You may use ibuprophen to reduce swelling if you are not allergic to it.

Please do not use any other cleaning solution other than the one that is provided to you by your piercer. 

You do not need to clean your piercing on the first day. Wait until the day after and start your cleaning around an hour before you go to bed to ensure the area has dried. 

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Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap and water and dry with a clean towel.

Close your eyes and mouth and spray the front of the piercing.

Take a piece of non-woven gauze and gently pat the area dry, taking great care not to catch or press too hard on your piercing. Do not force the gauze under the jewellery. Do not spray the inside of the mouth with the cleaning solution.

For the inside of the piercing you only need clean it with some anti-bacterial mouth wash. Clean the inside of your mouth with the mouthwash each time after eating or smoking. 

To reduce swelling of the inside of the lip take an ice pack, and hold it on the area for 15 mins, leave off for another 15 and then add the pack again. do this three times a day where possible. it will help reduce swelling as well as any embedding that may occur. 

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That is it, you do not need to twist or move your jewellery, turning or twisting the jewellery will damage cells which are healing in the piercings and can lead to scar tissue growth.

Continue cleaning this way for one month. If you forget to clean it one time, do not clean extra the next day, less cleaning is always better than too much cleaning, even if you miss it three or four times a week, this is fine. After one month you must come in for a downsize in jewellery if suggested. If you do not the bar will be took long and move around too much in the piercing and thus disturb the healing tissue and this can lead to irritation bumps. You can book in a downsizing via the booking page. 

After six months, and depending on how your body is healing the piercing you can contact alicia for a jewellery upgrade. You can also request a jewellery upgrade at your downsizing appointment. We have plenty of jewellery upgrades in the studio and we can also order in any pieces included solid gold jewellery.

 

With lip piercings it is important to know when a piercing is nesting or embedding in to the inside of your lip. Nesting is normal and is where the flat disc on the back of your piercing make a little dint in your lip for itself to rest in. Nesting can go deeper and is just the bar settling into the skin. You can push on the attachment on the outside of the piercing so the back comes away from the nest and it should come away smoothly and with ease. Nesting should not hurt and is completely normal.

Embedding is where the bar is either too short or the back disc is not big enough at the time of piercing. Embedding is similar to nesting but it will hurt, pain eases when the disc is pushed out and there is redness to the area. Embedding can be fixed with a longer bar and a bigger back disc, please contact alicia if you're unsure if it is nesting or embedding or worried about this part of the healing process. 

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Your piercing can take anywhere from eight to twelve months or more to fully heal, this depends on how your body heals your piercings. If you are worried at any point about the healing process please contact the studio and speak with alicia, the most common complaint is soreness and this is usually narrowed down to over cleaning, touching the piercings with your fingers, or embedding. 

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If you see some crust on your piercing, do not panic, this is normal! Take a piece of non-flavoured/non-scented floss and gently clear the crust away. You can use a floss stick to help with this or you may use some non-woven gauze.  

If you have one side of the lip freshly pierced do not sleep on that side until fully healed, if you have a fresh piercing on each side then lay on your back.

If you need to change your jewellery or remove it before the recommended time for any reason please drop into the studio and discuss this with alicia. 

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DO'S AND DON'TS

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Do not go swimming or submerge your head in water for three months after your piercing, still water, chlorinated pools and the sea contain alot of bacteria which we do not want to touch your piercing. If you cannot avoid these please get in the shower as soon as possible and have the water fall onto the piercing, it can help avoid any bacteria build up but you must dry your piercing thoroughly and gently when finished. 

Do not rush and change your piercing yourself before six months.  There is a reason we do not pierce with rings and it can lead to irritation bumps and disturbs the healed tissue. If you have any issue with bumps please contact the studio.