So, you’ve just gotten pierced—congrats! 🎉 Whether it's your first piercing or your fifteenth, proper aftercare is the secret to healing like a pro and keeping your new adornment looking fresh and fabulous.
At Elaira, we believe aftercare shouldn’t feel like a science experiment. That’s why we’ve created two simple, clear guides tailored just for you—because a tongue piercing doesn’t heal like an ear, and a nose stud isn’t friends with your pillowcase.
✨A well-healed piercing begins with thoughtful care. Select your guide below:
Oral Piercing Aftercare
For tongue, lip, frenulum, and cheek piercings
1. Rinse Regularly: Gargle with drinking water after eating, drinking (except water), smoking, or kissing. Always keep oral hygiene clean.
2. Eat Mindfully: Maintain a balance diet and be healthy. Avoid spicy, acidic, crunchy, or hot foods. Stay Hydrated.
3. Avoid During Healing: Alcohol (including mouthwash with alcohol), smoking, kissing, oral sex, chewing gum or tobacco, biting nails, whitening or flavored toothpaste and dairy product.
4. Manage Swelling: Suck ice chips, drink cold water to sooth inflammation, sleep with your head elevated. Avoid caffeine and salty foods.
5. Jewelry Care: Use implant-grade titanium or biocompatible plastic (temporary). Do not bite or play with jewelry. Visit your piercer for downsizing in 1-2 months to avoid gum damage or enamel wear.
What’s Normal: Clear or slightly white discharge (lymph), mild swelling, increased saliva, temporary speech changes.
See a Professional If: You have heavy bleeding, green/yellow pus, severe pain, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.
Steps to Clean
1. Gargle with water: Gargle with drinking water each time after meal, drink smoke etc.
2. Brush: Brush teeth and tongue twice a day. Change to a new toothbrush preferably right after getting a new piercing.
3. Avoid over cleaning: Over cleaning irritates and inflames the gums. Limit brushing to 2-3 times a day and only use alcohol free mouth wash if needed.
Non-Oral Piercing Aftercare
For ear, nose, eyebrow, navel, dermal, and other body piercings
1. Clean Twice Daily: Use pre-packaged sterile saline. Soak or apply with gauze for 5–10 minutes, rinse gently, and pat dry.
2. Hands Off: Never touch or twist jewelry unnecessarily. Only touch with clean hands when cleaning or under piercer guidance.
3. Avoid Irritants: Avoid pressure from sleeping on it, hair, makeup, lotion, sunscreen, or tight clothing. Do not use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or ointments. Avoid submerge piercing in dirty water (E.g Swimming pool, bath tub, river, lake and sea)
4. Dry Gently: Use a clean paper towel to pat dry. Avoid cloth towels that can snag and harbor bacteria, or dry with hairdryer on the cool setting.
5. Stay Healthy: Maintain a balance diet, take enough rest and stay hydrated.
6. Be Patient with Healing:
- Earlobe – 4-6 months
- Cartilage – 8-12 months
- Nostril – 8-12 months
- Septum – 3-4 months
- Navel – 8-12 months
- Eyebrow – 4-6 months
Signs of Normal Healing: Redness, itching, mild swelling, light crusting.
See a Professional If: You notice green/yellow pus, excessive pain, warmth, swelling, bleeding, or abnormal growths.
Steps to Clean
1. Wash your hand: Clean your hand with soap before touching your piercing.
2. Rinse: Rinse your piercing with tepid water in the shower, to soften debris and avoid buildup.
3. Dry Gently: Use a clean paper towel to pat dry. Avoid cloth towels that can snag and harbor bacteria, or dry with hairdryer on the cool setting.
*Ensure the ear area is dried off completely and avoid going to bed with wet hair.
