Suggested Aftercare

Saline solution is essentially the same as the fluid inside your body and is ideal for rinsing a piercing.

Irrigation saline is available in studio and is sold at pharmacies.

We generally suggest tissue to clean your piercing- it doesn't "wisp' like Q-Tips or Cotton Balls and can be wrapped in and around a nose or ear piercing more easily than a Cotton Make up Pad. An important note: Do Not Use the communal bathroom toilet paper, have your own tissue that you keep with your saline solution. This is very important.

Drainage from your healing piercing is part of the healing process, lymph rinses the piercing and aids in the healing process. Lymph can be a clear fluid, or a thicker whitish/yellow goo. It is also common for some blood to be mixed with the lymph which can appear red to brown. If the lymph is left to dry it becomes "crusty" on the jewellery. Be sure to soften these "crusties" with saline and wipe them away.

Be sure to have your jewellery downsized as suggested by your piercer. Overly long posts can put stress on the piercing that can be seen in the form of "bumps". If you have an irritation bump forming please contact us, and remember, as with all piercings, to dry it well after rinsing.

Most people rinse 1-3 times daily, this changes over the healing time depending on how your piercing feels and your level of activity. Remember to keep rinsing your piercing 3-6 weeks longer than you feel you need to. This gives the new tissue a chance to "toughen" and mature. All piercings take about 18 months to mature, so be prepared to go back to your original cleaning routine for several weeks at any point in the first couple of years.          

Using a frozen bean bag, cold pack, etc. applied gently to your piercing. Protect your piercing with   tissue or gauze before applying.

Only apply 10 minutes out of any hour.

The cold can help control swelling in the area.

This should be comfortable, not "freezing".

Using a heated bean bag, hot water bottle, etc. applied gently to your piercing. Protect your piercing with a fresh tissue or gauze before applying.

The heat can help increase the circulation to the area.

This should be comfortable, quite warm, but not "hot

You'll need to rinse with good, clean water several times a day.

If you regularly use mouthwash, please switch to an alcohol free rinse.

Daily Rinsing for the inside of the mouth: Rinse with water for 15-30 seconds after you eat, drink or put anything other than bottled water in your mouth, including after you brush your teeth or smoke.

-Ibuprofen (Motrin) is an anti-inflammatory and can be used according to package instructions to reduce swelling

-Eat slowly, think about where your jewellery is. Avoid foods that feel like the jewellery (i.e. candies and tongue barbell beads can be easily mistaken)

-Drink plenty of cold water to help with any swelling.

​-To lessen the chance of tooth and gum damage please DOWNSIZE, have your jewellery RE FIT PROMPTLY do not leave oversized or poor fitting jewellery in for longer than necessary.

 Don't forget to tighten your ends.

Threadless ends can be tighten by simply pushing the front and back together.

Threaded ends by turning the beads right to tighten (the same as the threads on your tube of toothpaste)

KEEP OTHER PEOPLE'S BODILY FLUIDS-AWAY  FROM  YOUR  FRESH  PIERCING

Never share worn jewellery! 

For oral piercings this also includes no kissing, no sharing lip balm, no sharing drinks, etc. during the healing.

For all piercings, please remember: DO NOT REMOVE YOUR JEWELLERY FOR CLEANING.

If you remove your jewellery you may lose your piercing-

If your jewellery does come out during the healing period please return to Instinct as soon as possible so that we can help. Do not force the jewellery in or try to re pierce your piercing. Call us! 250 377 3877, FB message or email.

See Trouble Shooting for more information

Many piercings must be performed with oversized jewellery in order to accommodate swelling and cleaning.

 Wearing oversized jewellery past when it's needed can drastically impact your final piercing. Wearing oversized posts in the mouth for more than a few weeks can lead to serious tooth/gum damage. 

Swelling is a body's natural reaction to trauma and most localized swelling is completely normal.

Extreme swelling is rare, but must be dealt with immediately. If a piercing swells so much that the ends of the jewellery are being sucked inside your piercing and no shaft of the jewellery can be pushed out call us- longer jewellery is needed right away. If you are unable to control the swelling, see a medical professional or contact us, you may need to take the jewellery out (keep cleaning).

A piercing's initial swelling can restrict bleeding. When this swelling goes down you may bleed a little. This is rare, but normal especially for tongues- try not to worry. If a piercing is bleeding uncontrollably the most common treatment is to remove the jewellery and apply direct pressure.Some bruising near the piercing site is not uncommon and will often occur several days after the initial piercing. The most common cause of bruising is moving the jewellery too much in the first few days.

 If you are having a problem or think you have an infection, call, message or drop in immediately! 

We want to see your piercing successfully healed, so come in as soon as possible and let us help you completely free of charge. 

If you are in any doubt whatsoever, call 811 to speak to a nurse, or see a doctor as soon as possible. 

Jewellery keeps a piercing open and lets the wound drain, do not remove any jewellery unless you have an extremely swollen piercing with a post (see swelling above)

The most important thing to remember is that your immune system deals with stress, helping you stay healthy, and healing your piercing. Everything you can do to keep your immune system from working overtime will help your piercing heal faster.

-Tighten your barbell balls! 

Tighten the balls by turning the top ball to the right and the bottom ball in the opposite direction. (if you forget it's the same as any screw-on lid)

-Secure your threadless posts! 

Push the two ends together to insure the fit is tight.