---

Ink Assassins Aftercare for Tattoos:

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

“DOS”:

– Leave the initial bandages on for about 2 hours.
– Always wash your hands before touching your tattoo.
– For 7-10 days clean your tattoo 3 times per day with an anti-bacterial non-scented liquid soap and pat it dry.
– On the first 3 to 5 days after cleaning, apply a thin layer of ointment (Aquaphor, A&D ointment, Bacitracin).
– For the following 7-14 days after that use a white hand lotion without dyes or perfumes (Aveeno, Lubriderm, or Curel).  You will need to apply the lotion anywhere from 6-10 times throughout the day to keep the tattooed area moist.

“DON’TS”

– Do not rebandage your tattoo.
– Do not use a washcloth or anything abrasive on the tattoo while it is healing.
– Do not pick any scabs.  No scratching.  Slap it if it itches.
– Avoid tight fitting clothes or shoes which might rub on, irritate, or impede proper healing of your tattoo.
– Avoid hot tubs, public pools, and the ocean during the healing process.  That means no swimming.
– Avoid direct sunlight or tanning beds for a few weeks.  After your tattoo is healed and in order to keep your tattoo looking good for years to come always keep it covered or use sunblock whenever in direct sunlight or tanning.  Sun is your tattoos worst enemy.
– Healing time 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.

---

SUGGESTED BODY PIERCING AFTERCARE:

H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray

How does H2Ocean work?

Spray directly on pierced area and allow to dry and absorb into the skin. The enzymes in H2Oceans formula will start attacking the cell walls of the bad bacteria and continue fighting off the bad bacteria for up to 4 to 5 hours. Remember our formula does not harm any good bacteria essential to healing the body. The natural sea salt, which contains essential minerals, then goes to work feeding your body what it needs to nourish cells and increase cell regeneration. H2Ocean is the only aftercare formula that contains an antibacterial enzyme and healing agent and is in a sterile easy to use package.

How often should I use H2Ocean?

We recommend spraying a mist of the solution on the piercing every 3 to 4 hour, as the enzyme (lysozyme) will remain active against bad bacteria for 4 to 5 hours. This may keep infections from occurring. The salinity level of this product is isotonic to the cellular fluid matrix in humans therefore no burning will occur on the piercing.  You cannot overuse H2Ocean.

Alternatives to H2Ocean Aftercare spray:

Sea Salt Soaks w/ Saline Solution

Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching on or near your piercing for any reason.

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 a small amount of 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.

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.  Soak with warm sea salt water for 10-15 minutes at least three times daily. The longer you soak the better.

After sea salt soaks clean the piercing two or three times daily (navel piercings as needed) with sterile saline solution in a pressurized can.  Make sure that the sterile saline solution has NO additives (read the label to be sure).  Spray piercing thoroughly with sterile saline solution. Use a Q-tip saturated with sterile saline solution to remove any crusty matter from jewelry and around piercing. Let air dry. DO NOT rinse or rotate jewelry!

Helpful Hints For Body Piercings 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, and make sure the water level is kept lower to make sure you do not submerge the piercing.

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.

Jewelry:

– Don’t hang charms or any other objects from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.
– 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-loosey”).
– 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 patch (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.  In order to increase comfort and decrease trauma prior to engaging in sexual activity, spray H2Ocean on piercing and onto a Q-tip and remove any crusty matter by gently rubbing it around the piercing. You can also do a sea salt soak then clean the piercing with sterile saline solution to remove any crusty matter.  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, clean with H2Ocean aftercare spray or 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.

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

---

SUGGESTED ORAL PIERCING AFTERCARE:

Cleaning Instructions for Oral Piercings: H2Ocean All Natural Sea Salt Rinse.

Rinse mouth for 30-60 seconds with solution 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. If that occurs continue to clean your piercing, but reduce the number of times you are cleaning it per day.

Alternatives to H2Ocean oral piercing rinse:

Alcohol free antimicrobial or antibacterial mouth rinse diluted 50/50 with distilled, filtered or bottled water.

Sea Salt Rinse

– Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching on or near your piercing for any reason.
– 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 a small amount of 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). 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.  For two minutes rinse your mouth twice a day.

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 complications.
– 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 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.
– 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 the 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.

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 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.
– Even 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.
– Don’t use too many different products; select and use only one cleaning solution.

Oral piercing tips for particular areas:

Tongue: A new tooth brush should be purchased, to help reduce the bacteria that are introduced into your mouth.  A sensitive type of toothpaste may be less irritating to your mouth during healing than a usual, stronger variety.  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.  Gently brush your tongue and jewelry when you are healing. Once healed, brush your 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.  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. can be taken according to package instructions and can reduce discomfort.  It can also help to diminish swelling the first few days but may also contribute to some slight bleeding.
– 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.
– During the initial healing when you are getting used to your new jewelry 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.
– 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.

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

© 2024 INK ASSASSINS