Advice

Advice for your piercing.

If you have a problematic piercing, we advise you not to wear any of the fancy belly bars or body jewellery shown on our site other than the very basic jewellery until your piercing is FULLY HEALED (this can take anything up to 3 months so be patient)

If you are suffering irritation or problems of any nature, we first and most importantly implore that you seek the advice of the piercing studio where you had the piercing, or the advice of a REPUTABLE body art or piercing business near to you.

Navel, Nipple and Genital piercings can be amongst the hardest to heal due to irritation from clothing and lack of air to the piercing. We advise:

Soak any crust formations off with clean warm water

Lather a small amount of antibacterial soap over the piercing and leave for a few minutes

Rinse thoroughly with fresh clean water

Repeat this procedure no more than twice daily for best results

Keep waistbands off navel piercing at all times

Avoid aggressive exercise and sleeping on your stomach

Avoid chlorinated swimming pools, jacuzzis and saunas as these may cause irritation

Try using a 'Tegaderm' or 'Mepore' patch or similar dressing to keep the area dry and clean

Facial piercings such as Ears, Septum, Nose, Eyebrow and Earl, Outside Lip and Cheek are harder piercings to soak, therefore clean after a bath or shower. We advise:

Wet a clean cotton bud with Benzalkonium Chloride
Soak around piercing and jewellery making sure to remove any crust formation
When clean, dry the area with a fresh cotton bud
Repeat 2-3 times daily

We issue the following guidelines for Oral piercings (where all or part of the jewellery is inside the mouth) such as Tongue, Inside Lip and Cheek:

To care for the outside follow the above Facial instructions
To clean the inside, use a special antibacterial wash such as 'Tech 2000' which is alcohol free and can be used undiluted
If using an alcohol based mouthwash, dilute a third mouthwash to two thirds water
Use after eating, drinking, smoking until piercing fully healed
Suck ice to reduce swelling (the jewellery inserted by your piercer should be large enough to allow for swelling)
Eat soft foods such as soup and yoghurt and work you way up to tougher foods (avoid hot spicy food)
Change your toothbrush as this may harbour bacteria
If problems persist or embedding occurs, do not hesitate to contact your local reputable piercer

All advice issued by Shelley's Body Jewellery are suggestions and if you have any adverse reactions we urge you to seek further advice.

The healing process of your piercing is determined by various factors such as diet, lifestyle, immune system and irritation to the piercing during the healing period. Problems may often be caused by

Aggravation (clothing on the area)
Not using the recommended / suggested aftercare products
ANY contact with unwashed hands or bodily fluids

Please be aware that Shelley's Body Jewellery cannot be held responsible for any problems or irritation you may experience with your piercing.