Body piercings at South Beach Tattoo Company are always performed in a clean environment with brand new jewelry and needles and sterilized equipment by a skilled, knowledgeable professional piercer. When you leave the studio however, the responsibility for the care of your new piercing rests with you. With all new piercings the most crucial time to give attention to aftercare is the first month but your piercing will heal best if you continue to care for it for at least the minimum times we suggest. The purpose of aftercare and cleaning is to remove any matter or discharge that collects on the jewelry and prevent harmful bacteria from collecting in the area of a fresh piercing. Infection or irritation of a piercing generally occurs because of bacteria or foreign matter being forced into the wound and under the skin's surface. The single best way to prevent this from happening is to limit the amount of contact you have with the piercing at times other than cleaning. Dirty hands are the most common way that irritants and infectious agents are introduced to a fresh piercing, so if you aren't cleaning your piercing then Keep Your Hands Off Of It.

The best way to ensure that your piercing heals as quickly as it can is to keep your body healthy. When your body is trying to heal a new piercing it needs you to take care of yourself. A healthy diet, regular sleep, and moderation with alcoholic beverages during healing can make a great difference. A daily multi-vitamin helps to improve the progress of a new piercing and many people also find that an additional zinc or Vitamin C supplement will speed the healing process further. We generally discourage the use of antibacterial ointments such as Neosporin or Bacitracin because these products do not allow the skin to breathe and the sticky ointments can attract particles from the air and your clothing which may irritate. Besides, unless you have been neglecting the care of your piercing, these should not be necessary.

In general, facial piercings heal quickly and easily with a minimum of discomfort or inconvenience. The exception to this would be ear cartilidge piercings (including Tragus, Conch, and Daith) since they sometimes stay tender for a longer period of time. The basic rule of thumb is keep your piercing clean and keep your hands off it. We generally recommend Bactine antiseptic solution for the cleaning of these piercings. For individuals with sensitive skin, however, a warm sea salt solution can be subsituted. The salt solution is prepared by mixing one spoonful of natural sea salt (not iodized table salt) in a bowl of warm water and stirring until the salt is dissolved. Both of these choices are well suited for the delicate skin around the face as they are quite mild.

1. Wash your hands thouroughly with an anti-bacterial soap taking care to clean between fingers and under nails before touching your piercing.
2. Soak a clean cotton swab in the solution and shake off excess. (It is especially important for eyebrow piercings or any ear piercings that the cotton swab is only moist so that excess solution does not run into the eye or ear.)
3. Let the solution moisten the entry and exit holes of the piercing and remain for one minute to soften any dried matter or discharge which may have formed on the jewelry.
4. Clean the jewelry's inside and outsides edges completely.
5. When the jewelry is clean, moisten a new, clean cotton swab and rotate the jewelry back and forth several times cleaning with the swab between each rotation.
6. Attempt to clean the piercing three (3) times a day throughout the entire healing time.
7. For the most part Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropyl) and Hydrogen Peroxide are excessively strong and should be avoided completely for care of the piercing.
8. If difficulties occur in the healing of your piercing or if you have any unanswered questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.