Ink Assassins Aftercare for Tattoos:

Welcome to your new tattoo! This is how we recommend you take care of your art:

- DO NOT pick any scabs! NO scratching! Slap it if it itches.
- For 7-10 days, clean it 3 times per day with an antibacterial non-scented liquid soap and pat it dry.
- On the first 3 days, after cleaning, apply a thin layer of ointment. (A&D ointment, Aquaphor, or Bacitracin)
- For the following 7-10 days after that use a white hand lotion without dyes or perfumes. (Lubriderm, Aveeno, or Curel)
- You will need to apply the lotion anywhere from 8-10 times throughout the day to keep the tattooed area moist.
- We also suggest NO swimming or tanning for 2 weeks after being tattooed. If you are tanning, cover the tattooed area.
- To keep your tattoo looking good for years to come make sure to always cover it up or use sunblock whenever in direct sunlight or tanning. Sun is your tattoo’s worst enemy!
- Healing times may vary from person to person. Please take care of your new tattoo. It is with you for life!
 
PIERCING HEALING TIMES:
These are approximate healing times for well-cared for piercings.
Keep in mind, this is a general list, everyone’s body is different.

Facial Piercings:
Transverse Lobes: 6-12 weeks
Ear Lobes: 4-6 weeks
Ear Cartilage: 2 months–1 year
Tragus: 2-3 months
Eyebrow: 6-12 weeks
Nostril: 6-12 weeks
Septum: 4-8 weeks
Bridge: 6-12 weeks
Tongue: 4-8 weeks
Lips / Labret: 6-12 weeks
Scrumper: 4-8 weeks

Nipples and Navels:
Male Nipple: 2-4 months
Female Nipple: 3-6 months
Navel: 4 months-1 year

Female Genital Piercings:
Inner Labia: 2-4 weeks
Outer Labia: 6-10 weeks
Clitoral Hood: 2-4 weeks

Male Genital Piercings:
Prince Albert: 4-9 weeks
Reverse Prince Albert: 4-6 weeks
Scrotum: 6-10 weeks
Guiche: 2-3 months
Dydoe: 2-3 months
Ampallang: 4-6 months
Apadravya: 4-6 months
Frenum & Lorum: 6-8 weeks
Pubic: 2-3 months

Surface Piercings:
2-6 months, up to a 1 year

Cleaning Solutions: Use the following solution for body piercings:
- Sterile saline solution in a pressurized can with NO additives (read the label to be sure).

Sea Salt Water Soaks:
- Warm sea salt water soaks on body piercings promote healthy, problem-free piercings.
- Dissolve 4 teaspoons of non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt into 1 gallon of distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is NOT better! A sea salt water mixture that is too strong can irritate the piercing.

Cleaning Instructions for Body Piercings:
1. Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching on or near your piercing for any reason.
2. Soak with warm sea salt water for 10-15 minutes at least three times daily. The longer you soak the better. Simply invert a cup of warm sea salt water over the area to form a vacuum, allowing the liquid to directly soak your piercing. For certain placements it may be easier to apply using fresh gauze or a cotton ball saturated with sea salt water. A brief rinse will remove any residue.
3. Clean two or thee times daily (navel piercings as needed) with sterile saline solution. Spray piercing thoroughly with sterile saline solution. Use Q-tips saturated with sterile saline solution to remove any crusty matter from jewelry and around piercing. Let air dry. DO NOT rinse or rotate jewelry!

For Oral Piercings:
Cleaning Solutions: Tech 2000 diluted with distilled or bottled water (not tap water) according to package instructions as an oral irrigator (three capfuls to one cup of bottled water). An alternative is Biotene or other alcohol-free antimicrobial or antibacterial mouth rinse diluted 50/50 with distilled or bottled water. These are available in the oral medications section of most drugstores or we also sell bottles of Tech 2000 at Ink Assassins for your convenience.

Sea Salt Soaks: Mild sea salt water rinses. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt into 1 gallon of distilled water (distilled water is preferred because it is less likely to harbor bacteria). Pour sea salt water into a small clean cup. Heat in microwave until sea salt water is warm (avoid hot water for the first few days). Rinse for two minutes. If you have high blood pressure or heart problems, you will need to limit your frequency with the sea salt, and use only plain warm water rinses.

Cleaning Instructions for Oral Piercings:
- Rinse mouth for 30-60 seconds with solution (see Cleaning Solutions above) after meals and during the entire minimum initial healing time. Do not use more then 4-5 times daily and use it over intervals spaced throughout the entire day. If you are cleaning too often, the top of your tongue will start to turn a whitish yellow color. Continue to clean your piercing, but reduce the number of times you are cleaning it per day.
- A new tooth brush should be purchased, to help reduce the bacteria that are introduced into your mouth.
- Rinse your mouth for two minutes with the mild sea salt mixture (see recipe above) twice a day.

For Body Piercings

Helpful Hints: Things to help you heal
- Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; leave it alone except when cleaning. It is not necessary to rotate your jewelry while healing.
- Stay Healthy. Get enough sleep and eat a nutritious diet. The healthier your lifestyle; the easier it will be for your piercing to heal. Exercise during healing is fine, just “listen” to your body.
- Make sure your bedding is kept clean and changed regularly. Wear clean, comfortable, breathable clothing that protects your piercing while sleeping.
- Showering is safer then taking a bath because bathtubs tend to harbor bacteria. If you would like to take a bath, clean the tub well before each use.

Things to avoid while healing:
- Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.
- Avoid the use of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Betadine, Hibiclens, or ointment.
- Avoid over cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate the piercing.
- Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others’ bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.
- Avoid stress and recreational drug use including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
- Avoid submerging the piercing in bodies of water such as lakes, pools, Jacuzzis, ect. Or protect your piercing using a special waterproof bandage such as Tegaderm, which is available in drugstores.
- Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, hair sprays, ect.
- Don’t hang charms or any other objects from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.

Jewelry:
- Unless there is a problem with the size, style or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in place the entire healing period. A qualified
piercer should perform any necessary jewelry change when this occurs during healing.
- Contact your piercer if your jewelry must be temporarily removed (such as for a medical procedure). There are non-metallic jewelry
alternatives.
- Leave jewelry in at all times. Even old, well-healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years. If removed re-insertion can be difficult, or impossible.
- With clean hands or paper products, be sure to regularly check threaded jewelry ends on your jewelry for tightness. (“righty -tighty,
lefty-loosely”).
- Carry a clean spare ball in case of loss or breakage.
- Should you decide you no longer want the piercing, seek professional help in the removal of jewelry and continue cleaning the piercing until the hole closes. In most cases, only a small indentation will remain.

For Particular Areas

Navel
- A hard vented eye path (sold in drug stores) can be applied under tight clothing (such as nylon stockings) or secured using a length of ace bandage around the body (to avoid irritation from adhesive). This can protect the area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation, and impact during physical activities such as contact sports.

Ear, Cartilage and Facial
- Use the T-shirt trick: dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt and turn it nightly; one clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for
sleeping.
- Maintain cleanliness of telephones, headphones, eyeglasses, helmets, hats and anything that contacts the pierced area.
- Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

Nipple
- The support of a tight cotton shirt or sports bra may provide protection and feel more comfortable, especially for sleeping.

Genital
- In most cases you can engage in sexual activity as soon as you feel ready. Comfort and hygiene are vital.
- During healing all sexual activities must be gentle.
- To increase comfort and decrease trauma, soak with sea salt water then clean piercing with sterile saline solution to remove any crusty matter, prior to sexual activity.
- Use barriers such as condoms, dental dams, Tegaderm, ect, to avoid contact with a partner’s bodily fluids, even in long-term relationships.
- After sexual contact, an additional sea salt water soak is suggested.
- Prince Albert and Apadravya piercings can bleed for the first few days.
- Urinate after cleaning any piercing near the urethra.
For Oral Piercings - Helpful Hints:

What is Normal:
- Swelling of the area is perfectly normal during the first part of healing an oral piercing. It can be greatly reduced by gently sucking (rather then chewing) on clean ice. Chipped or shaved ice or small cubes are best. The majority of the swelling usually lasts for only 3-5 days.
- Any new Piercing can bleed off and on for a few days. There can also be some bleeding under the surface resulting in temporary bruising or discoloration. This is perfectly normal and not indicative of any complication.
- Some tenderness or discomfort in the area of a new piercing is not unusual. You may feel aching, pinching, tightness or other unpleasant sensations off and on for several days or longer.
- Don’t be alarmed if you see a fairly liquid, yellowish secretion coming from the piercing. This is blood plasma, lymph and dead cells which is perfectly normal. All healing piercing secrete, it just looks different inside the mouth as it doesn’t have chance to dry and form a crust as it does on ear or body piercings. This is not pus, but indicates a healing piercing.
- Plaque may form on tongue jewelry, commonly on the bottom ball and or post. Scrub your barbell with a soft bristled toothbrush (gently during healing). If you are diligent with oral hygiene the jewelry will not need to be removed for cleaning, and it can usually be left in even for routine visits to the dentist.
- Piercings may have a tendency to have a series of ups and downs during healing by seeming healed and then regressing. Try to be patient, and do keep cleaning during the entire initial healing time, even if the piercing seems healed sooner.
- Each body is unique, and healing times can vary considerably. If you have any questions, please contact your piercer.
- Once initial swelling is down, having your piercer replace the barbell with a shorter one may be wise. Jewelry that fits snug (without being too tight) is less likely to irritate your mouth or get between your teeth and be bitten.
- If you like your piercing, leave jewelry in it. Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes even if you have had them for years! This varies from person to person, and even if your ear lobe piercings stay open without jewelry your oral piercings may not!
- Keep following the care procedures during the entire minimum initial healing time, even if the piercing seems healed sooner.

Oral Piercing Hints and Tips:

Tongue:
- Try to focus on keeping your tongue level in your mouth to avoid biting on the jewelry as you eat. Your mouth is likely to feel uncoordinated at first, but this will pass.
- Try eating small bites of solid foods by placing food directly onto the molars with clean fingers or a fork. Food that is already in the back of the mouth doesn’t have to get moved there by your tongue.
- Gently brush your tongue and jewelry when you are healing. Once healed brush tongue and jewelry thoroughly to keep plaque away.

Lip / Cheek:
- Be cautious about opening your mouth wide when you eat, as this can result in the backing of the jewelry catching on your teeth. Take small bites and go slowly at first.
- The outside of the piercing may become somewhat red and pink during healing and this is normal. Refer to the Aftercare Guidelines for Body and Facial Piercings sheet for instructions on how to care for the exterior surface of such a piercing.

What to do:
- Try to sleep with your head propped up on the pillows during the first few nights of healing; keeping your head above your heart will help to avoid much initial overnight swelling.
- An over-the-counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, ect,) taken according to package instructions can reduce discomfort, and it can also help to diminish swelling the first few days.
- Check twice with clean hands to be sure the threaded ends on your jewelry are on tight. To clean hands, wash them carefully with liquid antibacterial soap. If your hands aren’t freshly washed, don’t touch yourself above the neck during the initial healing time.
- Replace your toothbrush and make sure to keep it clean so that everything that goes into your mouth is hygienic while you are healing. A sensitive type of toothpaste may be less irritating to your mouth during healing than a usual, stronger variety.
- Try to go slowly when you eat and to take small bites when you are getting used to your jewelry. Cold foods and beverages feel great and can help diminish swelling. Drink plenty of liquids, especially bottled water.
- Get enough sleep and eat nutritious diet. The healthier your lifestyle, the easier it will be for your piercing to heal.

What to avoid:
- No oral sexual contact including French (wet) kissing or oral sex during the entire initial healing period, even if you are in a monogamous relationship. (if you had a large cut you would not allow someone to spit in it! This is essentially the same thing.)
- Avoid chewing on gum, tobacco, fingernails, pencils, sunglasses, ect., during healing. Don’t share plates, cups or utensils.
- Reducing smoking or quitting is highly advisable when healing time. Avoid undue stress and recreational drug usage.
- Stay away from aspirin, large amounts of caffeine, and alcoholic beverages for the first several days. Alcoholic beverages include all beer, wine and hard liquor. These can cause additional swelling, bleeding and discomfort. Refrain from eating spicy, salty, acidic, or hot temperature foods and beverages for a few days.
- Do not play with the piercing for the initial healing time beyond the necessary movement for speaking and eating. The mouth withstands a lot of trauma from normal speaking and eating. Try to avoid other disturbances such as excessive talking, actively playing with jewelry, or clicking the jewelry against your teeth. Undue stress on the piercing can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration and other complications.
- Evan after healing, excessive play with oral jewelry can result in permanent damage to teeth, gums, and oral structures. Metal is harder then the human body; be gentle. Do not use Lysterine or other mouthwash that contains alcohol. It can irritate the area and delay healing.
- Don’t use too many different products; select and use only one cleaning solution (such as Tech 2000 or Biotene) plus sea salt.  

Each body is unique and healing times vary considerably. If you have any questions, please contact your piercer.

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