
- Do NOT USE alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, polysporin etc! These are non discriminatory antiseptic products not recommended for puncture wounds. They kill good and bad cells and you need the good ones to promote faster healing. They also dry out the piercing and surrounding skin.
- Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, not the same thing at all! Another no-no.
- When soaking certain piercings, in order to not waste your solution use a size appropriate container for soaking such as a dry measure cup for baking for soaking nostril and ear cartilage and a shot glass ( which you can invert and seal ) for nipples and navel.
* DISCLAIMER: These guidelines are based on a combination of vast professional experience, common sense, research and extensive clinical practice. This is not to be considered a substitute for medical advice from a doctor. If you suspect an infection, seek medical attention
Treating the Dreaded Piercing Bump
Why am I getting this bump on my piercing anyway?
There's a few common reasons but the good news is you can remedy the situation yourself.
- A fresh piercing needs to heal undisturbed, bumping or sleeping on it will commonly cause this bump. A ring, if it is too small, can pull downward causing pressure on the piercing also.
- Nickel sensitivity from your jewelry, even surgical steel contains nickel.
- Are you cleaning with the correct ratio of saline? Harsh products and those not designed for repeated use on piercings will cause irritation.
Steps
- Ensure your jewelry is Titanium (hint nickel is magnetic so if the jewelry sticks to a magnet it is not Titanium)
- Make sure you have enough post length for the swelling, if it is too tight, or you are in too tight of a ring, you won't heal either.
- While it is still healing or crusting you need to clean it daily, at least once or twice per day, with a saline solution designed for cleaning piercings such as soak it or spray it.
Summary
- Ensure you have titanium or pure gold jewelry, nickel content may be your problem and even surgical steel contains a small amount of nickel.
- Another cause of the bump is trauma to the area, so try to sleep on the back of your head for example, if it is an ear cartilage or nostril piercing, so you aren't putting pressure on it side sleeping.
- Depending on the location of your piercing, use spray it or soak it 2-4 times per day to ensure your piercing is clean. We recommend having both on hand so you can spray it when you don't have as much time (such as busy mornings) and soak it at night when you have the time to allow for more contact time with the saline.
- After a spray or soak, dry the area with a clean paper towel and apply a drop or two of drop it oil blend to the piercing bump itself without touching the dropper to the skin, or use a clean finger or cotton swab to apply. Avoid dipping the cotton swab into the bottle itself unless it was a sterile swab. You can apply drop it 2-4 times per day. The ingredients in this blend are specifically selected for reducing inflammation and scarring.