The Curated Lobe Aftercare Protocol

So, you’ve just visited our studio and have fresh piercings! Congratulations and welcome to the next stage - the healing! Here's how to best care for your piercings so they heal beautifully.

How to Care For Your Fresh Piercings

Rule 1: Cleaning Your Piercing

Spray the front and back of the piercing with sterile saline solution 2x per day for the first 2 weeks. Spray 1x per day and as-needed for the rest of the healing period. Pat dry with non-woven gauze. Wash hands thoroughly before touching your piercing. You do not need to rotate or move the jewelry back and forth.

Pro Tip: Sterile saline is a gentle choice for piercing aftercare. Stick with store-bought sterile saline solutions. Contact lens saline, eye drops, and other saline products should never be used on a piercing. Your saline ingredients should list 0.9% sodium chloride as the only ingredient. Mixing your own sea salt solution will result in the product being far too salty and strong, which can dry out the piercing and interfere with healing.

Read: 7 Rules to Perfectly Heal Piercing

Shop: Piercing Aftercare

Rule 2: Sleeping Smart

Say it with us, do not sleep on your piercings. Sleeping on your piercing can cause a shift in angle, piercing bumps, it can slow healing and cause pain. Migrated piercings will affect the way your jewelry fits and lays. So let’s set you up for success. If you’re a side sleeper (who isn’t) we strongly recommend a piercing pillow. Sleep comfortably and heal faster.

Shop: Sleeping Pillow

Rule 3: Downsize Your Jewelry

When you first get pierced, we intentionally use a long barbell to allow room for swelling. When the initial swelling has come down, it’s important to shorten the length of the barbell. This is called a downsize. A downsize does not mean that your piercing is healed, it’s an interim step to help along with the healing. If you do not downsize, the longer barbell can become pesky catching on hairbrushes and towels which can delay healing. It can also make your piercing more prone to migration which can change the angle of your piercing. The downsize allows the barbell to be flush with your ear, thus making it less likely for piercing bumps and migrated angles.

Book a Downsizing Appointment

Shop: Threadless Barbells

Typical Piercing Healing Process

What to Expect

Initially, it's normal to experience bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising around your new piercing. As it heals, you might notice some discoloration and itching. A whitish-yellow fluid, which isn't pus, may secrete and form crusts on the jewelry. The skin around the jewelry might also appear slightly wrinkled as the tissue tightens during healing. Once healed, the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing, do not force it. A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient with your piercing and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period.

Remember, healing times can vary from person to person, and it's crucial to keep the jewelry in place, as new piercings can close up quickly.

Bump or Keloid?

Piercing bumps can pop up due to friction, a knock, or if the jewelry's not quite right. They're red, gelatinous, and sometimes leak a little. They can appear and disappear but will clear up with the right care. Sleeping on the piercing or using low-quality jewelry often causes these bumps. Got one? We can help you figure out what to do.

Keloids are different from a piercing bump. Keloids are caused by an overproduction of collagen in response to the piercing wound. They're firm, skin-colored, and keep growing. Keloids are more common if they run in your family. Unlike bumps, keloids don't just disappear without medical intervention (surgical removal or injection). If you develop a keloid, consult with your doctor.

Removing and Swapping the Jewelry in a New Piercing

Keep it in: Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in place for the entire healing period.

See us to perform any jewelry change that becomes necessary during healing.

Remember: even healed piercings that you have had for years can shrink or close quickly! If removed, reinsertion can be difficult or impossible.

Glass Retainers: Contact us for a glass retainer if your metal jewelry must be temporarily removed from your fresh piercing (such as for a medical procedure).

Swapping the Jewelry Safely: If your piercing is healed enough, you may try to swap your earrings. Make sure to use only clean hands or paper products, and be sure to regularly check threaded and threadless ends on your jewelry for tightness as metal expands and contracts, loosening it in your ear.

Read: Threadless Jewelry - How to

Permanent Removal: Should you decide you no longer want the piercing before it heals, simply remove the jewelry (or have us remove it) and continue cleaning the piercing until the hole closes. In most cases, only a small mark should remain.

Infections and Complications: If you suspect an infection in your piercing, it's often best to leave the jewelry in. This can help the infection to drain and heal properly. However, if removing the jewelry is necessary, be aware that this might cause the piercing hole to close up, potentially trapping the infection and leading to an abscess. Always consult with your doctor to decide whether to keep the jewelry in or use a non-reactive alternative during the healing of an infection.

And that's the lowdown on piercing care! Keep these tips in mind, and your piercing should heal up just fine.

Recap - Piercing Do’s and Dont’s

Do:

• Keep it in place: Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in place for the entire healing time.
• Clean Regularly: Wash your hands thoroughly. Spray your piercing with sterile saline twice a day for the first two weeks, then once daily for the balance of healing.
• Dry Carefully: Use a paper towel or a hairdryer on a cool setting. Avoid anything that has excess fiber or towels as they will leave debris and bacteria behind.
• Sleeping: Don't sleep on your piercing, a piercing pillow will be the best investment you make for your ear-scape.
• Downsize Your Jewelry: Switch to a shorter barbell once swelling decreases to minimize snagging.

Don't:

• Avoid Harsh Cleaners: Stay away from alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, and homemade solutions. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary airflow.
• Prevent Over-Cleaning: Overdoing it can irritate the piercing and delay healing.
• Limit Substance Use: Cut down on drugs, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. We need your immune system working full-speed!
• Keep Out Unclean Water: Avoid submerging the piercing in lakes, pools, and hot tubs. If you do submerge your piercing, clean thoroughly afterward.
• Delay Attaching Extras: Wait to attach charms or objects until fully healed. Do not swap to hoops until healed as spinning will prevent healing (some exceptions exist, check in with us before!)