Aftercare Guidance
Piercing
Getting a new piercing involves breaking the skin so there is always a potential risk for infection to occur. Your piercing should be treated as a wound and it is important that the advice is followed so that the infection risk can be minimised.
· Most piercings will bleed at first, but this should stop within a few minutes, gentle pressure on or around the pierced site will slow bleeding, but if it is excessive or persists then immediate medical advice should be sought.
· Remember all pierced regions will tend to swell immediately after treatment, and the item of jewellery you have inserted will be designed to accommodate this. Tongue piercings may swell to the limit of the inserted bar, and this can be reduced by rinsing the mouth with iced water.
· If the jewellery becomes too tight because of the swelling, see your body piercer immediately. If, however you have tongue piercing and begin to experience neck pain or problems with swallowing, contact a medical practitioner immediately or go directly to your local accident and emergency department.
· Always wash and dry your hands before and after any essential handling of a newly pierced site, e.g. cleaning of the area.
· Avoid unnecessary touching of the newly pierced site to reduce the risk of infection. Avoid using fingernails to handle jewellery, as the underside of nails are more likely to introduce infection to the pierced site.
· Clean the piercing twice a day if possible – use boiled water, allow to cool and use clean gauze or other non-disintegrating cotton wool swabs are best for this. Or purchase our aftercare solution.
· Gently soak off and wipe away any crusty formations at the wound site – do not pick them off.
· Avoid applying hot cleaning solutions or surgical spirit on the treated area as they can damage delicate healing skin.
· If possible, shower rather than bathe whilst the piercing is healing so that unnecessary water submersion is avoided.
· Pat dry the pierced area after cleaning – do not rub as this could snag jewellery and tear delicate healing tissue.
· Piercings all heal at a different rate but we ask you not to change the jewellery for a minimum of 3 months to ensure proper healing time.
Tattoo
- Leave the ‘second skin’ covering the tattoo for 72 Hours. Tattoos may ooze, this is a normal part of the healing process. The bandage is there to keep airborne bacteria and any other contaminants in the environment from invading the wound.
- Make sure your hands have been washed thoroughly before you remove the bandage to cleanse the area with soap and water. Do not scrub the tattoo with a brush or towel (this should not be done until the tattoo has healed).
- Dry the tattooed area by gently patting with a clean, sterile towel then let the tattoo dry completely (approximately 10 minutes)
- Coco Butter can be used to keep the tattoo moist. (bepanthen is not advised to correctly heal a fine line tattoo)
- Repeat steps above for 3-4 days, approximately six times a day. The tattoo should not be left to dry out.
After a few days you may notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. It is at this point in the healing process that the tattoo may begin to itch. Consult a physician if you experience symptoms such as excessive swelling, redness, yellow or green discharge, fever.
- Do not go swimming or bath (showers are fine)
- Do not use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol on your tattoo
- Do not itch, pick, or scratch the tattoo
- Do not participate in activities that will make you sweat
- Stay out of the sun until your tattoo has healed completely.
- Apply sun block to tattoo after it has healed whenever it is exposed to the sun to protect it from damaging ultraviolet rays.
Permanent Makeup
- You may experience several symptoms including flaking, tenderness, drying, swelling and itching.
- If you have been unwell your body is slower to heal. Although your skin can appear healed from the outside, it takes at least 4 weeks for skin to properly heal, you must wait a minimum of 4 weeks before returning for any required touch ups
- No sun exposure on the treated area for 4 weeks – this includes natural sunlight and sunbeds
- No extreme heat for 7 days as this will cause you to sweat – e.g. saunas
- You cannot donate blood within 6 months
- If you have any laser treatments in the treated area, you must inform your laser technician as not all lasers are safe to use over PMU and can alter the outcome
- Do not apply Vaseline or any other product to the treated area except the ones you have been advised to use
- No Botox or fillers until the treatment area is fully healed (minimum 4 weeks).
- Do not scratch, pick or rub the treated area as this will cause the treatment to heal unevenly and can removed pigment from the skin
- It is normal after your very first treatment to experience some patchiness once the treatment is healed
- If you need an MRI scan, tell your radiologist you have had PMU as this may appear on scans
- You may need a touch up 4-8 weeks after the appointment to remove any patchiness that may occur during the healing process.
- It is vital you return for an annual top up appointment when the PMU has faded around 50%-70%. This is 12-18 month after your appointment however can depend on several lifestyle factors e.g. lots of UV ray exposure can cause them to fade sooner, age and health may also play a part.
Eyebrows Only:
- Keep the eyebrows as dry as possible for 14 days after the treatment
- Avoid washing hair for 3 days after the treatment. When you do wash your hair again, have a low-pressure shower and avoid getting your face too wet for the first 14 days. Gently pat dry (do not rub) your brows afterwards with a clean towel.
- Do not get any makeup on the treatment area for 14 days
- After 48 hours apply a thin layer of ‘After Inked’ once per day. Only use a small amount at a time (a rice grain size), continue for 7-10 days.
- Occasionally the brows can go dry and become flaky, do not pick the flake from the brows as you will pull out the pigment and cause the brows to become patchy.
- After 14 days you can resume your normal skincare routine, avoiding Retinol / AHA’s on the brows, you can use this on the rest of your face but must be 2cm away from the brows as the product will spread in the skin
- Once healed, wear SPF over your permanent make up everyday
Cryo-Pen
Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold. When sprayed on the skin the top skin layer rapidly freezes. When you leave the clinic, the freezing site will probably be red and swollen, and it may sting and itch as it thaws. Expect the site to feel like a bug bite. It may look worse over the next few days before it gets better. Swelling and/or blistering often develop within a day after treatment. 2-3 days after treatment a scab will probably form which will then take 7-10 days to fall off, leaving a pink smooth area.
There may be pain while the liquid nitrogen is applied and afterwards. The treated skin may become red and swollen. You may develop a blister (common), scar (rare), or a non-healing sore at a treatment area like the lower legs. Cryotherapy may cause your treated skin to lighten as it can damage pigment cells, leave a white spot. It can also darken, leave a dark spot, if you have dark skin or get excessive sun to the area while healing. We recommend that you clean the area with soap and water daily and apply antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin until it heals. If this area is exposed to dirt, sweat, irritation from clothing or picking, cover daily with a plaster or use Savlon.