Torso aftercare

TYPE

PIERCING NAME

HEALING TIME

Nipple

6 to 12 months

Navel

4 to 6 months

Madison and Handlebars

6 to 14 months

Surface to surface (depending on type)

6 to 14 months

Before reading this section, please take the time to read the article, "General Aftercare For Your Piercing". While the information below has additional instructions on the care of your particular piercing, the general aftercare page has information that applies to all types of piercing.

Cleaning - Soap and Water

Soak a clean paper towel with warm water and apply it to the outside of the piercing like a compress. This loosens any crusting that has formed around the jewelry. Gently flush away the loosened crusting. You can also use a damp cotton swab to carefully remove any crusting. Use anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser to clean the outer area of the piercing. Lather some soap on your fingertips or spray a liberal amount of the cleanser to the outside of the jewelry and rotate or wiggle it back and forth to get the cleanser into the opening. Use a fresh wet paper towel to clean the excess cleanser from the area or flush with clean water. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.

Cleaning - in the Shower

Allow warm water to gently run down onto the piercing area. Do not let the shower hit directly onto the piercing. Loosen any crusting that has formed around the jewelry and gently flush away the loosened crusting. You can also use a damp cotton swab to carefully remove any crusting. Use anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser to clean the outer area of the piercing. Lather some soap on your fingertips or spray a liberal amount of the cleanser to the outside of the jewelry and rotate or wiggle it back and forth to get the cleanser into the opening. Flush all of the soap or cleanser from the piercing with clean water letting the warm water to flow down onto the piercing. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.

For complete instructions on how to safely change jewelry read the article, "Changing your jewelry".

Jewelry Migration and Nesting

There is a period of time when the skin tissue around the piercing adjusts itself to the jewelry. This is called nesting. As with most piercing, it takes a while for the skin to get used to having a piece of metal in it. Often as long as a several months. As the jewelry nests itself, there is some degree of migration. Migration is the movement of the jewelry in the skin as the body adjusts itself to accepting the foreign object. With nipple and navel piercing, the jewelry tends to settle downward. Rings for the Madison piercing tends to do the most migrating during the nesting period as this piercing has the highest risk of migrating out of the skin. Keep in mind that this migration is normal and is not because your piercer did something wrong.

Suggested Cleaning Products

The following list is for quick reference only and is by no means a complete list of available products. Please read and follow all recomended directions accompaning each product you use.

• Antisceptic Cleanser - First aid antiseptic and pain reliever such as Bactine® or EarCare®. Their principal ingredient is Benzalkonium Chloride, which is excellent for healing a piercing. These cleaning solutions are to be used on the external part of certain oral piercing such as, labret, beauty mark and lip piercing. Do Not Use Internaly.
• Anti-Bacterial Soap - An antimicrobial soap such as Dial®, Soft Soap® or Provon®. This is used for general cleaning of external areas of all piercing. You need to ensure that all the soap gets rinsed out completely from the inside of the piercing.

Nipple Piercing

Soak a clean paper towel with warm water and apply it to the outside of the piercing like a compress. This loosens any crusting that has formed around the jewelry. Gently flush away the loosened crusting. You can also use a damp cotton swab to carefully remove any crusting. Use anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser to clean the outer area of the piercing. Lather some soap on your fingertips or spray a liberal amount of the cleanser to the outside of the jewelry and rotate or wiggle it back and forth to get the cleanser into the opening. Use a fresh wet paper towel to clean the excess cleanser from the area or flush with clean water. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.

Navel Piercing

The belly button area is one of the dirtiest parts of the body. It is the body's natural 'lint trap'; everything collects there. It is also a part of the body that comes into contact with a lot of dirty surfaces; counters, tables, clothing, dirty hands, etc. For these reasons navel piercing have become notorious for becoming infected.

Soak a clean paper towel with warm water and apply it to the outside of the piercing like a compress. This loosens any crusting that has formed around the jewelry. Gently flush away the loosened crusting. You can also use a damp cotton swab to carefully remove any crusting. Use anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser to clean the outer area of the piercing. Lather some soap on your fingertips or spray a liberal amount of the cleanser to the outside of the jewelry and rotate or wiggle it back and forth to get the cleanser into the opening. Use a fresh wet paper towel to clean the excess cleanser from the area or flush with clean water. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.

Other Surface Piercing

Madison

Soak a clean paper towel with warm water and apply it to the outside of the piercing like a compress. This loosens any crusting that has formed around the jewelry. Gently flush away the loosened crusting. You can also use a damp cotton swab to carefully remove any crusting. Use anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser to clean the outer area of the piercing. Lather some soap on your fingertips or spray a liberal amount of the cleanser to the outside of the jewelry and rotate or wiggle it back and forth to get the cleanser into the opening. Use a fresh wet paper towel to clean the excess cleanser from the area or flush with clean water. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.

Surface to surface

Soak a clean paper towel with warm water and apply it to the outside of the piercing like a compress. This loosens any crusting that has formed around the jewelry. Gently flush away the loosened crusting. You can also use a damp cotton swab to carefully remove any crusting. Use anti-bacterial soap or antisceptic cleanser to clean the outer area of the piercing. Lather some soap on your fingertips or spray a liberal amount of the cleanser to the outside of the jewelry and rotate or wiggle it back and forth to get the cleanser into the opening. Use a fresh wet paper towel to clean the excess cleanser from the area or flush with clean water. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.