Your piercer will apply a sterile dressing to the piercing if it is practical to do so . As long as this covering remains dry and in place, the piercing will be kept clean. Ideally you would keep the piercing covered in this way for several days as long as it does not bleed enough to make the dressing wet. Care should be taken to avoid getting the bandage wet when you wash. If it does become wet, it is no longer protecting the piercing and should be removed. Your cleaning routine should then begin.
To clean your piercing:
Make up some saline: Boil the kettle and pour boiling water onto some pure salt (many cheap table salts have additives, you should avoid these if possible and use only a pure sea salt) then allow the solution to cool to a comfortably warm temperature before using. ¼ teaspoon sea salt per small cup of water is all you need. More is not better!
Wash your hands thoroughly (don't forget under your fingernails!) preferably with an antibacterial soap. NEVER touch your piercing until you have washed your hands as this is the most common cause of infections.
Soak your piercing, either by putting the cup of saline up against your piercing or by putting your piercing into the cup, for around 5 minutes, and definitely no longer than 10 minutes. If you have an oral piercing: use the salt water as a mouthwash. If you can't stand the taste of salt water and want to use a mouthwash from the shop instead, don't buy one with alcohol or other strong chemicals in it as this can cause irritation and delay healing. You should rinse your mouth out after eating or smoking (although it is highly recommended not to smoke at all with a fresh oral piercing) as well as morning and night. Once the piercing is WELL HEALED you should brush the jewellery at the same time as brushing your teeth to minimise plaque build-up on the jewellery. DO NOT do this until the piercing has healed- it can lead to infection.
Air-dry your piercing, do NOT use a towel as this will usually put more bacteria onto your piercing than you have just washed off. If you really want to dry of the area in a hurry, keep a role of kitchen towel (not tissue or toilet roll- these disintegrate too easily and can leave bits stuck on your piercing) solely for your piercing and dry it with a new sheet each time. Don't just use a bit of kitchen roll from the kitchen (or from any roll that has been handled a lot) as it will not be clean enough.
Clean your piercing as above two or three times a day for the first several months. When having a general wash, try to have showers rather than baths as this exposes your piercing to less bacteria. You don't need to wash your piercing in the shower as you have already washed it with salt water, but if some soap or shower gel does get on the piercing this is usually nothing to worry about. Just try to avoid using perfumed or oily products as these are not good for a piercing. Rinse the piercing well. Take care to ensure no moisturiser, talcum powder, deodorant, perfume etc. gets on your piercing if you use these products after a shower. Don't use your towel on the piercing after a shower, let it air dry or use your kitchen roll as mentioned above.
To help your piercing heal:
LEAVE IT ALONE! Don't fiddle with it, turn it, clean it a million times each day, let your friends touch it, let your dog sniff it, pick off any scabs that have formed, etc. etc. etc.
Contact your piercer if you have any worries or questions. Don't delay, and please don't feel silly! Its better to ask a “silly” question and get the right advice than to ignore a problem and potentially let it get worse.
Don't put strong antiseptics on your piercing- while they may kill germs that can also kill the delicate new cells that are trying to grow.
If you have a fresh oral or genital piercing, avoid any sort of contact that exposes the piercing to another person's unwashed hands, or their saliva or other body fluids. This applies even if you normally fluid-share with the person. Use condoms or dental dams for sex. These are provided free at Custom Art- please ask for them if you don't see them on display. They are also offered free at most sexual health clinics and many doctor's surgeries.
If swimming, cover the piercing with a waterproof bandage. Some piercings cannot easily be covered and in this case it is best to avoid swimming until the piercing has healed.
Don't change the jewellery in your piercing until it is well healed. If the jewellery needs to be changed in the first few months, see your piercer
Don't put any products such as make-up, moisturiser, etc. around a piercing.
Try to look after your body by eating a balanced diet, being sensible about your intake of cigarettes, alcohol & other drugs, and by getting enough sleep. This will help your body heal more quickly.