There is some preparation that goes into getting a piercing, here are some of the things that will help the service go smoothly.
No caffeine (more painful)
Eat a few hours before appointment
Drink lots of water
Make sure you are well rested
Do not take any blood thinning medications
No children in the room, sharp objects are within reach and neither the piercer nor the piercee can give their attention to the child during this service
Oral piercings, please brush those pearly whites before you come
Facial piercings, makeup will be scrubbed clean in the piercing area
After Your Appointment
Salt soaks are the recommended aftercare for most piercings. This will prevent infection as well as promote drainage of the wound. This will discourage "bumps" from forming as well. Its important to do the soak at least once a day for the recommended time frame. The appropriate ratio for the mixture is ¼ a teaspoon of non-iodized salt in 8oz or 1 cup of water. For this method you would do one to two soaks a day for five to ten minutes. During the soak the piercing needs to be completely submerged in the sea salt mixture. After the soak simply rinse your piercing with warm water and pat dry. This method works with your body’s natural salinity to push out any bacteria inside your piercing. For this reason it’s very important to mix the solution in the right proportions.
Chamomile presses are great for hard to soak areas such as navel. With this method you steep a plain chamomile tea bag in a mixture of ¼ teaspoon of non-iodized salt and 8oz of water. After about five minutes you remove the tea bag and place it over your piercing, applying only enough pressure to hold it in place. For things such a navel it might be easier to simply lie down and avoid unneeded pressure being put on your piercing. For this method you leave the tea bag resting on the piercing for five to ten minutes before rinsing with warm water and patting dry with a clean paper towel.
Oral Piercings, during the course of healing it’s important to rinse your mouth after eating, drinking or smoking. Rinsing out with mouthwash is unnecessary and will likely lead to over cleaning unless you use alcohol free mouthwash. Instead warm water or a salt mixture should be used. Mouthwash can be used in the morning and at night if desired.
It’s important while healing an oral piercing to avoid using a mouth wash with alcohol in it. There are a few options. Crest Pro Health, Tech 200, Biotene, and Listerine Zero are all mouthwashes that don’t contain alcohol.
Always follow these rules for body piercings
Do not touch your new piercing unless you are cleaning it, DON'T FIDGET!
Piercings do not have to be rotated or twisted, they will not become "stuck" if the aftercare is followed or increased
Do not sleep on your new piercing
Cover your piercing if it is at risk of becoming tangled, hit, or come in contact with something that can jeopardize its healing
Try to keep hair away from the piercing / keep hair clean